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The Desmo450 MX – the first Ducati motocross bike
History was made on 15 May 2025 at Ducati headquarters in Borgo Panigale, Bologna when the production of the first Ducati motocross bike, the Desmo450 MX, began! This landmark event was graced by giants of the sport including Tony Cairoli whose invaluable experience and insight was instrumental in developing the Desmo450 MX, and Alessandro Lupino, the rider who guided this very model to victory when he claimed the national title, and on its debut no less!
And if that wasn’t enough to ignite excitement, as Jeremy Seewer celebrated his second world podium at the French Grand Prix, the very first Desmo450 MX rolled into existence, signalling the beginning of a special era of Ducati motocross.
Born for the track. Built to win.
Race-ready, powerful, lightweight and highly efficient, the Desmo450 MX was born for the thrill of the race. Enhancing its rider’s skills regardless of professional or amateur status, riders can expect to push the limits of what’s possible. With the powerful Desmodromic engine, chassis and upgraded electronics, the Desmo450 MX delivers a performance like no other.
Not only the first model in a complete range of specialist off-road bikes, the Desmo450 MX is designed to take the Borgo Panigale company to new levels, inspire new motorcyclists and grow the Ducatisti community.
The CEO of Ducati, Claudio Domenicali, heralded the Desmo450 MX’s design and purpose:
“We looked around, searching for the important, unique features of our corporate culture and finding what I believe characterises Ducati like perhaps no other company: the closeness between the world of racing and that of production motorcycles. And discovering, at the same time, that we have an incredible resource in-house in the form of many off-road enthusiasts in the various departments. All this has allowed us to present the Desmo450 MX: an easy and high-performance bike, for amateurs and professionals alike.”
Innovation at full throttle
The 449.6cc Ducati single-cylinder engine with Desmodromic distribution delivers a one-of-a-kind off-road performance. Exceptional power delivery is achieved through the combination of torque at low and medium revs with benchmark extension, and greater use of each gear ratio at the start and between the curves, allowing for a remarkable handling experience. This is coupled with the bike’s incredibly lightweight aluminium frame which has been designed to have the least possible number of welds to compliment the solidity, and robustness of the bike’s structure.
And when it comes to technological innovation, the Desmo450 MX has it in abundance: it’s the first motocross bike to be equipped with a traction control that’s capable of precisely defining actual rear-wheel slippage. It’s also able to highlight riding phases when it shouldn’t be used in order to fully optimise the performance of the bike.
A catalogue of opportunity with the Desmo450 MX
The push to bring the Desmo450 MX to the MXGP World Championship and have it ridden by Jeremy Seewer and Mattia Guadagnini is on! Not only is the Ducati Performance catalogue full of these proposals but also, within its special parts, offers factory components including wheel hubs, triple clamps, complete exhausts, Akrapovič titanium slip-on silencers and Brembo Racing brake callipers. And this already extensive list is set to expand even further – keep your eyes peeled!
And to finish with a flourish, the Ducati Performance catalogue offers a complete technical collection that has been created in collaboration with Drudi Performance. The offer consists of an Alpinestars jersey/pants/gloves/boots set, Arai helmet, wind vest, softshell and rain jacket.
The Desmo450 MX is on the move…
From June 2025, the Desm450 MX will arrive at selected European dealerships. It will journey on to North America in July and will then be available to the rest of the world.
Can’t wait to see it? Check out the presentation video of the Desmo450 MX on the Ducati YouTube channel to give you a flavour of what’s to come!
Ready to be part of the future of motocross? Register your interest using the link below, and for more information about this exciting new innovation in the Ducati world, don’t hesitate to get in contact with the Ducati Cambridge team!
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