Ducati Motocross is off to an excellent start. The Italian manufacturer’s recent venture into the world of motocross has resulted in the brand taking this year’s Italian MX1 Motocross Championship in its first attempt at the sport. With Italian rider Alessandro Lupino piloting the new machine in a six-round championship, the new Ducati Desmo450 MX scored three race wins and two overall round victories. While the championship win was the sixth of Lupino’s career, it was the first for the Ducati marque.

More Desmo450 MX and 250 MX Development

Not content to rest on its laurels, Ducati is moving full speed ahead with the continued development of the Desmo450 MX and a new 250 cc MX bike. For next year, Ducati has contracted Jeremy Seewar to contest the Italian MX1 Championship. For the new 250 cc machine, Ducati has put its signature on deals that will see both Lupino and past MXGP Champion Tony Cairoli putting the lower displacement Ducati motocrosser through its paces.

Image: Ducati via Instagram

It is impressive to enter a national championship and win the whole enchilada with a brand-new machine. But it seems that Ducati is not yet done tweaking the Desmo450 MX. It plans to continue to improve its racing pedigree. However, they apparently don’t plan to wait too long because the production-ready Desmo450 MX is expected to hit the market sometime in early 2025.

It will also be interesting to see if Ducati’s reported 250 cc MX2 will be as successful in racing. It is supposed to go racing in 2025, where Ducati will flex its R&D and testing muscles to try to make the smaller machine as successful as the Desmo450 MX. If the timetables stay the same, the MX2 could hit dealership floors sometime in 2026. Two winners in such a short period could make the Ducati motocross program winners not only on the track but also on the showroom floor.