Race on Sunday, sell on Monday. If there’s one motorcycle manufacturer that embodies this adage, it’s none other than Ducati. Being one of the most successful manufacturers in the world of road racing, Ducati has proven that it’s capable of branching out with the Desmo450 MX, a potent motocross bike.
It’s clear that Ducati’s Desmo450 MX proves a point: anything’s possible with the right amount of funding.
Let’s be real, Ducati has poured billions of dollars into the R&D of its racing bikes, and it’s pretty crazy how they’re able to work so fast in bringing race-ready bikes to the track. It’s even crazier how these practically brand-new machines seem to bag championships left and right.
This is exactly what happened in the Italian MX1 Motocross Championship, where Ducati, with the Desmo450 MX piloted by Alessandro Lupino, took the championship after a season of grueling racing. Take note, this was the first racing season for the Desmo450 MX, and I’m pretty sure that Ducati would’ve been happy with just finishing the season with the bike in one piece.
And so, chances are that Ducati taking the championship came as a surprise even to Ducati themselves.
But clearly, Ducati’s never been one to sit on its laurels. And now that the Italian championship is in the books, the company will continue developing and testing the motocross bike throughout the winter. To do this, Ducati has contracted Jeremy Seewer as the official Ducati rider for the 2025 MXGP. Ducati’s also working on a new 250cc MX bike with Lupino and Cairoli set to run the new bike through its paces.
The Desmo450 MX is expected to hit the market early in 2025, as soon as Ducati finishes tweaking and perfecting the platform. Similarly, the MX2 250cc bike will make its debut in the 2025 season, where it’ll undergo rigorous testing and R&D. It’s expected to hit the market in 2026.
Clearly, Ducati has quite the impressive roadmap paving the way for its motocross initiatives. And you can bet that the folks over at Pierer are paying close attention to this. Year after year, KTM and Husqvarna have rolled out updates to their enduro and motocross bikes. Every year, their bikes get lighter, more powerful, more durable, and more loaded with tech.
But if the Italian MX1 Motocross Championship’s results are mirrored in the global stage, it’s clear that KTM’s got its work cutout if it wants to maintain its dominance in the MX scene.
