Tiziano Internó will enter the 2027 Dakar Rally on a prototype Ducati EDS 450 Rally made by Rebel X. He will take part in Original by Motul, though his primary goal is to test the bike’s capabilities in the African desert and collect data for R&D purposes.

Pre-orders for the production version will open in February, followed by deliveries in July. Only 35 units will be made.

Ducatis have appeared at the Dakar Rally as early as 1980, when Michel Cheylan finished 18th overall on a Ducati 750 GT with a bent handlebar. Cheylan returned the following year while Xavier Baldet took part on a Ducati 500 Pantah, the latter running as high as third before his bike literally split in half. However, the brand’s Dakar presence would be subsumed by parent company Cagiva in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

In recent years, the manufacturer has started to get back into the off-road world. Red Bull Ducati Factory MXGP Team competes in the FIM Motocross World Championship whereas Ducati Corse competes in AMA Supercross. HERO Racing has enjoyed a standout 2026 in desert racing, winning the Mint 400 and the inaugural American Off-Road Racing Championship on the Desmo450.

In July, however, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali ruled out the possibility of a factory rally raid team at the moment since the company has too much on its plate. It’s why Rebel X Sports is spearheading the EDS 450 Rally program rather than Ducati proper in Bologna.

Manuel Lucchese, Dakar veteran who’s been sidelined by injury since December 2025, led the design of the bike alongside Hyle Project. The titanium exhaust system comes from Akrapovič, while GET produced the ECU map and GPS-enabled speed limiter for liaison sections. The bike also comes with Brembo brake calipers and “non-standard components” for the suspension.

Internó ran his sixth Dakar in Janaury, finishing eighth in Malle Moto as part of an “Ultra Dakar” effort in which he carried his bags of tools and personal belongings with him on each stage.

Featured image credit: Rebel X