TECH TALK: DUCATI’S DESMO250 MX MODEL

A candid insight into the development of Ducati’s Desmo250 MX, with the all-new motocross model’s Project Manager, Stefano Laurita.

We all know that Ducati’s all-new 2027-model Desmo250 MX was developed from scratch. And that its engine revs to 15,000rpm! But how does Ducati’s first quarter-litre MX model differ from its 450cc sibling, the Desmo450 MX, that was released a year ago? Why did the R&D team test a different shock linkage and triple clamp offset on the 250? Is the desmodromic valve system a bigger advantage on the 250cc model? Why does the 250 use the diaphragm spring in its clutch? Is it true that the Desmo250 MX and Desmo450 MX models run the same spring rates in both the fork and shock? 

For answers to these questions and more, Transmoto’s Andy Wigan spoke with the Desmo250 MX model’s Project Manager, Stefano Laurita, at the bike’s recent international media launch in Italy…