Q&A NICK SELLECK – 'Mission: UnFinkeable'

Mission: UnFinkeable premiered deep in the heart of Sydney’s ‘Little Italy’ aka Leichhardt at the Palace Theatre. Being it’s not often we get to take in moto films on the big screen, it was a done deal to make our way there. A far cry from watching YouTube clips on a laptop on the lounge, the premiere was packed with media and friends of Ducati, all keen to see the full film after months of teasing. The short film follows adventure guru/rider Nick Selleck, tackling the legendary Finke Desert Race track both ways, some 460km in one day, with no refuelling.

While the star of the film; Nick Selleck couldn’t be at the premiere thanks to his globetrotting ADV lifestyle having him residing in Tuscany between adventure tours on the night, UnFinkeables supporting actor, the DesertX greeted us upon arrival alongside the heads of Ducati Australia.

With the film premiere kicking off the world wide YouTube release, we hit up Nick with some Q’s to get some insights into what was one mammoth ride there and back on a bike straight off the showroom floor.

You’ve been part of Ducati’s venture into the off-road world more than most know, so the launch of the DesertX must have been a huge step for them, and one that needed to be proven beyond a doubt?

When the DesertX was first released last year, we really wanted a project to test and prove the performance and durability of the Ducati off-road. To me and many others, the Finke track is one of those iconic locations. It’s a true test of an off-road road motorcycle. It’s one of the toughest race tracks in the world. I’ve done an enormous amount of riding both in Australia and overseas on all kinds of bikes, and I’m so impressed with how the DesertX handled the Finke track.

You set a mighty big challenge, there and back, in one day. But more importantly on basically a stock bike?

UnFinkeable documents 460 kilometres of the Finke track. Reality is we’d spent four days out there on the track filming, so the DesertX clocked up way more than 460 kilometres worth of course. As a testament to its performance of durability, after I adjusted the suspension clickers on day one, I didn’t have to lay hand or a spanner on the bike again. I need to stress the fact too, that the DesertX I rode had completely stock standard suspension. No change of spring rates or re-valving. We changed the tyres and put on some genuine Ducati accessories like the auxiliary fuel tank, pipe and crash bars, but otherwise, the bike was stock. I know that because I prepped the bike myself.

To ride there and back is one thing, but to take a crew out there to document it is a whole other level. What was involved to make it all happen?

It was a big production, with helicopter support, a support vehicle, and medical backup from Emergency Australia following me all the way down to Finke and back. Personally, I’m super proud of what we achieved in this project and the team that helped make this happen. This project has left no doubt in my mind of Ducati’s ability to build incredible performance motorcycles, for any terrain.

“From the get-go, this project has been a labour of love for everyone involved. From Nick’s tenacity to meet the challenge head-on, to our creative teams behind the camera and behind the scenes, through to our expert logistics and safety teams who ensured everyone’s safety; it really has been a team effort. We hope the audience enjoys watching this documentary as much as we enjoyed proving the durability and reliability of the DesertX in some of the worlds harshest terrain” – Alana Baratto Ducati Australia Head of Marketing