Ducati surprised the motorcycle world when it announced its plan to enter the dirt bike market beginning with the debut of a prototype motocross bike in the 2024 Italian Motocross Championship. This racing campaign in the Bologna-based company’s home country is to help with development before the Desmo450 MX is scheduled to go into production in the second half of 2025.
Leading the charge for the testing of this new Italian off-road motorcycle is Antonio Cairoli, a highly accomplished racer with nine FIM Motocross World Championship titles on his résumé. Alongside him in the process is Alessandro Lupino, an eight-time Italian Motocross champion and 2021 Motocross of Nations (MXoN) winner in his own right.
We’ve seen quick teaser shots of the bike being ridden as well as some static photos, and now a video of the MXGP legend spinning laps on it at Crossodromo Monte Coralli in Faenza, Italy. Watch the video above to see the Desmo450 MX in action and hear its engine equipped with a springless valve operating system make power at high rpm.
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