- Debuted with the new Desmo450 MX
- First round this month
Ducati is expanding its off-road racing ambitions once again, confirming that the new Desmo450 MX will debut in the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship. The bikes will be run by the British-based VRX Dirt Store Ducati Race Team in a two-rider setup featuring Tim Neave and Ashton Boughen.
This move is significant because it shows Ducati continuing to push beyond traditional road racing and into specialised off-road disciplines. After years of focusing heavily on superbikes and MotoGP, the Italian brand now appears serious about building a broader motorsport identity around the Desmo450 MX platform.
Neave brings valuable experience to the project. The reigning British champion made his world championship debut in 2023 and narrowly missed an FIM bronze medal the following year after a tie-break. Despite already scoring four podiums, he is still chasing his first win at world level and will likely serve as the team’s benchmark rider.
Alongside him is 18-year-old Boughen, regarded as one of Britain’s rising talents. Having previously raced motocross for Yamaha Europe before shifting focus toward Speedway and flat track, the 2026 season will mark a major step up in his career.
The Desmo450 MX itself is central to Ducati’s wider off-road strategy. Developed alongside nine-time FIM Motocross World Champion Tony Cairoli, the bike uses Ducati’s signature desmodromic valve system, technology more commonly associated with its road racing machines. Ducati is clearly trying to differentiate itself in the motocross and flat-track world by bringing high-end engineering and racing DNA into categories traditionally dominated by Japanese and Austrian manufacturers.
The championship itself is also growing rapidly. The 2026 calendar expands from six to ten rounds, spanning eight countries across Europe and South America. The season begins in Roden in May before ending with two rounds in Argentina, the first time the series has raced outside Europe.
From a broader industry perspective, Ducati’s entry into flat track feels less like a one-off experiment and more like part of a long-term expansion plan. The company is gradually building credibility in off-road competition the same way it once established itself in superbikes and MotoGP: by entering racing first and allowing the road-going products to follow.
