Getting Down And Dirty At The ABR Festival With Aprilia And Mick Extance

On a scorching hot weekend at the end of June, Ragley Hall was the venue for the Adventure Bike Rider Festival or ABR. 

Set in 450 acres of beautiful parkland, in the heart of Shakespeare’s England, the Ragley estate overlooks the unspoilt Warwickshire countryside.

The ABR is described as the "world's greatest celebration of adventure motorcycling" and the "UK's biggest bike festival." It's an annual event that brings together thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts and the motorcycle industry for a glorious weekend of action-packed activities and entertainment.

The organisers packed the event with activities and experiences, or you can just kick back and enjoy the scenery. There’s everything from motorcycle test rides both on and off road, on and off-road solo riding, inspiring speakers, multiple live music stages, a bustling exhibitor village, a plethora of food and drink stands, displays and demonstrations and possibly the most important part, an amazing community and atmosphere.

One of the defining parts of the ABR is the trails. Every year, Ragley Hall transforms into an adventure and trail riding paradise with over 50km of on-site trails. There are multiple routes, some easy for beginners, some not so much. You can take your own bike on them or, if you prefer, several manufacturers offer accompanied group rides.

Aprilia and MotoGuzzi were offering ride-outs across the weekend, both on and off-road, for their ranges of bikes, and I was lucky enough to join them on the off-road trails ride, aboard the awesome Tuareg Rally.

Aprilia and MotoGuzzi had enlisted the help of Mick Extance to look after us on our off-road exploits. Mick Extance is a well-known British motorcycle rider, particularly famous for his achievements in enduro racing and the Dakar Rally.

Mick competed at British and World Championship levels in Enduro. In 1993, he won a gold medal as part of the British team in the ISDE World Championship in Holland. In 2002, he won the European Enduro Championships at Veteran level.

That’s not all, though. Mick has participated in the Dakar Rally seven times, making him one of the most successful British competitors on a motorcycle in the event. He was the highest-finishing British entrant in 2006, placing 27th in class, and has never been outside the top 50 in his finishes. He is considered a "legend" in the Dakar Rally for completing routes in South America, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia.

Mick also runs an off-road riding centre in Wales, known as the "Mick Extance Experience," located in the heart of the Berwyn Mountains near Llangynog.

The centre offers various off-road experiences, including ultimate off-road days, one-to-one training, and "own bike" days. They cater to riders of all experience levels, from complete novices to experienced riders looking to hone their skills and are about to refresh the centre with a fleet of Aprilia Tuareg Rallys. 

At the ABR, we arrived at the Aprilia tent in time for sign-on and briefing. Mick was introduced to us, sporting his trade mark big grin and with a relaxed manner. Making you feel immediately at ease, in the hands of an expert.

The team had the bikes prepared and waiting for us in a row, sitting in the sun, ready for action. 

In Aprilia’s own words, “Following on from the success of the Tuareg Racing project comes the Aprilia Tuareg Rally, an unashamed derivation of the competition version crowned Queen of Africa in the Africa Eco Race.”

It's a direct result of Aprilia's excellence in off-road racing, and its success in events like the Africa Eco Race, particularly with Jacopo Cerutti, multiple Enduro and Rally Raid champion, helping develop the bike to be the best it can be.

Jacopo Cerutti won the 2025 Africa Eco Race, giving Team Aprilia Tuareg Racing their second consecutive title in this iconic rally raid.

That’s not all. The Aprilia Tuareg Racing team, with Jacopo Cerutti leading the charge, delivered a historic performance at the 2025 Hellas Rally Raid, claiming not only victory in the M5 class but also the overall win. An extraordinary result for the team, which sealed its dominance with a hat-trick in the M5 class, thanks to Marco Menichini and Francesco Montanari finishing second and third, respectively.

Aprilia has a serious pedigree when it comes to off-road. The Tuareg lineage dates back to 1985. Originally available in various displacements, including two-stroke 50cc and 125cc, and four-stroke 350cc and 600cc versions. Today’s Aprilia Tuareg 660 was first released in 2021 at EICMA, and has a 659cc parallel twin with a distinctive design language, framed by the iconic triple headlight. 

The bike takes its name from the Tuareg, a Berber ethnic group known for their nomadic, pastoralist lifestyle in the Sahara region of North and West Africa. 

The Rally version is a further evolution, directly inspired by the success of Aprilia's factory racing efforts.

The Tuareg Rally’s distinctive colour scheme mirrors the bike ridden by Jacopo Cerutti in the Africa Eco Race, with gold anodised handlebars, wheel rims, and fork. It also features a new high mudguard and a reinforced aluminium sump guard for increased protection.

The Tuareg Rally’s suspension is a major upgrade. It features fully adjustable Kayaba suspension with an impressive 240mm of travel. It uses linear constant-rate springs rather than progressive springs, which improves control on rough terrain and reduces static sag, which increases ride height and effective suspension travel.

The seat is raised by 20mm, and the handlebars are higher and re-shaped, giving the rider more room to move and better leverage when riding in a standing position, crucial for aggressive off-road riding.

The engine is the same 659cc parallel-twin engine as the standard Tuareg, kicking out 80 HP and 70 Nm of torque, however, thanks to a custom engine map, the Rally version has a quicker and more responsive throttle.

There’s a lightweight, titanium SC Project exhaust system fitted as standard. It sounds amazing and significantly reduces the bike's overall wet weight to just 199 kg (439 lbs).

The bike comes with strong spoked wheels featuring narrow Ergal rims and knobby tires with inner tubes, designed to withstand challenging off-road conditions.

The Tuareg Rally incorporates Aprilia's Performance Ride Control (APRC) package, which includes multiple riding modes (Urban, Explore, Off-Road, Individual), adjustable traction control, switchable ABS (can be disabled on both wheels or just the rear), engine braking control, engine maps, and cruise control. All this is accessible via a high-visibility 5-inch TFT display.

I didn’t dare touch the Advanced Electronics, I had enough to think about just following Mick. The bike was incredible. It feels like much more than a 659cc parallel-twin; it’s torquey and feels powerful, but not intimidating. The throttle is very responsive, particularly when the revs pick up, and I was surprised by how much grip there was, even in softer, dusty dirt.

I’m a novice off-road, but the Tuareg Rally was so much fun to ride, it makes you feel safe, and it isn’t too heavy or intimidating. I was laughing in my helmet. 

The middleweight adventure bike segment is crowded and competitive. Bikes like the Yamaha Tenere 700 or Honda Transalp offer a more road-biased option, with bikes like the Ducati DesertX or KTM 890 Adventure R leaning more towards off-road. 

Aprilia have done an amazing job with the Tuareg Rally. With race-level suspension, lightweight components like the titanium exhaust, and a lighter wet weight, Aprilia's Tuareg Rally offers something special. It offers a premium, off-road-focused, high-performance, middleweight adventure bike that’s capable of winning races one day and traversing green lanes with your friends the next.

For more information on the Mick Extance Experience, click here.