Classic 2003 MotoGP Ducati on auction - but there's a hefty price-tag

This weekend, an original Ducati Desmosedici will go up for auction at Silverstone.

As part of Iconic Auctioneers’ Iconic Sale at Silverstone, the Desmosedici GP03 has a guide price of £180,000–£200,000. 

So, probably more than you’ll find down the back of the sofa, but it’s worth a reach anyway.

The Desmosedici GP03 was the first iteration of Ducati’s MotoGP bike, built for the second season of the 990cc rules that began Grand Prix racing’s from two-strokes to four-.

It was an acceptably successful bike, too, with Loris Capirossi taking Ducati’s first MotoGP win at the 2003 Catalan Grand Prix after Repsol Honda’s Valentino Rossi ran off at turn four.

Over time, the Desmosedici would evolve, as the Borgo Panigale engineers continued to improve the bike’s strong points (such as straight line speed) without being able to find a way to address its outstanding weak point (turning). 

A title was won by Casey Stoner in 2007 despite this, but Ducati would later go winless between 2011–2015 as several riders (including the aforementioned Rossi) tried and failed to transform the Desmosedici into an out-and-out winner.

The arrival of Gigi Dall’Igna to Ducati’s MotoGP engineering team in 2014 finally bore fruit in 2016, as Andrea Iannone ended that losing streak. It would be the Italian’s only MotoGP race win, but since then Ducati has gone on to dominate the premier class. 

It’s won every Constructors’ and Teams’ title since 2019, as well as the 2022 and 2023 Riders’ titles with Francesco Bagnaia. In 2024, Ducati has won 10 of the first 11 Grands Prix of the season, nine of the first 11 Sprints; and it’s secured 29 of the 33 podium positions available so far, including podium lockouts in the past eight rounds.

The Italian brand’s current dominance all started back in 2003, though, with the bike you can bid for at Silverstone tomorrow, Sunday 25 August.

It comes with the full factory team livery of the time, specifically that of the aforementioned Capirossi with the Italian’s famous #65.

Of course, underneath is the 989cc desmodromic V4 producing, according to Iconic Auctioneers, “220bhp-plus”. A 305mm carbon brake disc is fitted to the front “for display purposes only”, and it comes with the original Ohlins suspension.

The only change versus the original specification is a slightly more modern ignition system from Magneti Marelli.

Iconic Auctioneers describes the bike as “A very usable example with spares readily available,” and “An incredible opportunity to own a piece of Ducati and MotoGP history”.