During the MotoGP tests in Valencia, the first event of the 2026 season, Ducati has exhibited two special designs that celebrate emblematic pages of its sporting tradition. A tribute that is performed on the asphalt with the Desmosedici GP of Francesco Bagnaia and Nicolò Bulega.
The first with a livery inspired by the 750 Imola Desmo, which became an icon after the legendary double of Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari in the 1972 Imola 200. And the second with the colors of the 750 Supersport Desmo, the bike with which Franco Uncini won the Italian 750 cc title in 1975.
The Desmosedici GP designs pay tribute to the brand’s sporting successes
The debut of these designs in the Desmosedici GP comes at the end of a season that reaffirmed Ducati’s role as a benchmark on the international racing scene, with MotoGP at the center of its sporting successes, along with the twenty-first Constructors’ Title in WorldSBK, the results obtained in the main national championships and the significant advances in the offroad project.
In MotoGP, Marc Márquez and Ducati set an unmatched pace that defined the entire season, securing the World Championship with five races to spare. This result was reinforced by the second place of Álex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing Team), which gave Ducati an extraordinary double in the championship, and Francesco Bagnaia, who closed the season within the top five.
Completing the image, another milestone of great relevance: the sixth consecutive Constructors’ Title, an unprecedented streak in the history of MotoGP. Added to this is the Team Title, occupying second and third place in the classification, respectively. But this is not all, as the brand’s technological superiority is fully confirmed in the world of production-derived motorcycles, where Ducati has consolidated its position as the most successful manufacturer in WorldSBK history.
2025 marked Ducati’s twenty-first Constructors’ Title and the fourth in a row, thanks to the performance of the Panigale V4 R. A season consistently at the top, with Nicolò Bulega leading a championship decided only in the last race, culminating in a second place after an intense and highly contested year.
2025 was also the last competition season for the Panigale V4 R, which from 2026 will hand over the baton to a completely new generation, ready to represent a new step forward in Ducati’s technical evolution. The competitiveness of the Panigale V4 was also shown in other international championships such as the CIV SBK Production Bike or the IDM (German Superbike Championship).
Another notable result occurred in the Daytona 200, where the Panigale V2 took victory at the historic International Speedway in Florida, winning one of the most iconic races on the international scene. Ducati’s sporting DNA now also extends to offroad, with a presence in the MXGP World Championship, or the Pro Prestige MX2 Championship, where the Desmo250 MX finished the season in second position thanks to the performance of Alessandro Lupino.
The season concluded with Ducati’s first official participation in the Motocross of Nations, with Antonio Cairoli and Jeremy Seewer representing Italy and Switzerland, respectively. The Offroad program of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer has thus taken a new step in the construction of a young project, already full of positive signs, laying a solid foundation for its long-awaited debut in the AMA Supercross Championship 2026.
In this context, the brand’s history is approaching its centenary, an outstanding engineering experience and an Italian identity clearly reflected in unparalleled results on the track. These values will be at the heart of World Ducati Week 2026, Ducati’s centenary year. The event will be held from July 3 to 5when the entire community of brand enthusiasts will gather to celebrate this historic moment together.
