July 4th has always been a special day for Ducati, more so this year as it marks the centenary of its foundation and the first of two days of the South African Grand Prix, the eleventh round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. The race, which marks the World Championship’s return to the African continent after 18 years, officially opens the second half of the 2026 season and takes place this weekend on the Terra Topia MX Track in Johannesburg, located just a few kilometers from the center of South Africa’s largest city.
It was also a special weekend for Calvin Vlaanderen, born in Port Elizabeth, in the south of the country, who is racing is home Grand Prix for the first time in his career. Ninth at the end of free practice, Vlaanderen finished in the same position in the timed session that determined the starting order for the qualifying race. With an excellent start off the gate, Calvin narrowly missed the holeshot on his Desmo450 MX, moving up to fifth at the end of the first lap, immediately finding a good feeling with the track. With excellent pace and the fourth-fastest lap time in the race, the Red Bull Ducati Factory MXGP Team rider crossed the finish line in fifth place, equaling his best qualifying result of the season, achieved in Spain at the start of the season.
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