Ducati made their Motocross debut at the weekend at Mantova which hosted the Italian championship opening round. It was a success as Alessandro Lupino won the first moto and ended up second overall on his Ducati debut.
MX Tribe caught up with team owner, Marco Maddii after Mantova and was kind enough to send us over the interview to publish.
Great debut in Mantova, there couldn’t have been a better start. Did you expect it?
Maddii: Honestly yes, because from the beginning the impressions on the bike were positive: we immediately saw that the potential was there, the bike was born well and Alessandro always rode well in testing, you could see it with the naked eye; the only unknown could have been bad luck, but we were convinced we could have a good race right from the start.
You can say that you are still at the beginning of development. When did you start working on the first prototype?
Maddii: The bike went on the track for the first time in July 2023 and the prototypes travel back and forth between Tuscany and Bologna, so for now the bikes don’t have a fixed location also because, being prototypes, they always have to return to the factory for appropriate checks. We follow the training and tests, but then the bikes return to the factory based on needs.
The Desmo Mx is still in development obviously. Have any evolutionary steps already been planned during the season? What do you need to work more on? On the chassis or on the engine?
Maddii: We certainly still need to work on the suspension and engine output and in particular on the electronics. For the rest the bike is ready, the structural parts have already been approved.
Speaking of the second heat in Mantova, we had the impression that Lupino and the bike were struggling more than in the first heat. What can you tell us about it?
Maddii: Well, in reality the heat was conditioned by a series of circumstances, if we can say negative. Alessandro started late and found himself in the last positions and then couldn’t find a good rhythm. However, we must also consider his physical form which is not yet at the top as we have always focused on testing and not on races. The bike also behaved differently in the second heat compared to the first. Let’s say that the performance was influenced by these factors, but I’m sure that if Ale had started better there would have been no problems. In truth, after the first heat we all relaxed a little given the good result. Then we also had a lot of things to manage in this first weekend and honestly this also influenced the result of the second heat.
From the outside, however, you could see a lot of enthusiasm and a close-knit group. Lupino put a photo on social media of the engine engineers cheering in the crowd with smoke bombs: a beautiful image of the harmony that reigns in the group.
Maddii: The atmosphere you breathe is beautiful, the group is close-knit. We are all great fans and we have the same goal: we want to represent Ducati at its best, given that it is the first time that the manufacturer has ventured into this sport. The motivation is very high because we want to do in motocross what they already do in speed. We are very proud to be part of it and we give our all for it.
In the press conference to present the championship, Ciabatti said that the 250 will make its debut in Italy next year. Is the engine already running on the dyno or have you already received the first prototype of the bike?
Maddii: No we don’t have any prototype yet, but the bike will be the same. Only the engine mounts will change. The engine still doesn’t run on the dyno but it’s a work in progress. We saw at the time of the studies, the projections on how the engine curve should be and some other things.
This year you work with Cairoli and Lupino. How it that?
Maddii: I feel great. They are two super professionals, they know what they want and how to work, so in some respects working is easier than before, that is, compared to when we managed young talents. I am happy to work with professionals like this also for one of their qualities: they listen and are open to discussion.
Will you be doing some races in the MXGP world championship already this year? Is there a chance to see Antonio in the race too?
Maddii: Yes, probably yes, we’ll see along the way but the desire is there. The idea is that Antonio will also race, perhaps in the world championship, but we still don’t know exactly when and how. Everything is still to be decided.
But are you thinking of any GPs in Italy or even abroad?
Maddii: I don’t know yet, it could also happen abroad. It also depends on Antonio. He will decide where and when based also on the tracks he likes. I don’t know the answer to this question at the moment.
Interview: Daniele Sinatra/MX Tribe
Image: Ducati Corse
