Ducati has finished its first Spanish Motocross Championship campaign with the Desmo450 MX as runner-up in both the Élite MX1 rider and manufacturer standings. The result, announced on 28 October 2026, came through Víctor Alonso Rodilla and marks the first competitive season for Ducati España y Portugal in the championship.

A strong first season

The Spanish championship comprised seven meetings and 14 motos. Alonso Rodilla recorded two victories and eight podium finishes, while placing inside the top six in every moto. His two wins came at Morón, and Ducati’s account of the season also points to a first podium at Montearagón as an important step in building momentum. The rider secured the Élite MX1 runner-up position after coming close to another victory at Talavera.

The Desmo450 MX also competed internationally during the same first racing programme. Across 33 motos, Alonso Rodilla collected six wins, 18 top-three results and five holeshots. The most prominent result listed by Ducati was third place in the second moto of the EMX Open at Lommel, giving the new motocross model a result beyond the Spanish championship as well.

Carlos T. López Panisello, General Manager of Ducati España y Portugal, called the move into motocross a strategic decision for the brand and said the double runner-up finish was a major source of satisfaction for the team. Ducati views the result as a foundation for continuing to develop its presence in the discipline rather than as a one-off competition entry.

The Desmo450 MX package

The Desmo450 MX is Ducati’s first motocross motorcycle and brings the company’s desmodromic valve actuation to off-road competition. Its single-cylinder engine has a displacement of 449.6 cc and produces 63.5 CV in standard configuration. The motorcycle uses an aluminium chassis, adjustable Showa suspension and Brembo brakes with Galfer discs.

Its electronic package includes riding modes, Power Launch and a newly developed traction-control system capable of detecting rear-wheel slip. Ducati describes the system as unique in motocross and presents it as the first genuinely effective traction-control solution for the discipline. That claim belongs to Ducati’s description of the technology; the hardware is part of the model’s standard technical proposition alongside the desmodromic engine.

Alonso Rodilla said his season began while he was returning from an injury, making it difficult to regain his rhythm. He credited accumulated mileage and continued work for the subsequent progress, adding that new parts and an electronics configuration adapted to his riding style helped him adjust quickly to the motorcycle. For Ducati España y Portugal, the 2026 campaign therefore combines a double Élite MX1 runner-up finish with a sizeable body of race mileage on which to base the next stage of the Desmo450 MX programme.