The world of oval racing welcomes a new arrival. It’s called the OMT 450C, a flat track motorcycle built in Switzerland by Picasso Engineering, set to make its racing debut with the support of Marco Troiano’s OMT Squadra Corse, which will manage the racing program.
Picasso Engineering is a factory based in Roveredo, in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. Since 2020, it has specialized in the design and construction of carbon fiber frames, with experience in the world of supercars—most notably the Picasso 660 LMS, a sub-1000 kg track-focused coupé—as well as in the motorboat industry.
In 2025, Stefano Picasso, founder and CEO of Picasso Engineering, decided to take on a new challenge: to build a flat track motorcycle with a fully carbon fiber frame, designed entirely from scratch. Starting with a blank sheet, the only fixed points were the engine—a Honda CRF 450 R unit, tuned specifically for flat track—and the ideal geometry, which allows no compromises.
The result, the OMT 450C, is a purpose-built oval bike—something extremely rare, almost nonexistent, in today’s market. The standard and easier approach to building a flat track bike is to convert a motocross 450: powerful and lightweight, but with a stiff chassis designed to handle impacts from jumps and bumps, which don’t exist in flat track racing.
The OMT 450C, on the other hand, was conceived exclusively for sliding sideways. From the outset, it aims to offer optimal frame flex and slightly different geometry compared to a motocross bike—which enhance grip and allow for smooth yet immediate lean-in. Moreover, thanks to its unique frame construction, the bike’s stiffness can be easily adjusted directly at the trackside with just a few quick operations.
The OMT 450C made its first public appearance at the Heveningham Concours in Halesworth, Suffolk, England, in late June 2025. It’s one of the UK’s most prestigious events celebrating design and engineering excellence, and here, Picasso Engineering’s creation immediately won over the jury, earning the Special Award.
Stefano Picasso, the mind behind the project, expressed pride in the work achieved so far and joy that its quality was immediately recognized: “It’s a huge honor for all of us. We built this bike with a singular vision: to challenge convention and demonstrate what can be done when you start from zero with no compromises. Flat track racing leaves no room to hide. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s the perfect proving ground for what we believe in.”
But the OMT 450C is far from being just a show bike, even though it could easily be one. It’s a bike built to race—and designed to perform at the highest level. A debut on the dirt is already in the pipeline, set to take place before the end of the year with appearances at a couple of renowned European ovals—essentially a shakedown ahead of a full-season commitment in the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship.
What’s more, Picasso Engineering is planning a small production run of a street-legal version of the OMT 450C, homologated for road use and expected to arrive in 2026.
In short, it’s just a matter of weeks before we get to see the OMT 450C in action on track—and not long after, we might just spot its street-legal sibling out on the road.
