DUCATI CORSE & TLD CONFIRM COLAB

With the sheer volume of hype, storylines and mayhem at last weekend’s AMA Supercross series opener at SoCal’s Anaheim 1, you could be forgiven for missing a big announcement that Ducati made over the A1 weekend. Yes, vindicating rumours that have been doing the rounds in industry circles for a few months now, Ducati Corse officially confirmed its intentions to partner with Troy Lee Designs (TLD) for the all-new Desmo450 MX machine’s highly anticipated AMA SX series debut in season 2026. And in the meantime, the partnership will give race fans the chance to check out the beautiful-looking, all-new MX machine in the flesh (with a hand-painted TLD livery!) at eight selected rounds of this year’s AMA SX Championship.

Ducati Corse’s GM, Paolo Ciabatti, and TLD’s Troy Lee flank nine-time MXGP World Champ and Ducati tester/ambassador, Tony Cairoli at Anaheim 1.

When you think about it, this colab is quite something because, if someone were to ask you to name the moto industry’s most stylish moto brands in Europe and the USA, there’s a good chance you’d single out Ducati and Troy Lee Designs, respectively. Combine the two, and you’ve got a recipe for head-turning bikes, the exponential growth of American ‘Ducatista, and an opportunity for the AMA SX series to really grow its European audience (and, finally, some decent coffee in an American pit paddock!).

Here’s Ducati’s PR about what promises to be a very interesting collaboration between Ducati Corse and TLD, and an exciting, all-new chapter for the blood-red Italian motorcycle manufacturer…

In a historic moment for both Ducati and American off-road racing, Ducati and Troy Lee Designs have announced a groundbreaking partnership, marking the Borgo Panigale company’s intention to enter Supercross off-road racing in the USA with the Ducati Desmo450 MX, a first for the company. This also marks the Desmo450 MX’s first public appearance in the United States, setting the stage for an iconic chapter in Ducati’s off-road racing history.

The first step in this partnership is the presence of the Troy Lee Designs team in Ducati Red at eight rounds of the 2025 AMA Supercross Championship, starting from here at Anaheim on January 11. The team will also have a special display at COTA MotoGP on Ducati Island, an exclusive fan experience that serves as a hub for Ducatista during the US-based MotoGP race. The American team will also exhibit a prototype of Desmo450 MX in the AMA Supercross paddock, with special graphics created by the well-known Californian designer.

“We are super-stoked to be partnering with Ducati, one of the most prestigious brands in motorcycling,” stated Troy Lee, founder of Troy Lee Designs. “Racing is core to our brand and enables us to develop our products for safety at the highest performance levels. I look forward to making history together with this partnership.”

For this pivotal moment in supercross history, nine-time MX World Champion, Ducati rider and brand ambassador, Tony Cairoli, joined Ducati Corse Off-Road General Manager, Paolo Ciabatti, and other members of the Ducati team for this groundbreaking announcement over the weekend.

Representatives of Ducati North America will also be present at each stop of this ‘tour’, where they will be able to provide the public with information on the first “made in Borgo Panigale” motocross bike, which will be available on the North American market from July, 2025.

A UNIQUE BIKE IN THE MX SEGMENT

The Desmo450 MX is the only motocross bike in the world equipped with a Desmodromic valve timing system. This system, also used by Ducati in MotoGP and WorldSBK, allows for higher RPM than a traditional spring system. This allows riders to reduce the number of gear changes between corners and, even more importantly, at the start, a critical phase of the race where advantages can be made. Another unique feature of the Desmo450 MX is extremely advanced electronics, derived from that used by Ducati in MotoGP, which represents a unique innovation in off-road competition.