Akrapovič and Ducati to Extend Partnership with New Off-Road Collaboration

January 22, 2024

Akrapovič and Ducati already enjoy a successful relationship in the commercial and racing worlds. Now this alliance is expanding to off-road racing with the announcement that the Slovenian company will supply the official exhaust of the Ducati Corse Off-Road team.

Akrapovič has a strong bond with Ducati Corse, and this partnership witnessed Ducati riders Francesco Bagnaia (MotoGP™), Álvaro Bautista (WorldSBK), and Nicolò Bulega (WorldSSP) win 2023 world championship titles while using Akrapovič exhausts. As part of preparations to defend those titles this season, the official presentation of the 2024 Ducati Lenovo Team and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team was held at the Campioni in Pista 2024 event in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy. It was during this prestigious launch that the Ducati Corse Off-Road team also unveiled its plans for the forthcoming season, including that the team will be using Akrapovič exhaust systems.

The Ducati Corse Off-Road programme has been working intensively on the 450 prototype, with nine-time MX World Champion Antonio Cairoli recently joining the team as a high-performance test rider to apply his talent, speed, and experience to provide important feedback and direction for the development of the new motorcycle. The bike will be equipped with an all-new Akrapovič exhaust and will make its debut in the 2024 Italian Motocross Championship. Alessandro Lupino, eight-time Italian Champion and 2021 MXoN winner, will be onboard to validate the technical solutions and development of the bike within the demands of a racing environment.

The new off-road division of Ducati Corse will deal with the management and organization of the Bologna-based manufacturer’s sporting programme, which will see participation in the MXGP World Championship and the AMA Supercross Championship in the next few years. With an emphasis on high-performance, lightness, and components that can be pushed to the extreme, with an engine supplying a broad power delivery curve, the Ducati Desmo450 MX prototype will use an Akrapovič exhaust system specially designed for the bike that fits these criteria. The use of lightweight titanium and a durable design will ensure the system meets the harsh demands of off-road racing. This bespoke exhaust has been developed with close cooperation between Ducati Corse and Akrapovič engineers to optimize the character of the Ducati’s unique powerplant, while at the same time ensuring the exhaust is compliant with FIM noise regulations.

Akrapovič has taken its wealth of knowledge and experience from racing since its inception in 1991 – which has seen the company celebrate 175 world champions in road and off-road racing – into this programme, and it has utilized its extensive know-how and state-of-the-art technology to produce a high-performance exhaust system for the Ducati Desmo450 MX prototype.

Paolo Ciabatti, General Manager, Ducati Corse Off-Road:
“We are very pleased to have extended Ducati Corse’s long-lasting and successful relationship with Akrapovič also to our exciting new off-road program. Their experience in the development of high-performance titanium exhaust systems has been very beneficial for us, also considering the demanding future FIM noise regulations, in place from 2025 onwards. Therefore we want to thank Akrapovič for their continued support to our racing activities, and we will work hard to bring to success also Ducati Corse Off-Road on the motocross tracks.”

Slavko Alojz Trstenjak, Head of Akrapovič Racing R&D:
“After several years of successful collaboration with Ducati Corse, we’re pleased to also be their number-one choice as a development partner and exhaust system supplier for Ducati’s entry into the motocross programme. In developing the exhaust system’s configuration, which satisfied their demanding racers used to high standards, the Akrapovič Racing R&D department also joined forces with our production exhaust systems R&D. We’ll be following the new team’s performance with great interest, along with the development of their racing bike, for which I’m sure we’ll upgrade the exhaust system even further. Everyone at Akrapovič wishes Ducati a successful start in motocross.”