Nine-Time FIM
Motocross World Champion
Antonio Cairoli
Named Grand Marshal
of Southwick National
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MXGP Icon Prepares for
Ducati’s Debut in Pro
Motocross Championship
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (June
26, 2025) – MX
Sports Pro Racing, Inc.,
in conjunction with
event organizers Rick
Johnson and Keith
Johnson, has announced
that Italian motocross
icon Antonio Cairoli
will serve as Grand
Marshal of this
Saturday’s Crestview
Construction Southwick
National, the fifth race
of the 2025 Pro
Motocross Championship,
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing. As Grand
Marshal, Cairoli’s
decorated racing career
as a nine-time FIM
Motocross World Champion
and 92-time MXGP winner,
in addition to his
global popularity, will
be celebrated and he
will participate in
several engagements
during the event on June
28.
“It’s very rare that
you’re presented with an
opportunity to honor one
of the most successful
and influential figures
on the planet for the
sport of motocross, so
when we heard Tony was
here in the states and
planning to attend the
race, we knew we had to
make it happen,” said
Rick Johnson, General
Manager of The Wick 338.
“Cairoli is a bona fide
icon and his legacy here
in the U.S. over the
years has grown
exponentially. His
fondness for American
motocross is something
we wanted to take
advantage of and his new
ambassadorship with
Ducati, combined with
his legendary career,
created the ideal
scenario to appoint him
as Grand Marshal for
this year’s Southwick
National.”
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Cairoli has
been putting the new
Ducati Desmo450 MX
through its paces in
competition but will
take a break from action
to serve as the
Southwick Grand Marshal.
Photo
Courtesy Ducati
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Three years ago, during
the 2022 season, Cairoli
cemented his global
legacy by embarking on a
Pro Motocross
Championship endeavor
that saw him contest
five rounds during the
series’ 50th anniversary
campaign as a member of
Red Bull KTM Factory
Racing. During that
time, he went bar-to-bar
against the most
renowned names in
American motocross,
including Pro Motocross
champions Ryan Dungey,
Ken Roczen, and Eli
Tomac.
While Cairoli’s
full-time racing career
has come to an end, the
Italian legend’s
presence has sustained
and entered a new
chapter with his
ambassadorship with
Ducati and the
development of the new
Desmo450 MX motorcycle
that will see the
storied Italian marque
become the sport’s
newest manufacturer.
Cairoli has contested
multiple European races
aboard the bike as a
member of the Aruba.it -
Ducati Factory MX Team,
including the most
recent MXGP of Great
Britain on June 22,
where he finished
seventh overall. The
next events on Cairoli’s
calendar are
back-to-back Pro
Motocross Championship
races, which will serve
as the official U.S.
racing debut of
the Desmo450 MX from
Michigan’s RedBud MX on
July 5 and Minnesota’s
Spring Creek MX Park on
July 12.
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After Southwick, the
iconic #222 will line up
on the starting gate for
back-to-back races at
RedBud and Spring Creek
for the U.S. debut of
the Desmo450 MX.
Photo
Courtesy Ducati
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The Crestview
Construction
Southwick National will
serve as Round 22 of the
SMX World Championship
this Saturday, June 28,
from The Wick 338 in
Southwick,
Massachusetts.
Tickets are now
available for all rounds
of the 2025 season and
can be purchased by
visiting www.ProMotocross.com. |
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For information
about the Pro
Motocross
Championship, please
visit ProMotocross.com and
be sure to follow
all of the Pro
Motocross social
media channels for
exclusive content
and additional
information on the
latest news:
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MX Sports Pro
Racing
MX Sports Pro Racing,
Inc., manages and
produces the world's
premier motocross racing
series – the Pro
Motocross Championship
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing. MX Sports Pro
Racing is an industry
leader in off-road
powersport event
production and
management, whose
mission is to showcase
the sport of
professional motocross
competition at events
throughout the United
States. Through its
various racing
properties, partnerships
and affiliates, MX
Sports Pro Racing, Inc.,
organizes events for
thousands of racing
athletes each year and
attracts millions of
motorsports spectators.
Visit
MXSportsProRacing.com
for more information.
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Pro Motocross
Championship
The Pro Motocross
Championship sanctioned
by AMA Pro Racing
features the world's
fastest outdoor
motocross racers,
competing aboard
homologated bikes from
one of eight competing
manufacturers on a
collection of the
roughest, toughest
tracks on the planet.
Racing takes place each
Saturday afternoon, with
competition divided into
two classes: one for
250cc machines, and one
for 450cc machines. MX
Sports Pro Racing, the
industry leader in
off-road powersports
event production,
organizes the Pro
Motocross Championship
series.
More information can be
found at
ProMotocross.com.
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SMX World
Championship
The SMX World
Championship™ is the
premier off-road
motorcycle racing series
in the world that
combines the technical
precision of stadium
racing with the all-out
speed and endurance of
outdoor racing. Created
in 2022, the SMX World
Championship Series
combines the Monster
Energy AMA Supercross
Championship and the Pro
Motocross Championship
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing into a 28-round
regular season that
culminates with the
season-ending SMX World
Championship Playoffs.
Visit
SuperMotocross.com
for more information.
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AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Racing is the
premier professional
motorcycle racing
organization for North
America, operating a
full schedule of events
and championships for a
variety of motorcycle
disciplines. It serves
as the sanctioning body
of the Pro Motocross
Championship.
Learn more about AMA Pro
Racing at
AMAProRacing.com.
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