According to various sources, the nine-time Motocross World Champion will play a key role in the new project by the Italian brand.
It’s not the first time Ducati has been associated with the world of motocross. However, this time, there seems to be a solid foundation to believe that we will soon witness a Ducati team on the Motocross World Grand Prix starting grid. This year, in particular, the Ducati project has been discussed sporadically, and with each discussion, new information emerges that gradually dispels skepticism.
The first clue came with Alessandro Lupino’s retirement. The Italian rider ended a nearly two-decade-long career competing at the highest level. Consequently, some sources close to him revealed that his new role in the sport would be as a Ducati test rider.
If that wasn’t enough, in the last few hours, within the Ernée paddock where the Motocross of Nations is set to take place this weekend, a strong rumor has surfaced, pointing to Antonio Cairoli as a potential developer of the new Ducati off-road model. Although it sounds somewhat unreal, there have been claims among comments that the Sicilian was seen at the brand’s facilities.
Cairoli appears to be Ducati’s definitive choice to bring this project to fruition in the near future. In addition to his extensive experience as a rider, he has also demonstrated his managerial skills by guiding Andrea Adamo to her first MX2 World title.
While there is no official launch date yet, speculation suggests that Ducati might enter competitions at some point in 2024. Alongside Triumph, Fantic, Beta, and TM, the 2024 season undoubtedly holds great promise for the entire industry.
Like a betrayal
As for KTM, where according to our sources the information was recently shared, we are of course bitter! Antonio rode twelve seasons on KTM, winning six world titles and sixty-three GPs with them. When announcing his retirement from sports in the summer of 2021, Stefan Pierer announced that Antonio had to find a job within the Austrian group. But at 38, Cairoli has decided to embark on a new challenge which can also lead him to realize one of his dreams, racing the Dakar by car because as we know, Ducati is owned by Audi. For the moment, nothing is official but as they often say, there is no smoke without fire!
