A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DUCATI DESMO 450 MX WITH TONY CAIROLI

Antonio “Tony” Cairoli is a name that needs no introduction. With nine world titles to his name, he’s a legend, plain and simple. His recent return to MXGP at the 16th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship in Arnhem, The Netherlands, was ground-breaking. Tony wasn’t just making a comeback; he was arriving with a fresh new look and an exciting new challenge as he set out to debut Ducati’s all-new DESMO 450 MX in MXGP.

When race weekend arrived, Tony, despite his three-year hiatus, proved he still had what it takes. He might have been out of the MXGP grind for a while, but his skills were as sharp as ever. The 38-year-old Italian carved his way to an impressive seventh-place finish in the Qualifying Race on Saturday afternoon! With that said, racing a brand-new bike is never straightforward, and there were a few bumps along the way.

“I enjoyed it a lot,” Tony said afterwards. “The track was rough right from the first practice, which was a bit of a shock to the system, but I got into race mode quickly. We were testing a lot of things on the bike, and P7 in qualifying felt like a solid start for our first outing.”

After making some changes to the bike for race day, Race 1 didn’t go exactly as planned. Tony had a mediocre start and ended up fighting his way through the field to P15. In Race 2, things were looking up, but a mechanical issue forced him to pull out early. Despite the teething issues, which were to be expected, Tony and the Ducati Corse R&D Factory MX Team gathered valuable data, and the DESMO 450 MX showed it has serious potential.

Ducati’s decision to jump into the off-road arena with Tony Cairoli and the DESMO 450 MX is a big deal. The bike blends Ducati’s trademark speed with the toughness needed for MXGP. Tony has been closely involved in its development, making sure it’s ready to take on the best.

“The bike’s development is going well,” he said. “Working with Alessandro Lupino, we’re making steady progress. Being an Italian rider on an Italian bike is something else. Ducati fans are incredibly passionate, and it’s amazing to see that energy.

“I was happy with my return to MXGP. P7 in qualifying was a good result to race for the first time on an entirely new bike and after so many years out. We did change quite a lot of things over the weekend, to try new things. In the first race, I hit the gate a little bit at the start and came to P15, which is not the best result, but okay, my riding was okay. We changed some things for race two, and it was better, but I didn’t get the best start again. I still got back to about eighth but had to pull out because of a mechanical issue,” he explained. “Overall, we had a really positive weekend. We gathered a lot of information, which was what we came to do, and with my result from yesterday, we showed that we already have a bike that can run inside the top ten, so that is a good place to start with a brand-new bike.””