VOLUME ISSUE JULY , P29
Cairoli to Pro
Motocross
A
ntonio Cairoli and the Ducati
Corse team announced
that the nine-time MXGP World
Champion is headed to the
States to race in the AMA Pro
Motocross Championship. The
Italian native is set to compete
in two rounds of the series—Red
-
Bud on July 5 and Spring Creek
on July 12, racing aboard the
Ducati Desmo450 MX. Cairoli
also served as Grand Marshal at
the Southwick National on Satur-
day, June 28.
"This American trip is very
interesting, especially from a
commercial and marketing point
of view," said Cairoli. "The U.S.
market is the most important in
the world, and our main goal is
to debut the Desmo450 MX in
the USA just a few weeks before
deliveries begin, while enjoying
iconic tracks like RedBud and
Spring Creek. We'll be racing
with the production bike to intro
-
duce it directly to American fans
and enthusiasts."
This will mark the first-ever
North American race appear
-
ances for Ducati's all-new
Desmo450 MX as well as
Cairoli's return to the AMA Pro
Motocross Championship fol
-
lowing his participation back in
2022. The RedBud and Spring
Creek rounds, which are two
most iconic tracks in American
motocross, will serve as further
development opportunities for
the Desmo450 MX in U.S. racing
conditions.
Cairoli recently finished
seventh overall at the MXGP of
Great Britain and continues to
use racing as a tool for the bike's
refinement. His participation
in the U.S. rounds allows the
Ducati Corse Off-Road team to
gather data and feedback from
real competition as the company
expands its off-road footprint.
"Bringing the Desmo450 MX
to race in the U.S. is a significant
milestone in our off-road rac
-
ing project," said Paolo Ciabatti,
general manager of Ducati Corse
Off-Road. "The level of competi
-
tion in AMA Pro Motocross is
extremely high, and having a
rider of Antonio's experience al
-
lows us to accelerate our devel-
opment in real race conditions.
These rounds are not just about
results—they are about learning,
adapting and furthering the evo
-
lution of our motocross platform
in preparation for the future."
Cairoli raced in the U.S. back
in 2022 when he competed in
the first five rounds of the AMA
Pro Motocross Championship
aboard a factory Red Bull KTM.
His best finish came during
round three at Thunder Valley
where he used 5-4 results to take
fourth overall.
CN
to sit down and speak serious-
ly. Or go to the court. We are
ready to do both, and we will do
everything we need to, again,
protect the company."
When it was put to Rivola
that there was little sense in
keeping a rider against his will,
he added, "It's not a comfort
-
able situation. We got him for
good reason, and I think he
chose us for performance rea
-
son. And we showed that the
performance still is there. In the
past, we saw a rider unhappy
about the company/the boss
that fight for the World title for
many years. So, let's see. Luck
-
ily, we don't have children!"
Neil Morrison
Antonio Cairoli and the Ducati Corse team will compete
in the RedBud and Spring Creek Nationals this July.
