Record crowd at Ducati festival

From Ducati North America

BOLOGNA, ITALY - World Ducati Week, the massive event that unites and excites the Ducati community, wrapped up last Sunday after four days with a record-breaking attendance of 60,000 motorcyclists.

Held at the Misano World Circuit, the celebration - entitled the ‘Red Planet Returns’  - became one of the best ever in the event’s history. While Italian Ducatisti made up 60 percent of the total attendance at WDW2010, the remaining Ducati fans and attendees travelled from 28 nations and five continents, underlining the international appeal of the Ducati brand. Owners from Europe, America, Australia, Russia and India united with those from Brazil, China, Malaysia and even Gabon and Nepal to celebrate their passion for the Ducati brand.

The event peaked on Saturday, when the program of events climaxed with a spectacular knock-out drag race competition, featuring Ducati MotoGP and Superbike riders aboard the asphalt-ripping Ducati Streetfighter S. World Superbike Ducati Xerox Team rider Noriyuki Haga won the photo-finish final, just fractions of a second ahead of Ducati MotoGP team rider, Nicky Hayden with Troy Bayliss in third position.

The packed four-day program provided both entertainment and interaction for the 60,000 visitors, including events on the track and courses in the 'Ducati University' presented by Ducati engineers, riders and managers from the Italian manufacturer. While the Italian Air Force helicopter aerobatics display provided an incredible show in the air, stunt shows, vintage bike shows, motocross freestyle displays, dragsters and race track demonstrations by the Ducati Xerox Team provided the same on the ground. The event also staged concerts by four Ducati Bands, chosen from a list of local artists submitted by Ducatisti in the run-up to the event.

While WDW was entertaining people in Misano, Italy, the rest of the world enjoyed the event virtually by connecting to the official website www.wdw2010.ducati.com, where more than 200 official photographs and 30 videos were uploaded in real time from the event. During the four days of WDW, a record 400,000 visits were also recorded on Ducati’s official Facebook page and over 60,000 people watched the action moment-by-moment by viewing videos on Ducati’s YouTube channel, making it the world’s most followed automotive channel that week.

For more information on World Ducati Week, and Ducati’s line of race inspired motorcycles, please visit www.ducatiusa.com.