Ducati Dominates Laughlin Desert Classic
C
hampions were crowned on
the banks of the Colorado
River in Laughlin, Nevada, as the
Laughlin Desert Classic kicked
off the fifth and final round of the
2026 American Off-Road Racing
Championship, October 17-18. In
their first full season unified with
UNLTD Racing to form the AORC,
racers battled it out on storied
grounds outside of the Laughlin
Event Center as the two-day for-
mat saw tight racing and fierce
battles among all the classes.
The Hero Racing Ducati team of
Ciaran Naran and Cody Simpson
capped off a flawless season
over the weekend, winning both
days at the Laughlin Desert Clas-
sic to secure the overall victory
and complete an almost perfect
sweep of the 2026 American Off-
Road Racing Championship with
four event wins.
As the sun broke above the
mountains east of Laughlin on
Saturday morning, the green
flag flew, and the first row of Pro
motorcycles roared to life from
the dead-engine start. Barreling
into the first sweeping turn, the
big contenders were left behind
when their bikes didn't fire up,
forcing Naran and Shane Logan,
the only two teams to have won
a race this year, to make quick
passes through the painful roost
from the pack of Pro riders. Un-
like past years, the AORC crew
prepped the entire 14-mile des-
ert loop with a fresh grade and
water that led to all-out racing on
the high-speed desert circuit.
Capitalizing on the clean air up-
front, Trevor Hunter took the early
lead on the N57 Honda. How-
ever, a small bike malfunction
allowed the relentless pace of the
chasing pack to catch up to him
quickly. Logan on the Husqvarna
and Nick Colangeli on the Beta
pushed past Hunter, with Naran
carving his way through traffic to
join the lead group.
A fierce, wheel-to-wheel battle
ensued over the first two laps be-
tween Naran and Logan. Naran
WIND
IN THE
P42
The N2 Ducati team of Ciaran Naran and Cody Simpson topped
this year's Laughlin Desert Classic.
PHOTOS: HARLEN FOLEY
