Sundeep Gajjar made his big entrance to World Ducati Week 2012 in Misano, Italy today after a mammoth 10,000km (6200 mile) journey aboard his Multistrada 1200 S Touring, originally planned from India through Pakistan, but later forced to re-route from Turkey to Italy via Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia and Austria.
Arriving to a WDW2012 hero's welcome, the 32-year-old Indian's incredible adventure was to have started in Mumbai, India, until political uncertainties had soon undermined Sundeep's confidence of a secure passage into Pakistan. His typical never-give-up approach to Mission Red Planet - so called after Ducati's massive WDW event - then led him to collect a black Ducati Multistrada motorcycle from the UAE Ducati Importer in Dubai with the intention of continuing his journey through Iran. But this solution also failed when Iranian officials observed that the details in the motorcycle's Carnet De Passage were insufficient to guarantee a problem-free exit from the country. Several phone calls later and a flight to Ducati in Turkey and the mission was back on-track with a bright red Multistrada 1200.
Sundeep Gajjar describes himself as a Motographer, a passionate rider of motorcycles and journalistic photographer. He is also an intrepid adventurer and passionate Ducatista and his latest adventure, Mission Red Planet, is an incredible road trip from Dubai to World Ducati Week 2012 in Misano, Italy for the famous Italian motorcycle manufacturer's massive gathering of passionate owners.
"It's an amazing experience and feeling to travel thousands of miles and make a motorcycle literally your cupboard and home for 35 days," said Sundeep Gajjar. "Riding through many different countries, cultures, landscapes and weather taught me a lot more about the world. I was privileged and humbled to see sunsets over the waters of Gallipoli in Turkey where so many battles were fought, to ride some of the world's best roads like Transfagarasan in Romania, Grossglockner in Austria and Stelvio in Italy, to interact with people from different cultures by just using hand gestures and discovering alien landscapes like one in Cappadochia, Turkey. It has been a stupendous 35 days to reach the mecca of Superbiking - World Ducati Week 2012!"
During his mega road-trip, Sundeep rode through temperatures ranging from 47° C in Abu Dhabi to 6° C in Slovakia. He took over 6000 photos along the way and what he describes as enough video for a short documentary. He rode from the desert to the snow-surrounded roads that took him and his Ducati through more than twenty high altitude mountain passes.
