Cross | Ducati: let's take a closer look at the Desmo450 MX

Ducati Day took place yesterday in Madonna di Campiglio, the day in which the Borgo Panigale Racing Department revealed all its new weapons that will race in MotoGP, World Superbike and, last but not least, also in Cross.

And this is precisely the aspect that most intrigued us. The Reds have been winning and dominating on the track for a couple of years now, so you have decided – also to occupy another slice of the market – to try your hand at an environment you have never touched before, off-road.

Yesterday the Desmo450 MX was also presented, a prototype that will make its debut in the Italian Motocross Pro Championship – Prestige MX1 in just over a month and a half, in Mantua, but which will be developed for another year and a half until summer 2025 , when the road bike will be built and the definitive one that will race in the categories in which Ducati decides to compete.

The bike will enter production in the second half of 2025 and will be different from the one seen in Madonna di Campiglio because it will be subject to a development process that has just started and which will last a year and a half between dedicated test sessions and the Italian Motocross Championship – Prestige MX in which he will take part with Alessandro Lupino and the new Ducati Factory team managed by Corrado and Marco Maddii.

Davide Perni, designer of the Desmo450 MX, on the sidelines of the presentation explained various things about the prototype which will make its debut in Mantua in mid-March, without however going into details due to the nature of the bike itself.

“We decided to call the prototype of the bike Desmo450 MX, but internally, over the months, we always called it 21J, this was the project name of the bike. Our final goal with this bike is to create the lightest bike possible and as efficient as possible”.

Desmo 450 MX born from a blank sheet of paper

Photo by: Ducati Corse

Desmo450 MX

Perni continued his speech by revealing that he had analyzed the bikes of rival manufacturers, but had created the Red from a blank sheet of paper, without taking inspiration from anything already existing. A real Ducati which, however, will take different forms during the year with the arrival of new components currently in the development phase.

“We started from a blank sheet of paper, without constraints, but we didn't copy any part of the existing bikes, because that's not Ducati's style. We spent a lot of time analyzing our opponents, because it's clear that this is a challenge for us , something completely new. The regulations have been stable for many years now and our rivals' bikes are state of the art. So we have learned a lot, but we will make sure to create Ducati cross bikes that are quite unique in their kind” .

“There are some components that you can't see because they are under development. But there are many other things that we are thinking about to have the best possible bike for our customers and take another step into this new world.”

Desmo450 MX: a long and difficult preparation process

Photo by: Ducati Corse

Desmo450 MX

The bike, born from scratch, required several important decisions both in terms of the design and the materials of the frame – it was necessary to find the right stiffness without compromising the weight – but the engine, a Desmo, also had a delicate gestation.

“It was a difficult process to design both the chassis and the engine. As for the chassis, it's something unusual about the manufacturing process. It was a challenge, because starting from a blank sheet of paper, at first we weren't sure what type of material to use, iron or aluminium. We did several design tests to find the right configuration. It was also difficult to find the right compromise between lightness and stiffness.”

“Creating the engine was also a difficult challenge. The state of the art represented by what our rivals have produced, especially the European ones through the lightness of the components, is really high. We have created a very light Desmo engine. Many people think that the Desmo engine can be complicated for certain reasons, but for us there are no secrets in this regard, it's quite simple. That's why we decided to adopt it, because we think we can manage to exploit all its strong points. Obviously it's an engine racing, not production. Making a racing engine from scratch, however, led us to have the goal of making it as durable as possible. We want our customers to have an excellent motorcycle with reasonable maintenance costs even in comparison with our adversaries. And this, now, is a great challenge for us.”

Desmo450 MX: the engine already impresses

Photo by: Ducati Corse

Ducati MX

Before concluding his speech, Perni underlined the exchange of information and technologies with Ducati Corse and production. A synergy that is already giving various satisfactions in all the categories in which we race on the track, but also in the products placed on the market.

“The connection between Ducati Corse and production is very close. We have a good exchange of information between the parties. For us, Desmo technology is the state of the art for design and performance. It is the same in racing and production. We are working on close contact with Ducati Corse because in cross-country we will use the same fuels that were used last year in World Superbike. We are also working together to create the new eco-fuel. The collaboration between the departments is very strong”.

Alessandro Lupino, the rider who will have the task of making the Desmo450 MX debut in the Italian cross championship, spent a few but important words on the rideability of the bike and, above all, on the Desmo engine after having already tried it in the tests carried out in Sicily last December: “I immediately found the bike very fun. For being just a prototype, I must say that it impressed me a lot. It rides well, the engine is good and gives the impression of being able to give you more and more power.”

In short, the start is more than promising, but the road to arriving at the definitive bike and seeing it used in the main off-road categories is still long. We'll have to wait…