Ducati debuts in the MXGP World Championship in Holland with Tony Cairoli. The nine-time world champion, who had been absent from the GPs for three years, finished in a convincing seventh position in the Qualifying Race on Saturday after having been fourth for a long time, confirming the qualities of the Desmo450 MX.
In the first heat on Sunday, Tony was unable to get off to a good start and finished the race in fifteenth position. In race 2, Cairoli, who had climbed up to ninth position, setting some excellent lap times (with the sixth fastest time overall), was forced to retire due to a technical problem during the sixth lap.
“We bring home a great test for the bike. Before the GP we did three weeks of tests between Holland and Belgium but the track conditions today were very far from those found in the various tests. Our goal was to test the Desmo450 MX in extreme conditions and I had very positive feelings”, said Cairoli.
Tony Cairoli, Ducati Desmo450 MX
Photo by: Ducati Corse
“Yesterday, in the qualifying race, we got a great seventh place, which is a fantastic result for such a young bike. On Sunday I didn’t start well in both heats, but in race 2 I was in the top 10 so I’m satisfied. After three years away from GPs it was definitely not an easy race for me, especially on a difficult track like this,” he added.
Participation in the Dutch GP is part of the development plan for the Desmo450 MX, the bike that will go into production next year, marking the entry of the Borgo Panigale company into the specialist off-road segment. In Arnhem, the Borgo Panigale bike competed in the 2025 configuration regarding the noise limit, an important test to confirm the technical choices in view of next season when the limit will go from 112 to 109 db.
The development program of the Desmo450 MX will continue on August 31st and September 1st in Castiglione del Lago, the fifth race of the Italian Championship, where Alessandro Lupino leads the general classification with two rounds to go.
Tony Cairoli, Ducati Desmo450 MX
Photo by: Ducati Corse
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