Ducati Scrambler 1100 PRO and Sport PRO are focus of ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California

• Scrambler® 1100 PRO and 1100 Sport PRO in California for a design workshop on Saturday, February 8

• Revamped graphics, new exhaust and seat trim, shorter rear fender and low license plate holder distinguish the two new Ducati Scrambler 1100 models

• Students at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena invited to design the Ducati Scrambler of the future, with the most original proposal taking one of them to the Ducati Design Centre for a training internship

• Alessandro Del Piero, world soccer icon and passionate motorcyclist, among the guests of this unique event

Mountain View, Calif., February 10, 2020 – The first public appearance for the new Ducati Scrambler 1100 PRO was featured in a special lecture held Saturday, February 8, at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. In attendance were students, journalists, influencers and fans who discussed and analyzed the bikes’ design under the guidance of Jeremy Faraud, Ducati Motorcycle Designer and "father" to the Ducati Scrambler 1100. Among the guests was also Alessandro Del Piero, international soccer icon and passionate motorcyclist.

The collaboration with ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena confirms the great attention that the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer dedicates to the design world. This college is in fact one of the most renowned design institutes in the world, an undisputed reference for industrial design, visual disciplines and applied arts, since 1930.

Jeremy Faraud

Jeremy Faraud's testimony allowed a direct comparison with the students involved, who have been asked to design the Ducati Scrambler of the future. Ducati’s designers will evaluate all submissions and recruit one student for an internship at the Ducati Design Centre. The Pasadena event will also be followed in Bologna, where a second training and meeting event is scheduled for March, involving the most important Italian design institutes.

A fun experience is guaranteed on the new Ducati Scrambler 1100 PRO and Sport PRO, thanks to their iconic style and sense of freedom, along with their agility and safety features. Created for those who love to ride motorcycles even outside the city with the option of having a passenger, these new models are a further tribute to the bike that identifies the Ducati Scrambler "Land Of Joy."

The Ducati Scrambler 1100 PRO stands out for its new two-tone "Ocean Drive" color scheme, combined with a black steel trellis frame, rear aluminum subframe and aluminum covers. A new right-side dual tailpipe and low-slung plate holder ensure distinctive rear-end styling and, with the new livery, gives the bike a coiled, compact look. Another hallmark is the framed headlight; inspired by the protective adhesive tape used back in the 1970s, a black metal “X” has been incorporated inside the headlight. This is a detail that makes the bike instantly identifiable, even with the lights off.

The Ducati Scrambler 1100 Sport PRO is the most-muscular version in the Scrambler family. It features all the styling details of the PRO, but with Öhlins suspension, low-slung handlebars and Café Racer rear-view mirrors. The 1100 Sport PRO also features a matte black color scheme, complemented by side panels sporting a painted 1100 logo.

The Ducati Scrambler 1100 PROs are also at the forefront of electronics and safety. They are equipped with Ducati Traction Control (DTC) calibrated specifically for these models, and ABS Cornering, which ensures safety on every bend. The three standard Riding Modes (Active, Journey and City) help even less-experienced riders find the right balance in the use of electronic features by choosing their riding style.

Ducati Scrambler 1100 PRO and Sport PRO will be available in U.S. dealers starting April 2020. More information about the new models can be found on the Ducati Scrambler official website.

Two days of official WorldSBK testing for the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team

Scott Redding 6th and Chaz Davies 11th as official WorldSBK testing concludes at Phillip Island (Australia).

Two days of official WorldSBK testing for the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team, ended today at the Phillip Island Circuit (Australia), with Scott Redding and Chaz Davis in 6th and 11th position respectively. 

Scott Redding got off to a great start on Day-2, staying in P1 for a long time. A crash at turn 10 at the start of the afternoon session (after a good lap in 1'30.8 and the best T4 overall) delayed the work programme for the second testing day.  His team, however, did an extraordinary job allowing Scott to get back on track for the final run.   
After the comparison work between the 2019 and the 2020 version of the Ducati Panigale V4 R, on the second day of testing, Chaz Davies focused on the set up by putting together 65 laps.
Both Aruba.it Racing - Ducati riders also received positive information about the race pace ahead of the first round of the 2020 WorldSBK season which will kick off on Friday with the #AusWorldSBK free practice at the iconic Phillip Island circuit in Victoria State, Australia.

#45 Scott Redding - Combined Standings Day 1-2: P6
Day-1: P6 (1'31.236, +0.496, 46 laps)
Day-2: P6 (1'30.885, +0.362, 45 laps)

#7 Chaz Davies - Combined Standings Day 1-2: P11
Day-1: P10 (1,32,113, +1,373, 44 laps)
Day-2: P11 (1,31,533, +1,085, 65 laps)

Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #45)
"I'm very pleased with what we've done. They were two important days in which we worked on many aspects. We have closed the gap to front guys and the feeling with the bike is definitely positive. It's a shame about today's crash but the important thing is that there were no consequences. Maybe we still need to improve on the single lap but the race pace data is very positive".

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #7)
"It's been a busy couple of days. If I'm honest, I think I found a good feeling, maybe not great but still positive even if we still have to perfect the set up for the race. Compared to the first day of testing, however, today the feeling was better. It is clear that we still have a lot of work to do but there is a lot of confidence and above all a lot of desire to start the season in the best possible way.

Ducati Team concluded the last MotoGP preseason test in Qatar

with Dovizioso tenth and Petrucci sixteenth

The final 2020 MotoGP preseason test concluded this evening at Losail, in Qatar. The same race venue, situated just a few kilometers away from the capital city of Doha, will host the opening Grand Prix of the new season in less than two weeks.

During the three days of testing available, the Ducati Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci were able to work consistently on the development of the Desmosedici GP20 bike as they kept testing the new tire solutions brought by Michelin this year.

The last day for the two riders was mostly dedicated to making the final arrangements ahead of the upcoming race weekend. In the late afternoon, they headed back out on track together to complete a long run that gave positive feedback.

Andrea Dovizioso ended the day with the tenth fastest time, in 1:54.312, closing in tenth position also in the combined classification of the three days.

Danilo Petrucci ended the last day of testing in the tenth position with the fastest lap time in 1:54.752 that he posted on his 36th lap out of 56 put in today. In the combined rankings, the rider from Terni also sits in the same position with his fastest lap time on Day 1 in 1:54.634, 0.776 seconds off today’s pacesetter.

After completing the preseason test, the Ducati Team riders will resume action at Losail Circuit from 6th-8th March for the first MotoGP Grand Prix of the season.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:54.312 (10°)
 “I am really satisfied with the work done today. We were able to try different setups that helped us understand that we still have some room left for improvement. The most positive aspect of today was the race simulation. With used tyres, I was able to cover the race distance without problems. On top of that, I did a few laps behind Danilo, which helped me to understand how to manage better the tyres. My race pace is good, and I am sure that if we can be fast as the front guys, then we will be able to fight for the top positions during the race weekend”.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:54.752 (16º)
 “I am happy about this final day of testing here in Qatar. We tried to manage our last session well without focusing on lap times and giving priority to the long run. We were able to cover the same distance as the race and to remove the doubts that we still had. Now we need to work well during the race weekend to be able to secure a good starting position for the race. As we were fast during the race simulation, I am sure that we will be able to be competitive also in the race”.

The British Motor Show | The art of motoring

• The British Motor Show to feature incredible car artists in stunning walk-through Piazza display

• Major automotive artists will exhibit their wares, with interactive art workshops for all ages.

• Live artwork to be created on the bodywork of classic MG

• Takes place at Farnborough International from 20th to 23rd August 2020

• Tickets just £18.50 and kids go free.

Cars and art are inextricably linked, with the car itself being a form of design in motion. 

And to celebrate the fact, The British Motor Show is to feature a special display of unique and innovative motoring-related artwork at the show in August. But this will be much more than a gallery of car art, for each of the auto artists that sign up will be hosting live workshops with their discipline, giving show-goers the opportunity to experience their art first-hand.

The gathering of ‘cartists’ will form the hub of the Piazza area of the show, where visitors will be able to wander around and watch them at work, as well as take part in interactive workshops directly with the artists themselves.

David Johnson @formulaart www.formulaart.co.uk/

In addition, the show’s ‘artist-in-residence’, David Johnson from Formula Art, will be using the event to create artwork live on the body of a classic MG, using a palette knife.

David has created paintings for some of motor sport’s top drivers and teams, from Sir Jackie Stewart to Lando Norris, and has exhibited in some of the industry’s leading venues including the British Grand Prix, Royal Automobile Club, and British Racing Drivers Club.

Each of the artists will also be invited onto the show’s Live Stage at various points during the event to talk about and demonstrate their skills.

Photo credit: Hayley Mulcahy

Another artist creating live at the show will be Hayley Mulcahy - an illustrator and comic book artist from Cork City, Ireland. A lover of retro video games and manga, in the past few years she has developed an insatiable love of Formula 1 and Formula E and it has rapidly become the focus of a lot of her work.

In 2017, she launched a webcomic called Paradiso - a coming-of-age sports drama of a young girl hoping to make it into Formula 1. Hayley has also designed a number of fun motorsport accessories and prints which she began selling on her online shop and recently launched a new motorsport apparel brand called Lovely Livery. Hayley says she is thrilled to be able to share her passion for motorsport in her own fun and quirky way, as well as putting on all-ages art workshops during the event.

Tamara Ivanova is another of the artists in attendance and creates motorsport images via the medium of quilling - using thin strips of paper glued on their side to create dramatic and highly detailed artworks. Tamara, who is currently studying Aeronautics and Astronautics at university, will be demonstrating her skills in live workshops at the show.

The British Motor Show CEO, Andy Entwistle, said: “The British Motor Show is so much more than just an exhibition hall full of cars, which is a formula that has been in decline for many years and needed to be made more exciting.

“By introducing live, thrilling and interactive elements that engage visitors, families and also help promote individual talent, we’re turning the idea of a traditional car show on its head, including elements for everybody and putting the British show on the global map once again.”

The organizers are expecting over 50,000 visitors through the doors of Farnborough International between August 20th-23rd, dates which have been chosen to coincide with school holidays and make it as accessible as possible for all visitors.

Tickets for the show will represent a terrific value at £18.50 for adults or £37 for families.

Show Website          www.thebritishmotorshow.live

Official websites for Artists mentioned above:

David Johnson - Formula Art www.formulaart.co.uk/

Hayley Mulchy - hayleymulch.com

Work continues for the Ducati Team at Losail

Dovizioso eighth and Petrucci twelfth in the second day of testing in Qatar

The Ducati Team was back in action again today at Losail in Qatar for the second of three days of the last Official MotoGP Test ahead of the 2020 season opener scheduled in less than two weeks at night at the same race venue.

Following the first positive feedback from yesterday, Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci got back at work this afternoon resuming the respective development programs of their Desmosedici GP20 bikes. Thanks to the favorable weather conditions, both the Ducati Team riders were able to take full advantage of the track time available as they found also good track conditions.

With a total of 60 laps on his tally, Dovizioso ended the day in eighth position thanks to the fastest lap in 1:54.662, half a second faster than his personal best of yesterday. The rider from Forlì has declared to be satisfied with the progress made today as he was faster and closer to the top of the timesheets in a test day featured with a quick pace and no less than 13 riders closed in less than a second.

It has been a busy day of work also for his teammate Petrucci. The rider from Terni, who was the fastest on track at the midpoint of the day, was able to find a good race pace using a rear medium compound tire. Petrucci ended the day in the twelfth position overall with the fastest lap in 1:54.852, 0.814 seconds behind today’s pacesetter.

The Ducati Team riders will still have tomorrow to complete the development of their Desmosedici bikes in the final day of pre-season testing in Qatar.

 Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:54.662 (8°)
“I am happier compared to yesterday because we were able to move forward with a huge part of our testing program, and now we have a clearer idea about the situation. We are fast, and our pace is good, but so are our opponents. For sure there are details that we will be able to understand only during a race weekend, while in a test, as we are riding alone, we can only get an idea of on which area we need to focus in order to improve. Today we did a few consecutive laps to understand the effects on the tyre life. In general, I am satisfied, and now we will continue with our program also tomorrow”.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:54.852 (12º)
“Today, we were able to take better advantage of the track time available, and I am delighted with the work we have done. We did a few tests with a rear medium tyre compound, and we were able to keep a good pace for several laps. Compared to fastest riders we are still missing a few tenths of a second, but today we didn’t focus on the lap times, and I am confident that we have the potential to battle at the front with them. Unfortunately, we had some small issues that didn’t allow us to continue until the end of the session. But despite that, I am happy, and I hope we will able to make a further step forward, as the program sees a race simulation also scheduled for tomorrow”.

The first day of testing in Qatar for the Ducati Team

Ends with Petrucci fourth and Dovizioso eleventh.

Completed the first official 2020 MotoGP test at Sepang in Malaysia two weeks ago, the Ducati Team riders were back in action today at Losail for the last three days of testing ahead of the start of the Championship, at the same race venue in Qatar in fifteen days.

The opening day of the last pre-season test that featured bright skies and temperatures around 25 degrees allowed the Italian squad to resume the development program of the Desmosedici GP20 focusing mainly on testing new components and improving the bike setup for the race.

The first Ducati Team rider to hit the track, right a few minutes after the opening of the pit line at 1 PM local time, has been Danilo Petrucci, the fourth fastest today. The rider from Terni put in a total of 41 laps and clocked his fastest lap time in 1:54.634 on the last minutes of the day using a soft tire.

Andrea Dovizioso closed in 11th position with the fastest lap in 1:55.308, only 0.654 seconds off his teammate. The rider from Forlì, who suffered a small crash at Turn 8 towards the end of the day, has declared to be satisfied with his first day of testing in Qatar, as he was able to find a good feeling with his Desmosedici GP20 and a solid base to continue his preparations for the opening MotoGP Grand Prix of the year.

Tomorrow Petrucci and Dovizioso will be back out on track for the second day of Qatar Test with the other seven hours of free practices available from 1 PM till 8 PM local time (CET +2.00).

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:54.634 (4º)
“It has been a first complicated day of testing. Unfortunately, some small issues prevented us from taking full advantage of the track time available today. Despite that, the feeling with the bike is good, and now we only need to run constantly to get further confirmations on our work. I am quite happy with the behaviour of the Desmosedici even if there are still a few aspects that we need to improve, but I hope tomorrow we will be able to take a further step forward”.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:55.308 (11º)
 “I am quite satisfied with today because we were able to find a good feeling with the bike, which was better than the one I had in Malaysia. We did a few tests, and all of them were positives. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to complete the program that we had for today, but in general, we had a good pace, and we were able to set the fastest lap time with a medium compound tyre that had already done seventeen laps. Shame only, that I had a small crash towards the end of the session, that didn’t allow us to complete an interesting test”.

THE DUCATI TEAM ENDED THE SECOND DAY OF TESTING IN MALAYSIA

The Ducati Team riders took to the track once again today for the penultimate of three days of Official MotoGP Test at Sepang Circuit, in Malaysia. 

After a first day deeply affected by the changeable weather conditions, Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci were finally able to take full advantage of the 8 hours of free practices available in which they found a dry surface of the track and acceptable but still scorching temperatures. 

With just one month left before the opening Grand Prix of the 2020 season in Qatar, both the riders of the Bologna-based squad resumed their programs from where they left off yesterday, working on different aspects of their Desmosedici GP20 while also improving yesterday’s lap times. 

Danilo Petrucci made a big step forward, taking 0.682 seconds off his personal best from yesterday. The rider from Terni ended the second day of testing in the thirteenth position overall with the fastest lap in 1’59.257, close to the top of the timesheets.

In the afternoon, Andrea Dovizioso slid out at Turn 6, but the small accident didn’t really compromise his working program. The rider from Forlì was fifteenth overall with a personal best lap in 1:59.342 at the end of Saturday.

Now that the most challenging part of the testing program is completed, the Ducati Team will head back on track tomorrow for the final day of the Sepang Test.

Danilo Petrucci (#9, Ducati Team) – 13° (1:59.257) “I am not completely satisfied with my ranking today. But still, I am happy because compared to yesterday we were able to make a big step forward and again we are really close to the top. Today we tried different new components, amongst which we also tried a new fairing: we did many laps, and my feeling with the used tires is good. Tomorrow we will focus more on improving the bike setup, and we will also work with the new tires to understand what we can do to take full advantage of them”. 

Andrea Dovizioso (#04, Ducati Team) – 15° (1:59.342) “It has been another busy day. We were able to test several new components, like a new fairing, while in the afternoon I had a small crash and we couldn’t end our setup work on the Desmosedici. Now I have some pain in my hand and neck, but fortunately, we could get on with an important part of our program. I hope to feel better tomorrow and be able to take great advantage from the final day of testing”. 

Successful testing at Sepang concludes with Quartararo on top

A successful test at Sepang International Circuit concludes for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT with Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli first and 13th.

The opening MotoGP test of 2020 has come to a successful conclusion for PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team riders Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli. Across the three days, the team has been able to build up vital knowledge as they prepare for the season starts next month in Qatar.

Once again Quartararo was one of the first riders out on track to run a series of time-attack laps, which saw him improve upon his best time from yesterday, despite experiencing some difficulties, before testing Michelin’s new rear tire compounds. After an early lunch break, Fabio was able to focus his attention on a long run at a time of day representative of a race start. The Frenchman rounded out the session with a series of practice starts and finished the final day of testing at the top of the timesheets with a best lap of 1min 58.349secs, out of the 57 completed.

Morbidelli had initially planned to join his team-mate in the series of time attack runs but needed to test some different bike setups instead to combat some front-end chatter. After working through this Franco was able to resume his testing program in the afternoon, where he proceeded to enjoy more laps on his Yamaha YZR-M1 and finished the day with a total of 58 laps on the board. His best time was a 1min 58.838secs, which is an exceedingly close session placed him 13th – just 0.489secs shy of Fabio.

With testing at Sepang now at an end, PETRONAS Yamaha SRT will have to some time to assess their learnings before turning their attention to the next MotoGP Official Test in Qatar (22-24 February), which will be the last test before action gets underway at the first round of the year (6-8 March), also held in Qatar.

Razlan Razali Team Principal

I’m glad we got the launch and the announcements out

of the way before the test began as it meant that our riders could fully focus on the three-day test without any distractions. In general, I think the test went very well. Although we can’t really look too much at the timings yet, I think psychologically it’s good for the riders to be quick, and for the competitors to see as well. So far everything seems positive: Fabio is doing great on the new bike that he’s had for only two days and Franco is making progress with his bike as well. At the same time, we’ve also managed to engage the riders with the fans here the last three days, and with our guests. I think generally it was a very positive test.

Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager

The first test for the season 2020 is done. It was a very positive test with no crazy things happening! We had good weather across the test. For Fabio to have three days on top of the timesheets is very promising. I’m also very happy to see Franco riding like he is at the moment. I think he understands the bike better than he did last year and he also made some good steps forward. We did what we had to do and tested what we had to be doing, there were no big crashes and now we’re ready for the Qatar test.

Fabio Quartararo 1st (1:58.349)

Today was a difficult day for us, it was not easy to get into the pace and make a good lap this morning, but overall I’m really happy. We did a long run of 12 laps in the hottest conditions when there was nobody on track. It was not bad: our pace was high 1min 59sec and low 2mins, it was 55 degrees on track and nobody else was riding so it was probably the worst track conditions we had today. We are working in a really good way to improve the speed and hopefully, in Qatar we will take another step forward. My goal now has changed a little bit; we want to have a better long-run pace because we now know over one lap we are fast. Overall, I’m really happy with the first test of the year with the 2020 bike.

Franco Morbidelli 13th (1:58.838)

I feel quite happy about this test as we’ve been working a lot and we understand many things on the new bike. I also already feel that I have good confidence in the new bike. We didn’t use the super-soft tire today to make the time attack, we used it yesterday just for normal running. So I think that is why we are not higher up the timings today. But even with the normal tire on the time attack our pace is not so far off the top. I understand a lot from these three days and we know what we need to work on in Qatar. It has been overall a good test and I look forward to Qatar now and we try to do a good job there also.

MotoGP Test Results Sepang - Day 3

View Full Results here

Redding 2nd and Davies 5th with the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati as Portimao testing closes

The second 2020 test session, held at the Autodromo Internacional Algarve in Portimao (Portugal), ended with an excellent result for Scott Redding and Chaz Davies who finished in 2nd and 5th positions respectively.

It was an intense two days testing for Aruba.it Racing - Ducati riders who continued the setup work started last week at Jerez De La Frontera.

After finishing the first session on top, Scott Redding (199 laps completed in total) repeated himself on the second day of activity, recording very interesting lap-times especially on the race pace, before finishing with the second-fastest time overall (1'40.883) just 79 thousandths of a second off Razgatlioglu (Yamaha).

It has been two profitable days for Chaz Davies also, as the welsh rider collected important data for the first round of the 2020 WorldSBK season scheduled at the end of February in Australia. After the 59 laps completed in Day-1, finished in 7th position and with the top speed of the day (318.6 km/h), the Welshman completed 73 laps in the second day pushing the time attack (1'41.599) to end in 5th position.

Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #45) 1'40.883 (2nd) "It was a good day even though, to be honest, I couldn't find the ideal pace. On a few occasions, I found traffic on the track and when I tried the new tires, the four almost consecutive red flags didn't allow me to lap consistently. The result of the test is still very positive, considering that this is a circuit where I only rode once in the past and it can't be considered the most favorable for Ducati. All things considered, we have worked very well and I am satisfied".

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #7) 1'41.599 (5th) "It's been a busy couple of days. We were lucky because the weather helped us to carry on with our work. We tried new solutions: some of them gave positive results, while on other aspects we will have to work further. The lap-times? We will return to Portugal in September and the track conditions will be completely different so the Crono wasn't our first target. In view of the first Grand Prix in Australia, I feel much more ahead of what I felt last year".

Oklahoma Introduces Bill to Require Front and Rear Plates on All Vehicles

From SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff Desk

SEMA-opposed legislation (H.B. 3899) has been introduced in Oklahoma to require front and rear license plates on all vehicles. Currently, vehicles are required to display only a single, rear-mounted license plate. If passed, H.B. 3899 would fail to protect the aesthetic contours of collector cars and force vehicle owners to take on the burden and cost of having to create mounting holes on bumpers.

The bill awaits consideration in the House Appropriations and Budget Committee.

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website.

For details, contact Christian Robinson at stateleg@sema.org.

Wisconsin Introduces Bill to Restrict Eligibility and Increase Fees for Collector and Hobbyist Vehicles

From SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff Desk SEMA-opposed legislation (A.B. 860) has been introduced in Wisconsin to restrict eligibility and raise fees for collector and hobbyist vehicle registrations. Currently, these vehicles must be more than 20 years old and are required to pay twice the registration fee as the type of vehicle being registered. If passed, A.B. 860 would further limit each designation to vehicles 30 years old and older, expand seasonal use restrictions, and increase the registration fees to three times the normal rate.

In Wisconsin, a collector vehicle is defined as being at least 20 years old, preserved because of historical significance, and having had no body alterations. Vehicles eligible for hobbyist plates include street modifieds, replica vehicles, reconstructed vehicles, and homemade vehicles.

The bill awaits consideration in the Assembly Committee on Transportation. For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website.

For details, contact Christian Robinson at stateleg@sema.org.

Ducati closes 2019 on a high, with bike sales topping 53,000

• 53,183 Ducati bikes delivered to customers in 90 countries

• Italy remains the number one market. Double-digit growth in China, Brazil, and Spain

• For the second year running, the Panigale is the world's best-selling superbike. A record number of advance orders for the new Streetfighter V4, with deliveries to begin in March 2020

Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 14 January 2020 – Ducati Motor Holding closes 2019 with 53,183 bikes delivered to customers worldwide, nudging last year's figure of 53,004 bikes even higher.

A major contribution to this result came from the Panigale: with sales totaling 8,304, it retains the market leadership established in 2018 and confirms its status as the world's best-selling superbike with a market share of 25%.

Two new bikes introduced in 2019 - the Hypermotard 950 and Diavel 1260 - racked up sales of 4,472 and 3,129 respectively, doubling the overall volumes achieved in 2018 by previous versions. The Multistrada family performed equally well, scoring a 3% increase compared to 2018 (thanks also to the addition of the 950 S and a revamped 1260 Enduro); deliveries totaled 12,160, the best sales performance since the Bologna-built multi-bike made its debut sixteen years ago.

Sales figures for 2019 have reinforced Ducati's position at the premium end of the motorcycle market.

"2019 was a tough but also rewarding year. We're working to make Ducati the world's most desirable motorcycle brand", stated Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding, "and the results we're achieving, the development of the range and the market response all confirm we're on the right track. In today's global market, one in every four superbikes is now a Panigale. The technical content we've transferred from the R version and our extensive racing experience to the V4 2020 range ensure this bike remains the category benchmark. What's more, order books for the new Streetfighter V4 are bulging - more than 1,700 are already on order - and deliveries will begin in March 2020."

"We're satisfied with the results achieved in 2019", adds Francesco Milicia, Global Sales VP. "Over the last twelve months, a major network development plan has been implemented, with 54 new dealerships in 20 countries. This expansion plan will continue this year in order to further improve the world-wide network coverage and offer our fans a growing premium experience."

Sales in Italy continue to grow, confirming the country as Ducati’s number one market. Bike sales totaled 9,474, a 3% improvement in 2018 and a 20% increase over the last three years. In the United States, Ducati deliveries totaled 7,682 motorcycles, down by just 2% despite the continuing negative trend which saw the market shrink by 7% compared to 2018. Brazil (+20%), Spain (+10%) and France (+8%), however, performed exceedingly well. China, a country where the Italian brand is particularly appreciated, continued the upward trend of recent years and is, with 3,200 motorcycles sold (+12%), now the Bologna-based bike manufacturer's fifth most important market.

This positive end to 2019 allows Ducati to look into the future with confidence. For 2020, the product range is now even more complete and dealerships will soon be taking delivery of the long-awaited Streetfighter V4. The Panigale can - in addition to the introduction of the new V2 - also count on a major upgrade to the V4 that will boost performance and enhance rideability.

For globetrotters and those who want to enjoy long-distance adventures in outstanding comfort, the Multistrada family sees the arrival of the new Grand Tour.

Last but not least, the Ducati Scrambler range - which saw the new 800 Dark presented at EICMA - will see the introduction of a new model in the coming months.