Hero Racing and Ducati North America have secured the American Off-Road Racing Championship (AORC) in the Desmo450 EDX’s first season of American desert racing. Supported by Malcolm Smith Motorsports, the team completed every AORC race without a DNF and finished its campaign with victory at the Laughlin Desert Classic.

Ciaran Naran and Cody Simpson took the win for Hero Racing at Laughlin. The event used a grand prix finish format, and the winning duo crossed the line just under 28 seconds ahead of its closest rival. The difficulty of the race is also reflected in the finishing numbers: only 12 competitors completed all five scheduled laps.

For Ducati, the result gives the first-generation Desmo450 EDX a championship in its debut season of desert racing. The outcome was not limited to the final victory; Hero Racing also maintained a clean completion record across the AORC campaign, with no DNF in any race. Ducati Off-Road presents that combination of pace and consistency as an important foundation for the programme’s continued ambitions in American off-road competition.