WIND
IN THE
P44
Ducati had a lot riding on Alex-
ander Smith's shoulders, and he
delivered. "We are delighted to
celebrate Alexander Smith and
the team's remarkable achieve-
ment in the NORRA Mexican
1000 Rally on the DesertX Rally,"
said Jason Chinnock, Chief
Executive Officer at Ducati North
America. "This is a fantastic
result for us as we continue to
explore our performance off-
road. We have a lot of data to
review to discuss how we win
next time, but right now, it's time
to celebrate. His performance
and intelligence not only under
-
score the power and precision of
Ducati motorcycles but also fill
us with pride and admiration for
his success."
Sharing the podium with
Sutherland and Smith in third
place overall, approximately
three hours back, was Amateur
Rally class winner Alex Ritz. He
was fast and consistent all week
and pushed the pace for all the
other competitors.
"It was an honor to ride behind
these guys," said Ritz, who rode
a Honda XR650R. "This is really
cool for my first rally and my first
time at NORRA."
Ritz practiced for six months
using road books. He said he
rides in Mexico a lot, and the
trails that Lewis had connected
and the places they were riding
were amazing.
Next across the line, in fourth
overall, was the winner of the
60+ class Larry Engwall. Eric
Simensen was fifth overall and
won the 50+ class.
CN
OVERALL MOTORCYCLE
1. Matt Sutherland (KTM)
2. Alexander Smith (Duc)
3. Alex Ritz (Hon)
4. Larry Engwall (Hus)
5. Eric Simensen (KTM)
6. William St. Laurent (Hus)
7. Shane Wallack (Hon)
8. Abbott Cowen (Hon)
9. Aaron Prouty (Hon)
10. Nick Martin (KTM)
Alexander Smith made it
a race to the finish, with
the Ducati DesertX rider
finishing second.