Ducati

Lore & Background

When Ducati first sent the Desmosedici onto the 500cc grid in 2003, the paddock was sceptical. The Italian marque had a long history in smaller classes and endurance racing, but the top class was dominated by Japanese four-cylinder machines. Ducati's answer was a long-stroke V4 with desmodromic valve actuation, a layout that gave the bike an unmistakable character: high revs, a deep growl, and a power delivery that rewarded a rider's commitment. Loris Capirossi took the first factory wins, and by 2005 and 2006 he had converted that raw character into back-to-back world titles, proving the Desmosedici could be both fast and consistent.

The 2007 season belonged to Casey Stoner, whose physical dominance and fearless riding style turned the Ducati into a weapon that few could match. His championship that year is remembered as one of the most commanding in the era. Ducati then navigated the transition to the 800cc and 1000cc eras, fielding Valentino Rossi in 2011 before stepping away from the top class after that season. The gap years were a period of reflection for the Borgo Panigale engineering team, who returned in 2015 with a reworked Desmosedici and a renewed ambition.

The modern era has been defined by Andrea Dovizioso's extraordinary consistency—three consecutive runner-up finishes in 2017, 2018, and 2019—before Francesco Bagnaia seized the 2022 and 2023 world titles. Ducati's identity in MotoGP is inseparable from the Desmosedici: a bike that is as much a statement of engineering philosophy as a race machine, and a team that has made the Italian flag a constant presence on the top step.

In Their Own Story

The pit lane at Misano smells of hot rubber and espresso. A Ducati engineer crouches over the Desmosedici's rear wheel, tapping the swingarm with a wrench, listening to the ring. Around him, the grandstands are already filling with the red-and-white flags of the Italian crowd. He thinks back to 2003, when the first Desmosedici rolled out of the Bologna factory and the paddock whispered that an Italian V4 would never survive the Japanese four-cylinder gauntlet. Twenty years on, the same red livery still stops the show. He wipes grease on his overalls, nods to the mechanic, and the bike is loaded back onto the transporter. Tomorrow, Bagnaia will put his knee down at Turn 1, and the whole circuit will know that Bologna is still in the fight.

Reader's Guide

Ducati (Ducati Corse)

Era: 2003–2011 (first stint), 2015–present (second stint)

Signature machine: Desmosedici GP — a long-stroke V4 with desmodromic valve actuation, instantly recognisable by its deep, rasping exhaust note and aggressive riding position.

Key achievements: Riders' World Championships in 2005 and 2006 (Loris Capirossi), 2007 (Casey Stoner), and 2022 and 2023 (Francesco Bagnaia). Andrea Dovizioso finished runner-up three consecutive seasons (2017–2019), a feat that underscores the team's sustained competitiveness. The Desmosedici has been the factory's top-class machine throughout both eras.

Personality and culture: Ducati Corse operates with the intensity of a small, obsessive workshop. Engineers in Borgo Panigale are known for hands-on, almost artisanal development cycles. The team carries the pride of Italian motorcycling and a willingness to take bold mechanical risks that Japanese rivals sometimes avoid. Riders who suit the bike tend to be physically strong and unafraid of the Desmosedici's distinctive power delivery.

Lasting legacy: Ducati proved that a non-Japanese manufacturer could not only compete but dominate in MotoGP. The Desmosedici became a cultural symbol of the sport's top class, and the team's red livery is among the most instantly recognisable in motorsport. Their two-stint history also made them a case study in how a factory can leave, learn, and return stronger.

Did You Know?

• Andrea Dovizioso finished as the championship runner-up three consecutive seasons (2017, 2018, 2019) on the Desmosedici, a streak that highlights how close Ducati was to a title during that period.
• Casey Stoner's 2007 World Championship on a Ducati remains his sole MotoGP title; his physical dominance and fearless riding style made that season one of the most memorable in the class's history.
• Ducati's Desmosedici uses a desmodromic valve system, a mechanically actuated design that differs from the spring-loaded systems used by most competitors, giving the engine its distinctive character and sound.
• After leaving the top class following the 2011 season, Ducati returned to MotoGP in 2015, and within eight years had secured two consecutive world titles with Francesco Bagnaia.