Tucked in the rolling countryside of Mid Wales, among the farms and fields is a true motorsport Mecca - Sweet Lamb. The Sweet Lamb Motorsport Complex is now the home to Ducati’s DRE Adventure Academy, headed up by veteran racer Mark Molineux, better known as Moly. With 6,500 acres to play in and an enormous variety of terrain and difficulty levels, there’s something to suit all riders.

To celebrate the opening of the new DRE Adventure Academy, Ducati invited a group of riders including myself along to experience the coaching, the terrain and the fancy new coffee machine. Being part of a mixed-ability group was a great opportunity to see the instructors and the terrain working for a wide range of skill levels off road. Regardless of skill level, time spent on a bike practicing seemingly simple drills is always worthwhile and it was great to kick the day off with slow control and accurate riding to get everyone into it.

Sweet Lamb has a bespoke skills area filled with skinnies, rollers, banks and even a watersplash. After some static riding position drills we get into the riding with gradually increasing difficulty as riders improve and get the nod from the instructors on each step. With multiple instructors on hand the steadier riders get the attention they need, while those who are progressing faster are kept busy with different challenges and teaching points. From here we moved on to riding some of the bigger trail loops, splitting out after lunch into various ability levels with trails ranging from cruisy gravel fire roads to sweaty muddy madness for those who want it. 

I did sneak out in the afternoon for some bonus riding on the Desert X Rally. I loved the original Desert X when I rode it, so couldn’t wait to try the extra off-roadiness of the Rally version. One of the DRE instructors took me out to part of the loop from the Sweet Lamb Baja rally races and let rip around the fast, bumpy tracks. 100mph powerslides, 60mph jumps, holes, drops - what an epic place to ride flat out. Real world testing is all well and good, but sometimes going flat out and scaring yourself silly is the best test ride. Despite the taller stature of the Rally, it doesn’t feel intimidating to ride and took on the Baja course at speeds way higher than it has any right to. The extra suspension travel lets you hit stuff that little bit harder and faster off-road but thankfully hasn’t spoiled how it rides on the tarmac. 

Since my day at the DRE I spent a couple of days bombing around mountain roads on the Rally and it is still just as happy charging the bends as it is jumping ditches. Whether or not you need the extra off-road performance is up to you, but if you’re a Dakar dreamer like me, the looks alone of the Rally will have you hooked. If you fancy a bit of off-road fun, get yourself booked on the DRE with the guys at Sweet Lamb - you’ll get to ride some incredible places, improve your riding and try out the Desert X in anger without having to explain to your local shop why their demonstrator has mud in the airbox. Oh, and the coffee is pretty damn special too.