The Red Bull Ducati Factory MXGP Team are kickstarting a new era at the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship. A trio of ultra-talented and highly-motivated riders have been recruited to race the upcoming season on Ducati Desmo450 MX bikes. The gate drops on the opening round of the championship this weekend in Bariloche (March 7-8).

Ducati are looking to make an impact in the prestigious 2026 MXGP World Championship, working with an experienced organisation led by Louis Vosters, who has been involved in motocross at the top level for more than 35 years.

Louis Vosters, Team Principal, added: “Welcoming Red Bull as the title partner of the Ducati Factory MXGP Team is something that makes me incredibly proud. Red Bull is one of the most iconic brands in global sport, known for supporting athletes and teams that compete at the very highest level. To represent Ducati together with Red Bull in the MXGP World Championship is a great honour and a privilege for our entire team. This partnership brings together performance, passion and ambition, and we are very excited about the future.”

Paolo Ciabatti, General Manager of Ducati Corse Off-Road, declared: “We are very excited about this new partnership with Red Bull and are ready to begin the new MXGP season with the clear target to be always fighting for the top spots and achieve our first win in this championship. 2026 will be our second full season in MXGP and we have worked hard during the winter with our engineers in Bologna and Louis's team to improve all aspects of our Desmo450 MX. We cannot wait for the gate to drop in Bariloche this weekend!”

The first test will be in Argentina this weekend in Bariloche as the team looks to take on the competition from all the other manufacturers competing in MXGP.

South African-born Dutch rider Calvin Vlaanderen will be out to improve on his 2025 MXGP World Championship sixth position overall and add to his two GP race wins. Vlaanderen, explains: “It's really exciting to see Red Bull joining forces with the Ducati factory team in MXGP! Red Bull and Ducati are all about pushing limits, and this gives me extra energy and motivation for the start of the new season.”

Italian Andrea Bonacorsi, 22, who finished eighth overall last season and will be looking for his first ever MXGP race win in 2026, mentioned: "I can't wait to get on track and to show everyone that we are now part of the Red Bull family! It's always been my dream since I began to race, and I'm super pumped for this. I can't wait to be behind the gate for the first race of the season!”

Swiss rider Jeremy Seewer has a wealth of MXGP experience to draw on, including three title runner-up finishes in 2019, 2020 and 2022 and eight overall race wins, and will ride the Desmo450 MX for the second year. Seewer, said: “We have worked really hard in the past months and now, with Red Bull joining Ducati in MXGP, that give us an extra boost for the upcoming season.”