The ninth edition of World Ducati Week, the international get-together of Ducati fans and enthusiasts at Misano, Italy, that is held every two years, has come to a close with a record-breaking attendance – some 81,000 people are said to have been there at some stage of the weekend.
Staged at the Misano World Circuit ”Marco Simoncelli” from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 July, Ducati say “the bikes and the fans were the true stars of this incredible event. In three days the crowd attendance for this ninth edition is estimated to be 25% up on the 2014 record, when around 65,000 people came to Misano.
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| World Ducati Week 2016 Claudio Domenicali, CEO Ducati Motor Holding |
“Ducati fans came to Italy’s Adriatic Riviera from all five continents, representing 66 countries throughout the world. 60% of the motorcyclists at WDW2016 came from Italy, with the remaining 40% confirming the strength and appeal of the Ducati brand all over the world: Europe, USA, Canada, Brazil, UAE, South Africa, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan and even Sri Lanka, Puerto Rico, Bahrein, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Guatemala, Angola and China, from where four people came to Misano on board Ducati Multistrada 1200 bikes.
“World Ducati Week 2016 confirmed the major evolution that Ducati has been going through over the last few years. The slogan for WDW2016 was “More than Red”, which means strong roots in the world of sportsbikes, but also new models for new segments, like the XDiavel, the new Ducati cruiser, the Multistrada 1200 Enduro and the new Scrambler Sixty2 400 and the Scrambler Flat Track Pro. These three recent additions to the Ducati range allowed the participants in WDW2016 to live new and unique experiences.
“The surface area figure in this record edition of WDW is also significant, with around 90,000 sqm of space occupied inside the Misano World Circuit, 80% up on the 2014 edition. This allowed more and more unique opportunities to be offered, such as the DRE Enduro, or the Scrambler Flat Track School, a course to learn how to slide safely on oval gravel tracks. There was also a massive presence of Scrambler bikes in the circuit, and the first ever Scrambler Reunion brought in more than 2000 ‘Scramblerists’ from all over the world. There was also more space for entertainment such as exhibitions and the celebration of the 90th anniversary of Ducati.
“Much attention was also paid to an eco-friendly management of the event. This is an important achievement for Ducati and the WDW, which received an ISO 20121 certificate, the first example of an event of its kind in the world of two wheels.
“The high point of the three intense and exciting days of WDW2016 came on Saturday 2 July, the day of maximum attendance. As well as the numerous activities on the weekend schedule, there were also two entertaining and exciting races reserved for Ducati MotoGP and Superbike riders of today and yesterday: the “Scrambler Flat Track Race by TIM” (held on Friday and won by Andrea Dovizioso) and the “Diavel Drag Race by Shell Advance” (held on Saturday and won by Scott Redding). The two races saw head-to-head competition between riders of the calibre of Casey Stoner (two-time MotoGP World Champion, in 2007 with Ducati), Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team), Loris Capirossi (ex-MotoGP rider for Ducati), Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike), Troy Bayliss (three-time World Superbike champion with Ducati), Regis Laconi (ex-factory Ducati rider and winner of the Drag Race in 2014), Scott Redding (OCTO Pramac Yakhnich) and Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing).
“On Saturday evening, CEO Claudio Domenicali and the Ducati riders greeted all the Ducatisti from the stage of the Santamonica stadium at Misano Adriatico, and then revealed the 1299 Panigale S Anniversario, a special, limited edition version of the Italian Superbike, created to mark the 90th anniversary of Ducati, which was on July 4. The stage then truly came to life with a spectacular rock concert by Italian legend Piero Pelù, who kept the crowd happy before making way for a live broadcast of the EURO2016 football match between Germany and Italy. At the same time there was also the traditional ‘Rustida’, the massive barbecue organised by the Adriatic Riviera lifeguards, where all the Ducati management help to grill and serve the classic ‘piadina’ to everyone present.
“As was to be expected, the ‘Closed Room’ with its sneak preview of the new 2017 Ducati SuperSport bike was a great success. Ducati enthusiasts and fans were even prepared to wait hours under the sun to enjoy this special and exclusive preview”.
