Image: Supplied.

Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing will take positives from the Desmo450 MX’s Supercross debut at Anaheim 1, as Dylan Ferrandis impressed with a top 10 finish in the main event.

Attention was focused on the storied Italian manufacturer as it began a new chapter in California, with the all-new off-road entry raced indoors for the first time by Ferrandis and teammate Justin Barcia.

Third and fourth in the opening 450SX heat race was an encouraging start in Angel Stadium, but things came unstuck for the brand when Barcia suffered a scary fall on the opening lap of the main event.

With the race immediately red-flagged and restarted, former 450MX champion Ferrandis powered to a strong launch and ran as high as sixth at the halfway mark, before finishing in P9 at the opener.

“It was a good day overall,” recounted Ferrandis. “I feel comfortable and very confident with the bike and the team – we made a small change between practices, and it helped in the direction. I had a strong heat race and finish.

“It was unfortunate that my teammate crashed, triggering a red flag, but I had a second chance for a start. The second start was great, right around the top five or six, which was good for the first race on this bike.

“I was able to push and be fast, but I struggled a little bit in the second half of the moto and lost some positions,” he continued. “We know what we need to improve, and I know what I need to improve on myself. I think for the first outing, it’s not bad for this first manufacturer’s race.”

Team manager Josh Wisenor added: “To see both our riders and two Ducatis battling in the heat race was very exciting and a proud moment for the Ducati brand. Barcia, unfortunately,
got tangled up with Malcolm [Stewart] and had a big get-off.

“After the restart, Dylan had a decent start. The first portion of the race featured strong lap times, and from laps seven to nine, he was faster than everyone ahead of him. The positive is that the bike has the pace – we just need to figure out how to stretch that pace for the entire moto, so that’s what we’re going to work on this week.”

While avoiding major injury, the team is certain to be without Barcia at least in the short-term as he recovers from the incident, with no indication that a replacement will be called up alongside Ferrandis for the upcoming Monster Energy Supercross rounds.