Motorsports

Motorsport and Ducati are inextricably linked. With its Ducati Corse racing division, the brand has been actively involved in motorbike racing for decades.

The transfer of technology from the racetrack to series production is a substantial success factor for the brand. From aerodynamics and ergonomics to the engine and frame: All technical aspects can benefit from the constant transfer of knowledge and experience. "By testing our innovations and our pioneering technological solutions on the racetracks of the world, we provide the Ducatisti with exciting and desirable products," says Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding.

A memorable 2022 was followed by another season for Ducati in 2023 that will go down as a great success in the brand's long motorsport history: The successful Italian duo Francesco Bagnaia and the Ducati Lenovo Team's Desmosedici GP won the MotoGP world title for the second time in a row. It was Ducati's third triumph in the premier class of motorbike road racing after Casey Stoner's MotoGP title in 2007. In an intense neck-and-neck race with Spaniard Jorge Martìn (Prima Pramac Racing Team) right up to the final race, Bagnaia won seven of the 20 Grand Prix races held. He also took four first places in the half-distance sprint races on Saturday, which were held for the first time in the 2023 season.

Ducati also won the world title in the constructors' championship, as it did in 2007, 2020, 2021 and 2022. In 2007, 2021 and 2022, it also won the team title. In total, Ducati achieved 44 podium finishes with eight individual riders in the 2023 MotoGP season. Three Ducati riders finished on the podium in the overall MotoGP standings. "This is the biggest and clearest proof of Ducati's supremacy in the premier class of two-wheel racing," said Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali.

Ducati successfully defended the title in the 2023 World Superbike Championship with Álvaro Bautista. The Borgo Panigale-based brand also took the constructors' and team titles in this prestigious racing series. Ducati has been represented in the Superbike World Championship since the first edition in 1988 and has won 16 riders' and 19 manufacturers' titles over the years. With 400 victories and more than 1,000 podium finishes, Ducati has established itself as the most successful manufacturer in this category. Moreover, no other motorbike manufacturer has ever managed to win both the riders' and constructors' world titles in MotoGP and WorldSBK two seasons in a row.

A dream result, completed by the SuperSport title won by Nicolò Bulega. In the history of this racing series, this is the second world championship victory for Ducati after Paolo Casoli's triumph in 1997 with the Ducati 748 in Giallo Ducati. Bulega dominated in 2023 and will compete in the 2024 World Superbike Championship as a works rider and team-mate of Álvaro Bautista on the Panigale V4 R of the Aruba.it Racing-Ducati team.

In 2024, Ducati will once again be the sole supplier for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup, the electric class of MotoGP, in which up to 18 electric motorbikes will take part. Motorbikes that are developed, produced, and put on the road by Ducati. As always, Ducati's participation in the races serves as a development laboratory for technologies and solutions that - as soon as battery technology allows - will be transferred to series products and made available to all motorcyclists. Being part of the Audi Group offers the best conditions for the exchange of expertise in the field of electric drives.

Ducati will also be opening a new motorsport chapter from the 2024 season. With the debut of the Ducati Desmo450 MX in the Italian Motocross Championship, the brand is officially entering off-road competitions. The sports program will be organized and managed by the Ducati Corse R&D - Factory MX Team, which was set up specifically for this new, multi-year project. By participating in the program, Ducati aims to confirm the technical choices made for the motorbike on the racetrack. Off-road engines and motorbikes will follow on this basis.