09-08-2024	International News
HISTORICAL MOMENT AS DUCATI AND ANTONIO CAIROLI GET READY TO RACE IN ARNHEM

We knew they were soon to be with us, and now it’s official – the Ducati Corse Factory MX Team will make its World Championship Motocross debut at the MXGP of The Netherlands, this weekend at the circuit of Arnhem!

Many fans of all nationalities are excited to see the manufacturer, that has dominated tarmac-based motorcycle racing in recent years, hit the dirt with their Ducati Desmo450 MX machine, but Italian fans in particular will be excited to see that nine-time World Motocross Champion Antonio Cairoli will be the rider that takes it onto the track for the first time!

The Sicilian Motocross legend, winner of 94 Motocross Grands Prix, including eight events in the Netherlands itself, was last on track at an MXGP event in November 2020 at Trentino, the end of his final full season, although he did come back to race the Motocross of Nations for Italy in both 2021 and 2022, taking a glorious victory with Team Italia at Mantova in 2021.

The Ducati machine has also been racing in the Italian Championship this season, both with Cairoli and his fellow test pilot Alessandro Lupino, winning several races between them. Ducati will also be the tenth manufacturer to compete in the 2024 Motocross World Championships showing that it is the ultimate stage for off-road machines to show their capabilities.

The world of Motocross will be watching as this iconic manufacturer takes on one of the toughest challenges in sport – the MXGP World Championship!

Infront Moto Racing CEO, David Luongo; "Today, mark an historical moment for MXGP as we welcome the coming of a prestigious manufacturer, Ducati, which is marking a new step in the development of this great sport. Thanks to the work we have been doing for decades, we are elevating the popularity of MXGP worldwide. This is the best platform to develop prototype motorcycles for the market and we wish them years of great success in our sport. This new addition will continue to elevate the competition in the future with the other official manufacturers and we cannot wait to witness this arrival.
It's also a great pleasure to have Antonio Cairoli, a true legend of our sport, to be back in Arnhem. I’m sure that many fans will be present to witness his comeback which will be a great moment of sport. 
I want to thank Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, General Manager Ducati Corse Off-Road Division Paulo Ciabattiand Ducati Corse Factory MX Team Manager Marco Maddii for this exciting new project, and I welcome all Ducati to MXGP!"

 

Fotos: Ducati

Online: Stefan Uhlmann