Ducati makes American debut at RedBud

Ducati’s Desmo450 MX has made its racing debut on American soil at the legendary RedBud track for Round 6 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Nine-time World Champion Antonio Cairoli had the honours of racing the highly-anticipated MX machine, as the bike entered the round with the support of Factory Connection.

After serving as Grand Marshal at the Southwick round the previous weekend and completing some valuable testing sessions, Cairoli lined up for qualifying at RedBud eager to debut the Desmo450 MX in U.S. motocross racing. Despite scorching temperatures and just two 20-minute timed practice sessions to get up to speed, Cairoli posted the 10th fastest time out of 80 riders – showcasing his ability to quickly adapt to the unique format and intensity of AMA motocross compared to the MXGP series.

In the opening moto, the Sicilian rider got off to a rapid start, exiting the first turn in fifth place. However, with the blistering intensity early on, Cairoli slipped back to 12th by the end of lap two. Admirably regaining his rhythm, Cairoli found a solid pace and began to climb back through the field, eventually taking the chequered flag in 9th after a close battle with the two riders ahead of him.

In the second moto, despite a last-minute gate position change, Cairoli launched to an even better start to propel himself into fourth and into the top-five fight for the first four laps. He even challenged for third place before an electrical issue forced him to retire early, ending what had been a promising run on the Desmo450 MX. The testing and development effort for Borgo Panigale’s first motocross bike will now continue ahead of the next round at Spring Creek in Millville, Minnesota.

Antonio Cairoli:
“It was an amazing experience to ride here in RedBud. In the first moto, I had some trouble during the first laps. I had a good start in P5, but my starting hook got stuck, and I lost a few positions. Then I was able to find a nice flow, and I came back to P9. I was happy with my pace. In the second moto, my plan was to get another fast start and manage the opening laps better, but after a strong launch into fourth and while pushing for third, we had a small issue with the bike, and I was forced to pull out. Overall, it was still a positive day. We’re here to test and develop the bike, and these things can happen. Now we’re looking forward to a solid week of training and coming back ready to battle for another top 10 in Millville.”