The time has finally come for Ducati to step out from its Italian championship development phase and onto the world stage with the announcement the Borgio Panigale manufacturer will be sending Tony Cairoli into action at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The nine-time world champion will compete in the Netherlands on the Desmo450 MX, the motorbike that will officially take part in next year's MXGP World Championship as well as go into production. The Desmo450 MX marks Ducati's entry into the off-road specialist segment which has also seen the likes of British brand Triumph recently turn its sights towards.
The Dutch Grand Prix, to be held on August 17th and 18th on the Arnhem track, is an important step in the development of the Desmo450 MX, with Ducati stating that it aims to participate in the entire championship in 2025 and will be the first round of the World MXGP.
The development programme of the Borgo Panigale prototype will then continue August 31st and September 1st at Castiglione del Lago, in the fifth round of the Italian Championship, where Alessandro Lupino leads the general classification with two rounds to go after the brilliant results obtained in the last round of the Italian MX Championship at Ponte a Egola. In the Tuscan race Cairoli, on his return to competition, won the first heat and Alessandro Lupino, by winning the overall, took the lead in the championship, thus confirming the level of competitiveness already achieved by the Desmo450 MX.