Breaking news here this morning, as Antonio Cairoli has announced he will race the RedBud and Spring Creek National rounds of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship on a Ducati Desmo450 MX. Cairoli has raced the Ducati in three rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) so far this year, finishing 18th, 16th, and seventh overall, respectively, but RedBud will mark the U.S. racing debut of the all-new Italian motocross bike.
Cairoli is also the Grand Marshal for this weekend’s Southwick National so he will be at this weekend’s race as well.
Antonio Cairoli Named Grand Marshal for Southwick National
The following press release is from Ducati Corse:
Antonio Cairoli to Compete in RedBud and Spring Creek AMA Pro Motocross Nationals Aboard the Desmo450 MX
Ducati Corse Off-Road and Ducati North America are pleased to announce that nine-time Motocross World Champion Antonio Cairoli will compete in two rounds of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship: RedBud (July 5) and Spring Creek (July 12), racing the Desmo450 MX.
These events will mark the first-ever North American race appearances for the Desmo450 MX, Ducati’s premier motocross machine, and Cairoli’s return to the AMA Pro Motocross Championship following his participation in 2022. The RedBud and Spring Creek rounds—two of the most iconic tracks in American motocross—will also serve as key development opportunities for the Desmo450 MX in U.S. racing conditions.
Before taking to the gate, Cairoli will appear as Grand Marshal at the Southwick National on Saturday, June 28, greeting fans and supporting Ducati’s North American motocross efforts.
Fresh off a strong seventh-place overall finish at the MXGP of Great Britain, Cairoli remains focused on racing as a tool for refinement. His participation in the U.S. rounds underlines Ducati Corse’s goal of gathering data and feedback from real competition as the company expands its off-road footprint.
“This American trip is very interesting, especially from a commercial and marketing point of view. The U.S. market is the most important in the world, and our main goal is to debut the Desmo450 MX in the USA just a few weeks before deliveries begin, while enjoying iconic tracks like RedBud and Spring Creek,” said Antonio Cairoli. “We’ll be racing with the production bike to introduce it directly to American fans and enthusiasts. Before that, I’ll be in Southwick on Saturday, June 28, serving as the event’s Grand Marshal. I don’t have any particular ambitions—just to have fun and entertain the American fans.”
“Bringing the Desmo450 MX to race in the U.S. is a significant milestone in our off-road racing project,” said Paolo Ciabatti, General Manager of Ducati Corse Off-Road. “The level of competition in AMA Pro Motocross is extremely high, and having a rider of Antonio’s experience allows us to accelerate our development in real race conditions. These rounds are not just about results—they are about learning, adapting, and furthering the evolution of our motocross platform in preparation for the future.”
The following press release is from MX Sports Pro Racing:
Nine-Time FIM Motocross World Champion Antonio Cairoli Named Grand Marshal of Southwick National
MXGP Icon Prepares for Ducati’s Debut in Pro Motocross Championship
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., in conjunction with event organizers Rick Johnson and Keith Johnson, has announced that Italian motocross icon Antonio Cairoli will serve as Grand Marshal of this Saturday’s Crestview Construction Southwick National, the fifth race of the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. As Grand Marshal, Cairoli’s decorated racing career as a nine-time FIM Motocross World Champion and 92-time MXGP winner, in addition to his global popularity, will be celebrated and he will participate in several engagements during the event on June 28.
“It’s very rare that you’re presented with an opportunity to honor one of the most successful and influential figures on the planet for the sport of motocross, so when we heard Tony was here in the states and planning to attend the race, we knew we had to make it happen,” said Rick Johnson, General Manager of The Wick 338. “Cairoli is a bona fide icon and his legacy here in the U.S. over the years has grown exponentially. His fondness for American motocross is something we wanted to take advantage of and his new ambassadorship with Ducati, combined with his legendary career, created the ideal scenario to appoint him as Grand Marshal for this year’s Southwick National.”
Three years ago, during the 2022 season, Cairoli cemented his global legacy by embarking on a Pro Motocross Championship endeavor that saw him contest five rounds during the series’ 50th anniversary campaign as a member of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. During that time, he went bar-to-bar against the most renowned names in American motocross, including Pro Motocross champions Ryan Dungey, Ken Roczen, and Eli Tomac.
While Cairoli’s full-time racing career has come to an end, the Italian legend’s presence has sustained and entered a new chapter with his ambassadorship with Ducati and the development of the new Desmo450 MX motorcycle that will see the storied Italian marque become the sport’s newest manufacturer. Cairoli has contested multiple European races aboard the bike as a member of the Aruba.it – Ducati Factory MX Team, including the most recent MXGP of Great Britain on June 22, where he finished seventh overall. The next events on Cairoli’s calendar are back-to-back Pro Motocross Championship races, which will serve as the official U.S. racing debut of the Desmo450 MX from Michigan’s RedBud MX on July 5 and Minnesota’s Spring Creek MX Park on July 12.
The Crestview Construction Southwick National will serve as Round 22 of the SMX World Championship this Saturday, June 28, from The Wick 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts.
Image courtesy of Ducati Corse
