Ducati Off Road is about to enter the hottest phase of the year. We are not talking about the last round of the Italian cross championship, which could crown the Desmo450 MX and Alessandro Lupino national champions, but about the actual start of the development of the racing version of the Borgo Panigale cross bike.
This season Ducati has decided to race in the Italian championship and in two races of the MXGP World Championship with an almost completely road version of the Desmo450 MX. The objective of the Bolognese company was to prepare the off-road motorcycle and then send it into production and launch it on the road market between May and June of next year.
With the end of 2024, Ducati will now begin the actual development of the racing bike. In an exclusive interview given by Paolo Ciabatti – Ducati Off Road manager – to Motorsport.com, we learned of the timescales with which the Borgo Panigale engineers will tackle the creation and preparation of the new weapon which, from 2025, will be entrusted to Jeremy Seewer and another driver yet to be announced.
“The Desmo450 MX in its current version, therefore road, has proven to be valid and competitive”, declared the Piedmontese manager. “We will have to work, which we have planned over the past few months, on the racing version of the engine which we have not yet started testing to date.”
Alessandro Lupino, Desmo450 MX
Photo credit: Motorsport.com
“This is because the 2024 sporting activity was focused on preparing the production motorcycle that all enthusiasts will be able to see and buy from May-June next year.”
Ducati’s first step towards the creation of the racing version of the Desmo450 MX will begin in November, when the suspension will be prepared. This is because they are considered the longest components to fine-tune. At the end of 2024, then, it will be the turn of the Desmo racing engine.
“Having already chosen both drivers for 2025, one has been announced and one will be announced later because he is busy with another team and this one does not want his name to be revealed, we will start in November, especially on the suspension which is the thing which takes the most time and is the most important to do due to timing.”
“Towards the end of the year, then, we should have the factory racing versions of the engines that we can start taking to the track with the drivers”, concluded Ciabatti.
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