Ducati bounces back at the Italian GP: best weekend of 2026 across MXGP and MX2—Is this the turning point?

Best seasonal results for Ducati in both MXGP and MX2. Could the Italian GP prove to be the turning point of 2026?

Signs of a Ducati resurgence? They’ll need to be confirmed in the next rounds, but the Italian GP was the best event of the 2026 Motocross World Championship for the Red. The only remaining spearhead in MXGP, Calvin Vlaanderen, finished 6th overall, narrowly missing the podium in the first moto at the Miravalle motocross track. That improves on Andrea Bonacorsi’s 8th overall (out with injury) at the French GP, which until last weekend had been the best seasonal result for the Desmo450 MX. A real shame, instead, about what happened to Ferruccio Zanchi in MX2 qualifying—otherwise who knows how it would’ve gone... Due to a retirement caused by a technical problem with the Desmo250 MX, the Florentine was forced to start from the back in both Sunday races. A day entirely uphill, then, but he ultimately ended the GP in 12th place, as in Latvia: his two best results of the season so far. The next two weekends bring rounds in Portugal and South Africa, but for now let’s look back at how things went in Montevarchi.

He wrapped up qualifying in 11th on a scorching hot day, then turned to Sunday’s two races, held in much cooler conditions thanks to light rain. Calvin Vlaanderen even poked his nose onto the third step of the podium in Race 1—if only briefly—eventually finishing 4th with pace in line with the leaders. In the second moto, the Red Bull Ducati MXGP Factory Team rider struggled a bit more, but secured a top 10 within a few laps and held it to the checkered flag. With a 4-10 he took 6th overall, as noted the best seasonal result for the Desmo450 MX and also for the 29-year-old Dutchman.

One comment to highlight right away is his thanks to the team: "We’ve worked hard over the past few months and last week we made changes to the bike that make me feel much more comfortable." Could the Italian GP prove to be the crossroads of this season, the turning point for Ducati? As mentioned, we’ll know for sure only in the coming rounds. But there are encouraging signs also in other words from Calvin Vlaanderen on this tricolor event: "In the first moto I proved to myself that I’m back, that I can still run in the top five and do it with ease. It was nice to ride smoothly and calmly, and to be able to keep the leaders’ pace, which gave me a lot of confidence."

As mentioned at the start, the first home race in Tuscany for Florence native Ferruccio Zanchi was compromised by a qualifying retirement due to a technical problem. That meant a penalized start for both motos on the schedule, but the Beddini Racing rider wanted to put in a good showing, limiting the damage after Saturday. Race 1 gets underway and in no time Zanchi is in the top 15, then climbs to 10th, with a slide that halts his comeback and keeps him from going further. The start of Race 2 then isn’t ideal due to contact with another rider that sends him off track at the first corner, but the Ducati standard-bearer gives it his all and charges back, even pulling off a pass on reigning champion Laengenfelder before a mistake: he would finish 13th at the flag, 12th overall with the best points tally of this 2026.

“A fairly positive home GP weekend, even if the results don’t show how many good things we did,” said Ferruccio Zanchi at the end of the Italian GP. “We had good speed all weekend but due to a slide and a mistake, the result was a bit compromised.” There’s a hint of regret, but the Florentine with the Beddini Racing Ducati Factory MX2 Team sees the glass half full. “Despite this we saw positive things, we’ll keep working and already next week we’ll have another opportunity to do better. Thanks to the whole team for the work done and to all the fans who made me feel at home, pushing me to give 200%.”