Two different high-profile brands with massive street heritage have recently entered the motocross space, in Triumph and Ducati. Turns out they’ll race 450SX for the first time at the same time in 2026. That’s funny because they both took different routes to this point. For years, Triumph really tried to keep details secret on its program, with only hints for several years before the finished product was revealed. Then the brand focused exclusively on the 250 class for a bit, with a 450 bike only coming online in production form this year, and still not being raced by the factory until ‘26. Ducati, meanwhile, didn’t hold back much, quickly revealing a prototype bike and then racing it in plain sight in the Italian MX Nationals. Ducati doesn’t yet sell a 250 version of its bike, but again, the brand is already racing and developing one in plain sight in Italy. Conversely, Triumph produced a 250 first, but the 450 remained hidden for quite some time. In short, it feels like Triumph has used a measured, careful approach, while Ducati is just throwing all the news out there. Until this week with the Ducati team launch. That one didn’t contain much info.
We now have official word that the Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati team for 2026 will feature Justin Barcia and Dylan Ferrandis. We got headshots of the two riders wearing team shirts, but that’s it. No photos of bikes, no videos, no official “team intro” event. You’d expect this Ducati team to launch with a bang, but that will have to wait. We hear that an event will happen on January 6, a few days before Anaheim 1, and Troy Lee and his crew are planning a big, splashy intro like only they can. Until then, don’t expect to see much from this new squad. (Ferrandis posted a photo of him on the bike on his social media, but then it was quickly pulled down.)
Also, Matthes is reporting that Barcia has gone down with a broken collarbone, so that will probably ensure you don’t see any videos of him riding over the next few weeks!
While we won’t be seeing or hearing the Ducati supercross bikes until January, one interesting thing to note is the involvement of Team Manager Josh Wisenor and Rick “Ziggy” Zielfelder of Factory Connection. Ziggy is a legend and one of the main men behind the old GEICO Honda team and much, much more. Wisenor was the Team Manager for that team, and both have been deeply involved with the Phoenix Honda team (with Ferrandis) the last few years. Antonio Cairoli has spoken very, very highly of working with Ziggy in developing this bike. From what I’ve heard, Ziggy being involved has really helped set the bike’s suspension on the right path for supercross and cut some of the time needed to make a competitive machine in a short time. Cole Seely also did some supercross riding on the bike over the summer to set it up a bit for Ferrandis and Barcia. Ducati is brand-new to the supercross space, but we’ll see how ready they can be at Anaheim. Remember, Barcia has already made some history at an opener with GasGas. In 2021 in Houston, he won round one, which was the first race GasGas ever competed in. Could he somehow, someway do that again? I’m going to say this is a long shot since Ducati is brand-new to supercross and Barcia’s old GasGas was actually a KTM, with years of development already on it.
Meanwhile, we hear Triumph’s 450 entry is going to be delayed slightly because Jordon Smith underwent surgery to fix his shoulder injury from the SMX finale, but the bike will be out there on track soon enough. Won’t be long until Triumph and Ducati are actually out there in the 450 field of supercross!
Like we mentioned in last week’s RH, we were in Georgia for Matt Walker‘s Vet Masters race at Echeconnee MX. With over 500 entries, the weekend was full of fun with a well-run program, great track, and for the lucky few that won, awesome trophies were awarded. Green jackets (ala The Masters) were slid on to each winning rider on the podium to celebrate each class win. With Vintage, Two-Stroke, Warrior, Women, and even 70-year-old classes, the Vet Masters really encompassed what racing is all about. I managed to win one class and even got a photo with THE Big Bore Barry. Old journeyman pro racers like Jeff Gibson, ClubMX owner Brandon Haas, Michael Willard, Derrick Fisher, John Grewe, Luke Vonlinger, and even FMIP’s own Randy Richardson attended the inaugural event. If you haven’t been to Echeconnee before, you’re missing out. The sand track gets rough and is challenging, yet safe, for all skill types. If you’re looking to go to a bucket list-type Vet race, the Vet Masters will be happening again around the same time next year, and you will not want to miss it. Head to Keeferinctesting.com on Monday morning to listen to the RMATVMC Keefer Tested Podcast where we break down the whole weekend, and if you weren’t there, it will feel like you were.