Ducati and Troy Lee Designs have announced a partnership that will see the new Ducati Desmo450 MX make an appearance at eight rounds of the AMA Supercross Championship. If all goes to plan, the Troy Lee Designs team will field a Desmo450 MX for the entire 2026 Supercross Championship. But in the interim, fans will be able to see the prototype machines at the selected events, with nine-time MX World Champion Tony Cairoli and Ducati Corse Off-Road General Manager Paolo Ciabatti serving as ambassadors.
Previously campaigning with GasGas machines, Troy Lee Designs founder Troy Lee is excited to be fielding Ducati’s first entry into Supercross, saying:
“We are super stoked to be partnering with Ducati, one of the most prestigious brands in motorcycling. Racing is core to our brand and enables us to develop our products for safety at the highest performance levels. I look forward to making history together with this partnership.”
Plans currently call for the new bike to make appearances at the following Supercross rounds:
Troy Lee Designs Ducati – Tour schedule
| Anaheim 1, CA | January 11th, 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | January 18th, 2025 |
| Anaheim 2, CA | January 25th, 2025 |
| Tampa, FL | February 8th, 2025 |
| Arlington, TX | February 22nd, 2025 |
| MotoGP Austin, TX | March 30th, 2025 |
| East Rutherford, NJ | April 19th, 2025 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | April 26th, 2025 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | May 10th, 2025 |
The Desmo450 MX stands out from other motocross machines as it will be the only one equipped with a desmodromic valve timing system. As many are already aware, Ducati has been using this system for many years in its MotoGP, World Superbike, and even street machines. When compared to traditional spring-based systems, desmodromic systems allow for higher RPM levels.
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- Ducati Corse General Manager Paulo Ciabatti (L) and Troy Lee (R). All photos: Ducati
Ducati says that the desmodromic system will enable riders to provide their riders a number of advantages. The system should reduce the number of gear changes between corners. In addition, it should provide an advantage at the start when riders need all the advantages they can get. The Desmo450 MX will also have “extremely advanced electronics,” which Ducati developed to compete in MotoGP. It will be interesting to see how well the Italian manufacturer can do in the US’s Supercross Championship. Their outlook may be bright since they have already proven themselves in Europe with a win in the 2024 Italian Motocross Championship.
For those interested in the new Ducati off-road machine, the bike should be available in the US starting in July. Pricing is TBA.
