Desmo250 MX in the spotlight: Ferruccio Zanchi leads Ducati’s assault on the MX2 World Championship

The liveries of the Desmo250 MX from Beddini Racing Ducati Factory MX2 Team revealed: all eyes on Ferruccio Zanchi, the lone World Championship contender.

A single rider for the Ducati MX2 project, with the sole aim of being a frontrunner. After “shaking off the rust” at the Internazionali d’Italia, all that’s left is to wait for the first round in about two weeks in Argentina. Great anticipation, of course, for Ferruccio Zanchi, who left Honda to embrace the Borgo Panigale motocross project, which has also unveiled the new “weapon” to aim high in the 250 class both on the international stage and at the European level, where Simone Mancini will compete.

The 19-year-old Tuscan rider will debut Borgo Panigale’s new arrow on the world stage at the opening round of the MX2 World Championship in Bariloche, on the weekend of March 7–8, while for the 18-year-old from Cingoli (MC) the first appointment will arrive two weeks later at the new Almonte circuit in Andalusia, for the first of the 12 rounds of the 2026 EMX250 European Championship.

It certainly won’t be easy, but the signs seen between Alghero and Mantova (despite the rain and therefore the tough conditions both at Lazzaretto and Tazio Nuvolari) are decidedly encouraging. In fact, in the first round of the Internazionali d’Italia, the 19-year-old from Tuscany and the Desmo250 MX were already on the podium in their first “official” outing together. The rain, which fell through to the first timed practice, turned this first race of the year into a particularly demanding test on a particularly technical track like the one in Sardinia. However, the Beddini Racing Ducati Corse Factory MX2 Team made its mark: 7th in timed practice, Ferruccio Zanchi stayed in the mix throughout Race 1, finally finishing 2nd. A few more issues in Race 2 instead: a less-than-stellar start followed by an excellent comeback up to 6th place. Just enough to clinch the first podium with Ducati!

They were instead just one point short of repeating the result at Tazio Nuvolari, on a track marked by heavy rains in the preceding days. Second in timed practice, Zanchi was caught up in a violent crash at the start of the first moto: he got going again from last place, delivering a great charge back to ninth. Then came Race 2: the 19-year-old from Florence launched well and stayed consistently in the fight for the day’s podium and for the championship podium. He was third until three laps from the end, when a slide pushed him down to a final 4th place. But this was only the preview, a taste, while the real test is coming soon on the brand-new track in Patagonia.