Jason Chinnock is the CEO of Ducati North America, and instead of sending a press release about the brand’s entry into U.S. off-road racing, he restored a 54-year-old motorcycle himself and raced it. At the Biltwell 100, Chinnock lined up aboard a 1971 Ducati 450 R/T Desmo that he personally rebuilt from the ground up — one of Ducati’s earliest purpose-built off-road machines, originally developed at the request of U.S. importer Berliner Motors after Ducati’s 1969 Baja 500 victory on a Scrambler 350. In Ducati’s centennial year, with the company entering motocross, supercross, and grassroots dirt racing in America, Jason Chinnock chose to make the commitment tangible by putting himself on the starting line.
The Build That Jason Chinnock Assembled
Jason Chinnock started the restoration in late January and transformed the vintage platform into a competitive modern retromod that respects the original aesthetic while upgrading everything that touches the ground. Rich Lambrechts of DesmoPro completely rebuilt the bevel-drive engine to factory blueprint specifications with improvements drawn from racing experience. Dubya USA supplied shouldered Excel rims with Bulldog nipples and spokes plus Cerakoted hubs. Race Tech reworked the front forks with gold valves and provided G3-S Custom Shocks.
FMF Racing fabricated a custom one-off performance titanium exhaust with a spark arrestor. Pirelli Scorpion Mid-Hard XC tires handle the dirt. Pro-Bolt titanium hardware reduces weight throughout. A custom-fabricated aluminum skid plate protects the engine, and bespoke finishes inspired by the original 450 R/T Desmo prototype livery tie the entire build to its heritage without turning it into a museum piece.
How Jason Chinnock Raced the Biltwell 100
Jason Chinnock entered the Biltwell 100 Dual Shock class covering 1971 through 1990 machines with one goal — finish. He fouled a plug on the first lap and changed it trailside. On lap three, he ran into a rain ditch and twisted the forks in the triple clamps. He rode the final 17 miles with crooked handlebars to complete the race.
The next day, he returned aboard the Desmo450 EDX to compete in the Modern Class, improving from 9th to 6th on lap two before a crash forced him to retire on the third. Meanwhile, Ducati rider Jordan Graham took first place overall aboard the Fasthouse Ducati Desmo450 EDX — a result that validates the platform’s competitive potential at the highest level of the event.
Chinnock framed his approach with a clarity that corporate motorsport programs rarely achieve: it will take more than winning races for Ducati to be taken seriously in the off-road category in the U.S. His interest in motorcycles started with Evel Knievel, and it was witnessing desert racing in Nevada that made dirt a permanent part of his riding life.
He understands that representing Ducati in the off-road space requires authenticity — showing up on the starting line to be part of the community rather than sponsoring it from the sidelines. Racing a hand-restored 1971 Ducati 450 R/T Desmo, finishing with bent bars, and coming back the next day on the modern platform is the kind of commitment that earns credibility in a community that can spot performative marketing from a mile away.
If you have been following how Ducati’s heritage machines are being restored and reimagined for modern use, the Jason Chinnock Biltwell 100 adventure is the most personal expression of that ethos to come out of the brand in 2026. It is one thing for a company to enter a new racing category. It is another thing entirely for the CEO to wrench the bike himself, line up on the grid, and ride 17 miles with twisted forks because quitting was never on the table.
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