Ducati’s first-ever motocross bike, the Ducati Desmo450 MX has won the Italian MX1 Championship in its debut year with Alessandro Lupino.
European manufacturers are returning to motocross racing, which was dominated by them before the Japanese Invasion. KTM has now been joined by Triumph and Ducati, with the Triumph TF 250-X and the Ducati Desmo450 MX in the limelight.
With the Ducati Desmo450 MX, the folks from Borgo Panigale have managed to win the Italian MX1 Championship in their debut year, with veteran rider Alessandro Lupino behind the handlebar. The season began with a debut victory at Mantua, and two more heat victories, Lupino clinched the title in the final round held at Arco di Trento.
Ducati state that this success confirms the validity of their off-road project. The off-road project that started with the Ducati Desmo450 MX will be the first in line for a complete range of Ducati bikes and engines for off-road riding. When they first started the development of the Ducati Desmo450 MX, they decided to benchmark the motorcycle against the existing competition, while giving it characteristic Ducati technology. This is why the Ducati Desmo450 MX sports a desmodromic valve train—a Ducati signature. There’s an aluminium chassis in which the 450-cc single-cylinder motor nestles. The Ducati Desmo450 MX gets top-tier components, such as Showa suspension, Brembo brakes, D.I.D. chain, Takasago Excel rims, Pirelli tyres and finally, an Akrapovič exhaust.
