Ducati gets serious about 2026 MXGP

Ducati is getting serious about becoming a perennial contender in MXGP, as it will increase its participation to three bikes in 2026.

After mainly racing two bikes in 2025, Ducati will now field three full factory Desmo450s, following an agreement with Louis Vosters’s experienced Dutch team. 

Vosters created his own race team in 2015, but this will be his first season in charge of Ducati machinery. The team will again be led by the experienced Jeremy Seewer, who claimed two podiums for Ducati in its first full motocross season. 

Unlike MotoGP, where Ducati is currently the dominating force, the Italian brand is still trying to get on par with more established brands in the off-road racing scene, such as Kawasaki, Yamaha and KTM.

You see, MotoGP was once dominated for many, many years by Honda and Yamaha. Ducati had its moment in 2007 when it claimed the title with Australian legend Casey Stoner, but that was then followed by more years of success for Honda and Yamaha, and very little silverware for the Italian factory.

Then, in 2022, Ducati officially took over as the manufacturer to beat after several years playing second best, or even third best, before starting to utterly dominate. Fast forward to the end of 2025, and Ducati still remains the company to beat at this moment. 

Ducati won’t want that to change in 2026, and it's also unlikely to, because it still has the best overall bike and the best rider in Marc Marquez. But things in racing can change very quickly. That’s certainly what Ducati will be hoping for in MXGP.

It will likely take time for that to happen, though, because Ducati is still very new to motocross racing with its Desmo450, which only started landing in European dealerships in June. But the expectation is that Ducati will soon become a consistent challenger, especially if we use its history in other racing disciplines as evidence.

Paolo Ciabatti, General Manager of Ducati Corse Off-Road, said this about the new era for Ducati’s off-road racing program: 

“We are delighted to announce this important agreement with Louis Vosters' team, undoubtedly one of the most professional in the MXGP Championship paddock. We have shared a long-term project with Louis, and we are confident that, thanks to the close collaboration between our two teams, we will soon be able to achieve the ambitious goals we have set ourselves. We are also pleased to welcome Andrea and Calvin to Ducati, who, together with Jeremy, will do their utmost to bring the Ducati name to the top in the world of motocross.”

Ducati’s three riders for the 2026 campaign will be Seewer, Andrea Bonacorsi and Calvin Vlaanderen.

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