Ducati lining up sensational 2024 MXGP entry?

MXGP could see two brand new manufacturers join the Official Teams List for the 2024 season with iconic Italian brand Ducati hoping to join the world championship alongside British factory Triumph; neither of which have entered a Grand Prix in the modern era.

Ducati launched their new DesertX off-road adventure bike this year and are working on a 450cc engine for a motocross project with the aim of testing a prototype by the end of 2022. They have already put tentative ‘feelers’ into the Grand Prix paddock for a possible racing alliance and have advised technical suppliers to provide the necessary components for a full competitive tilt.

Ducati’s MXGP ambition is still in the formative stages and the organisation of their racing structure is far from settled: whether it will be an internal factory team, a collaboration with an existing MXGP squad (much in the way their WorldSBK effort is channelled) or provision of material and technical support is not yet known.

Triumph are rumoured to be further advanced with their MXGP and AMA SX/MX programme and are testing race machinery although they are not expected to have any official presence in an FIM or AMA series until 2024 or by the end of the 2023 international calendar.

Words: Adam Wheeler