Ducati Supersport Motorcycles, page #31

Moto blog

Rossi's Mugello helmet: Let's Stick Together

When I think of Mugello, I think of that huge start/finish straight, that Nakano crash and of course, Rossi's Mugello-only helmets. This year, the theme is 'let's stick together'. Just before Free Practice 3, Valentino Rossi unveiled his Mugello helmet, his message is: "Let's stick together" or "Restiamo uniti" in the style of the Italian entertainer Gianni Morandi.

“Ducati Remains Ducati” Says Audi CEO

Audi AG Chief Executive Officer Rupert Stadler addressed Ducati‘s workforce in Bologna, Italy, for the first time to address his company’s impending acquisition of the motorcycle maker. Joined by members of Ducati‘s management including President and CEO Gabriele Del Torchio, as well as Thomas Sigi, Audi’s head of human resources, Stadler met with Ducati’s entire workforce of nearly 1000 people to discuss the future of the company. The address comes after the European Union granted its blessing to the acquisition.

New Spy Photo of Near-Complete 2013 Ducati Multistrada/Hyperstrada 848

The latest spy photo of Ducati‘s upcoming 848-engined model continues to muddle the debate as to whether the new motorcycle is a Hypermotard or a Multistrada. The new model appears to blend elements of the two existing bikes with the liquid-cooled Testastretta 11° engine and an all-new frame. What will likely emerge is a new model with a couple of variations, a sport version and a touring version, This latest picture (the one shown below the jump has been tweaked for better contrast and a bit of sharpening) reveals the new side-mounted exhaust design and Ohlins suspension.

848 Challenge Oulton Park official race report

An emphatic and confident double win for James Folkard (Minards Pavlou Solicitors/Win43.com) this weekend cemented his position as one of the front-runners in the Ducati 848 Challenge. After some strong results at Snetterton and Misano, a first win for the man from Liverpool seemed inevitable, and this weekend at the Ducati Manchester sponsored Oulton Park round he walked away with a maximum points haul. Robbie Brown (Ducati Manchester) could only manage a third and a second despite feeling good about his chances for a victory, but he won’t be getting too worried yet as he extended his lead over closest rival Darren Fry (Hirebase Ducati Coventry) to 62.5 points.

European Union Approves Audi Acquisition of Ducati

The European Union has granted approval of Audi‘s acquisition of Ducati, removing any legal barriers to the sale. The approval was expected, but an official decision was nevertheless required before the transaction could proceed. The acquisition was announced in April but the deal was still subject to examination by anti-trust authorities.

848 Challenge Misano official race report

From Ducati: Robbie Brown tightened his grip on the Ducati 848 Challenge championship with a maximum points haul from both races at Misano World Circuit, Italy. A win in Race 1 and second behind non-points scoring rider Chris Northover, was enough to open up a 53-point lead at the top of the table. With the round taking place during the famous World Ducati Week, which this year attracted a record crowd of 65,000, and in baking-hot 40 degree temperatures, the weekend was a proper test for the riders and teams.

Not everyone loves Rossi

The town of Casinina is only a few miles away from Tavullia, where Valentino Rossi grew up. Judging by these T-Shirts, not everyone who's Italian or into their Ducatis loves Mr Rossi by default. The T-shirt says: 'For the love of god, go!'.

Panoramic from WDW2012

Never in my life have I seen so many Ducatis, but then that's hardly surprising as I took this photo at World Ducati Week 2012, in Misano, last week. Although I knew it was going to be packed from wall-to-wall with the Bologna-made bikes, I never realised there would be so many Panigales there. Of all of the big-cc sportsbikes, I reckon one in five was a Panigale.

MotoGP Lifts Rookie Rule, Caps Factory Prototype Entries and Adjusts Other Regulations

As expected, MotoGP organizers have officially lifted the rule barring rookies from racing for factory teams, but the Grand Prix Commission also tweaked some other regulations including a cap on factory prototype machines. We’ve discussed the lifting of the rookie rule already, with the main impetus being to allow a manufacturer such as Honda to sign up-and-coming Moto2 star Marc Marquez when he is expected to move up to the premiere class next season. As of Jan.

Bayliss Retires from Motorcycle Testing

Retired World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss announced he is retiring once again, this time from his duties as a test rider for Ducati. Bayliss, who retried from racing after winning his third WSBK title in 2008, had been working with Ducati, most notably as a test rider for the Ducati 1199 Panigale. Bayliss tweeted (@TroyBaylisstic) his intention to no longer test on June 23, just hours after beating Valentino Rossi in the finals of the Diavel drag race at World Ducati Week 2012.