Something that cannot be overlooked in all of this is Cairoli’s age. He stepped away from racing full-time at the end of the 2021 season, came to the U.S. for a handful of Pro Motocross rounds in 2022, then did not compete in a single MXGP/U.S. Pro Motocross round at all in 2023. He made one start with Ducati in August 2024 and has been developing the machine every step since its infancy. Now at the age of 39, he just collected a top-ten overall at the MXGP in England and few weeks ago, and has this top-ten moto finish in the U.S. now. There are not very many riders that age that have ever been able to line up and grab top tens.

Factory Connection, which has been setting up Cairoli's bike, will get back to work today and look to make progress ahead of this weekend’s Spring Creek National in Millville, Minnesota. Can Cairoli land another top-ten moto finish? How about a top-ten overall finish? It seems very possible.

And a final thing to note: if Cairoli ends up racing the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in early October, he will be 40 years old at the time of the event!

As for the AMA homologation rules, we have learned Ducati has applied for early homologation (which has been done previously by other OEMs). They will have 90 days from when they applied—which was July 1—to get 400 units in the American market. If they are unable to do so, the rulebook states they will face monetary and sporting penalties. 

The following press release is from Ducati Corse:

Ducati Desmo450 MX makes American debut at RedBud

• Top 10 for Cairoli and the Desmo450 MX in race one at RedBud

Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, on the opposite side to Chicago, the legendary RedBud track hosted the American debut of the Ducati Desmo450 MX. The bike, entered with the support of Factory Connection, was piloted by nine-time World Champion Antonio Cairoli in the sixth round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

After serving as Grand Marshal at the Southwick round the previous weekend and completing some valuable testing sessions, Cairoli lined up for qualifying at RedBud eager to begin his day in fine style.

Despite scorching temperatures and just two 20-minute timed practice sessions to get up to speed, Tony posted the 10th fastest time out of 80 riders - showcasing his ability to quickly adapt to the unique format and intensity of AMA motocross compared to the MXGP series.

In the opening moto, the Sicilian rider got off to a rapid start, exiting the first turn in fifth place. However, with the blistering intensity early on, Cairoli slipped back to 12th by the end of lap two. Admirably regaining his rhythm, Tony found a solid pace and began to climb back through the field, eventually taking the chequered flag in ninth after a close battle with the two riders ahead of him.

In the second moto, despite a last-minute gate position change, Cairoli launched to an even better start to propel himself into fourth and into the top-five fight for the first four laps. He even challenged for third place before an electrical issue forced him to retire early, ending what had been a promising run on the Desmo450 MX.

The testing and development effort for Borgo Panigale’s first motocross bike will now continue ahead of the next round at Spring Creek in Millville, Minnesota.

Antonio Cairoli: