David Knight ended the Japan National Cross Country Championship (JNCC) season at the top of COMP-GP, winning AAGP GAIA, the series’ ninth and final round. The event took place on 8 November 2026 at Wild Cross Park GAIA in Omachi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The three-time Enduro World Champion rode for Team DUCATI on the Ducati Desmo450 MX.

Knight moved into first place within the opening minutes and kept the lead throughout all 16 laps. His advantage was 25 seconds after lap one and had grown to 1 minute 46 seconds by lap four. He recorded his best lap on the fifth circuit, stopping the clock at 8 minutes 5.080 seconds. The other 15 laps, beginning with lap two, fell between 8 minutes 5 seconds and 9 minutes 11 seconds.

The winning total was 2 hours 23 minutes 11.784 seconds, giving Knight a 4-minute 1.941-second advantage over the runner-up. The second-place rider was the only other competitor to complete the full 16 laps; every rider from third place downward completed one fewer lap.

A motocross bike on a technical course

GAIA mixes woodland trails with endurocross sections, producing a technical and demanding challenge for a powerful 450 motocross machine. Knight said he crashed once, after becoming involved in a fall by the rider ahead on an uphill section. The team had selected a relatively soft front-fork setting, which called for careful control during the early part of the race.

Knight said the motorcycle improved as the laps passed and the fuel load dropped. Although the Desmo450 MX is a pure motocross machine, he found it effective across the course and particularly impressive in some sections. The race bike was supplied by Ducati Osaka East and Ducati Hyogo. Ducati also says its Desmo450 EDS enduro model is coming to Japan, with smooth power delivery and a lower tendency to stall expected to make a course like GAIA easier to ride.

A substantial record behind the result

Knight’s career includes three Enduro World titles in the E3 class, won in 2005, 2006 and 2010. He has also taken overall individual victory at the 2005 International Six Days Enduro, won the Erzbergrodeo in 2005 and 2006, and claimed the GNCC XC1 class championship in 2007 and 2008. In 2008 he became the inaugural FIM SuperEnduro champion, while in 2011 he was appointed an MBE. He now competes at various venues as a Ducati ambassador on the Desmo450 MX.