Ducati CAFE Motorcycles, page #21

Moto blog

Meet AMA Superbike Rider Geoff May At D-Store Chicago May 30th

This weekend, the AMA Pro Roadracing circus makes its way to Road America for round two of the series. Before festivities on track get started, however, here’s your chance to meet Dainese-sponsored rider Geoff May as the D-Store Chicago will be hosting a meet and greet on Thursday, May 30, starting at 4pm. The event will include raffle prizes, with proceeds benefitting W.I.N.G.S., an organization providing integrated services to families, in an effort to end domestic violence and homelessness.

Women’s Sportbike Rally Invades Deal’s Gap September 6-8

The annual Women’s Sportbike Rally presented by Draggin’ Jeans is returning for the eighth time to the Smoky Mountains the weekend of September 6-8 for fun, friends, riding and raising funds for the fight against Melanoma. The event headquarters and activities also return to the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort at the foot of the famous “Tail of the Dragon.” In addition to the beautiful riding in the area, there will be plenty of event activities for all attendees and their guests to enjoy. There will be Friday and Saturday evening festivities, the Sportbike Night and the Sportbikegirl Pit Party, which will feature games, raffles, door prizes, entertainment and camaraderie.

Three-Time World Champion Wayne Rainey Honored At Quail Motorcycle Gathering

Saturday, May 4 marked the 5th annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering in Carmel, California. With such a diverse collection of historical, rare and outrageous motorcycles, the Quail is an event we thoroughly enjoyed attending last year. To commemorate the occasion, this year’s guest of honor was none other than three-time 500cc Grand Prix world champion, and local area resident, Wayne Rainey.

Audi Announces Ducati Q1 2013 Sales Results

Ducati sold 9,817 motorcycles in the first three months of 2013, according to the first quarter report from parent company Audi. The first quarter sales result represents a 5.2% decline from the 10,360 Ducati motorcycles sold in the same quarter of 2012 when the company was owned by Investindustrial. Sales were down in Europe where the economy continues to struggle.

Ziggy Marley To Perform In Southern California For Charity

On Friday, May 10th, motorcycle and music fans alike can gather at Newcombs Ranch Roadhouse at the base of the Angeles National Forest, where Ziggy Marley, Bob’s eldest son, will perform a concert to benefit the Chepstowe Basic School in Port Antonio, Jamaica. But beyond trying to raise funds for impoverished school children, Ziggy is also promoting a six-part documentary series, sponsored in part by Ducati, where he and his brothers Rohan and Robbie ride Ducati Multistradas through Africa. The film, entitled Marley Africa Road Trip, is directed by David Alexanian, who also directed Long Way Round and Long Way Down. View the trailer below.

Ben Spies to Miss Jerez MotoGP Round

Pramac Racing announced Ben Spies will sit out the Jerez round of the 2013 MotoGP World Championship after suffering from chest pains at last weekend’s Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Spies cut short his 2012 season, missing the final two rounds to go under the knife last October to repair  ligaments in his right shoulder. During the off-season Spies signed with the Pramac Ducati satellite team and worked towards coming back for the 2013 season opener at Qatar.

Claudio Domenicali to Replace Gabriele Del Torchio as Ducati CEO

Current Ducati CEO, Gabriele Del Torchio, is leaving the company to take up new professional challenges. Replacing him is Ducati General Manager and Member of the Board of Directors at Ducati Motor Holding, Claudio Domenicali. Domenicali joined Ducati as a project leader in 1991.

Austin Kicks Off MotoGP Weekend!

  This weekend, the MotoGP circus makes its way to the United States for round two of the world championship, held at the stunning new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, the first time the track will host a world championship level motorcycle event. Expect to see the world’s fastest racebikes reach speeds over 200 mph on the 1 km (0.62-mile) back straight, and bring ear plugs — these bikes are loud! Fresh off a 1-2 finish in the season opener in Qatar, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi are looking to carry the momentum to CotA.

AMA Pro Racing Announces Basic Twins Flat Track Class for 2014 Season

AMA Pro Racing announced a new class for Flat Track racing designed to provide a new stepping stone for up-and-coming Pro-licensed racers, replacing the Pro Singles class in 2014. The new class, to be called Basic Twins, is more or less a revival of the Basic Expert Twins division that ran during the 2007 and 2008 seasons, but dropped when the Pro Singles class was introduced for 2009. The new class will give young racers a chance to showcase their skills on Twins, easing their transition to eventually enter the Grand National Expert Twins class.

MotoGP to Hold Official Test in Argentina; South American Nation Returning to Calendar for 2014

Dorna Sports announced there will be a MotoGP test at Argentina’s Circuito Internacional Termas de Rio Hondo in July to allow teams to prepare for the track’s expected addition to the 2014 MotoGP calendar. Argentina was actually supposed to join the MotoGP tour this season, but the round was scrapped because of a dispute between the country and Spain after the Argentine government seized control of a Repsol subsidiary. Repsol is, of course, a prominent sponsor of several teams including Honda‘s factory team.