Ducati’s first motocross nameplate arrived as a modern factory-racing project rather than a revival of an earlier off-road model. The bike was presented in 2024, with production beginning in May 2025 and dealer deliveries starting that summer in Europe and shortly afterward in North America. It marked Ducati’s formal entry into production motocross, bringing the company’s desmodromic valve-train heritage into a segment the brand had not previously occupied in series form.
The model was developed with racing at its center. Ducati has described it as the first production motocross bike with desmodromic timing, and its development was closely tied to the brand’s off-road racing program, including testing and competition use during 2024. That racing-first approach helped shape the bike’s identity as a premium, competition-oriented 450 rather than a general-purpose trail machine.
Because this is Ducati’s first motorcycle to use this exact motocross nameplate, there is no earlier production era to separate from a later revival. The nameplate remains in production, and Ducati later expanded the line with a Factory version that builds on the same base concept for riders seeking a more race-focused specification.