Story: Donovan Fourie
World Ducati Week celebrates what is now undoubtedly the world’s most pre-eminent Italian motorcycling brand. This is the 12th running of the event hosted at the famous Misano Race Circuit on the Adriatic Coast, around 200km south of Venice. We went along to join the fun…
The venue is no accident – the fabled circuit of Imola is closer to the Ducati factory in Bologna – as the coastal towns of Riccione, Rimini, Cattaloca and others are the summer holiday retreat for the entire Northern Italy. They are the Italian equivalent of Port Shepstone, Margate, Ramsgate and that lot over December where Vaalies all get sunburnt and stung by Bluebottles.
The Italian towns are more vibey. Italians have a flare for outdoor life. Especially on their holidays – by day it’s chilling on the vast beaches soaking the Mediterranean sun into their olive skin. The sun sets around nine in the pee em. Then it’s time to dazzle, adorning gracious outfits that would never look as good on anyone else, and frequenting the numerous cafes and bars, sipping vino on street-side tables.
Unless there’s a good party on. Or an entire weekend of it. Especially relating to something that captures the Italian heart.
That’s how you get 94,000 people to Misano Circuit. And not just Italians, people from 86 nations including those from the far reaches of Asia, America, Australia and even a few fellows from the bottom of Africa, all rejoicing in Italian V-twin revelry. There were also 240 Ducati Owners Clubs with an entertainment area for all of them.
The air was a scorching 40 degrees and humid enough to chew through, and there are two types of Ducati riders in these circumstances – the sort that will wear full leathers no matter what, idling through the gates of WDW in a fully protected however light-headed fashion. More commonly, it’s shorts and T-shirts, letting olive yet vulnerable skin absorb more sunlight.
There was a queue to get in – the entrance gates were plentiful and well-organised but 94,000 people is a lot of people – and even the bikes had multiple lines. Most riders idled, some stopped their bikes and pushed – the rear cylinder generates a lot of heat, especially on a 40-degree day with bare thighs.
It was worth it though – thousands of Ducatis singing their sonorous song is glorious to behold, but there was more to the weekend than simply parking bikes at a race track. Ducati went full throttle with the show.
It started with the unveiling of the new Panigale V4 with its new technology and a double-sided swing-arm. During the weekend, the new Ducati flagship model was housed in a giant golf ball building with constant queues of fans waiting to gaze upon its magnificence first-hand.
History was celebrated, starting with ten years of the Scrambler range, with a Scrambler in every colour and some special custom models. Then there was the 30th anniversary celebration of the most famous motorcycle design in history – the Ducati 916. A display showcased every iteration of this design, from the original 916 in 1994 to the last 998 Final Edition model in 2004. Ducati also invited owners of 916s to attend. Within the first hour, 400 owners had replied and 531 Ducati 916/996/998s turned up for a parade of the circuit.
Of course, parading was not limited to just 916s. On the Friday night, there was a parade for everyone, starting with a lap of the circuit before snaking out into the towns and ending at a beach party in nearby Riccione. People wishing to cross the road as the parade first came past had to wait 33 minutes for the mass of Ducatis to finish.
Back at the circuit, there were more displays such as the Bentley Diavels and Lamborghini Streetfighters, designed in collaboration with fellow VW members Bentley and Lamborghini. Long-time suppliers like Termignoni, Ohlins and Pirelli had outfits showing their wares.
Ducati is a brand famous for its racing, and keen to show this fact off. Every race team of theirs was present, including all the MotoGP, WorldSBK and national championship teams with bikes set up in display pits for audiences to gawp at. Sometimes, some of the MotoGP teams would light one of the bikes up and treat the crowds to a thunderous soundtrack.
As is traditional, Ducati hosted the Race of Champions where Ducati racers climb aboard whatever the latest Ducati superbike is and slog it out on the track. This year it went up a notch.
All eight Ducati MotoGP riders including Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez, plus the World Superbike riders like Alvaro Bautista, lined up. And not on just any Panigales, but the newest V4 that had been unveiled just a couple of days before.
In total, the 15 riders that lined up on the grid had accumulated 40 world championships, and for the first time, they would be lining up on the grid with identical motorcycles. There is a story about The Race of Champions giving the full details and insights elsewhere on RideFast but Pecco Bagnaia was victorious followed by Andrea Iannone and Marc Marquez.
Sunday brought a close to another World Ducati Week, a record attendance week and a record success week, even if it was just over the weekend…
What’s happening with Ducati in South Africa?
It was announced earlier this year the VW SA group will be taking over the import and distribution of the brand from 2025. As we understand it, the current Ducati importer and dealer will remain as a dealer, with more dealers being appointed countrywide. The advantage of having a giant like the VW group in your team means that efficient parts supply and services like roadside assistance and all sorts should start coming in to play. Watch this space, we’ll keep you posted!
