Victory for the Ducati Multistrada 1200 at Pike’s Peak, Colorado

Following the Ducati Multistrada’s incredibly successful market introduction, the top-selling model has now also won its very first international competition with a convincing victory and 3rd place finish in the 1200cc class of the annual Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb, held on Sunday high in the mountains above Colorado Springs. The win further underlines world-wide acclaim received for the ground-breaking technology introduced by the Bologna-based company earlier this year.

In the hands of Pike’s Peak veteran, Greg Tracy, the Multistrada 1200 S took a massive lead off the start line, and rode up into the clouds to take the top podium position at 14,110 feet (4,300 meters). Tracy ran a smooth race, demonstrating the exceptional on and off-road capabilities of Ducati’s innovative new model, which uses electronically controlled “riding-modes” to deliver top performance across all terrains.

“That was an exciting week I’ve got to say,” said Tracy in the post race award ceremony. “I want to thank Ducati for the opportunity they’ve given me. The Spider Grips Falkner-Livingston Multistrada was an amazing ride. Everyone did an awesome job and that motorcycle is crazy fast. It hit 137mph (220km/h) at one point up the hill and worked great both on the dirt and the asphalt. When I was growing up, and all these factory teams would win races, I was sure they had $100,000 engines and that was why they went so fast. I was wrong. This is my first year on a factory motorcycle and I’ll tell you that bike was box-stock standard. It had some carbon, and few tweaks and that was it.”

Greg’s teammate, Alexander Smith, also put in a formidable performance, ensuring the second Ducati Multistrada entry also made the podium. Alexander fought his way up the mountain in 2nd position and looked set for a 1-2 finish before falling in the last corner and remounting to grab 3rd place.

“I have to repeat everything Greg said about the bike, it was really perfect,” said Smith. “The race was good, and if you see the start line footage you can tell how awesome the bike was working. It was a pretty smooth race up until the last corner where I kind of laid it down. I got off real quick and remounted which was still good enough for 3rd, putting both the Multistrada’s on the podium.”

More information about Ducati’s win in the Pike’s Peak International Hillclimb is available at www.ducatiusa.com.

Ducati Communications Department

Hypermotard display – Knight and Day Screening at the Rockwell Powerplant Mall.

Click here to view pictures from the event.

Ducati Xerox rider Noriyuki Haga returned to the podium on Monday, with a third place finish in Race 1 at the Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, a significant result as it is the first time that he has finished in the top three on this particular track. In the early morning’s brief warm-up session, Noriyuki proved that he was ready to race, demonstrating a consistently fast pace and registering the overall fastest time, while his team-mate Michel finished the twenty-minute warm-up in sixth position.

In Race 1 neither Noriyuki nor Michel made a great start.

After the first lap Noriyuki was lying in sixth position when Michel unexpectedly fell, losing the rear and thus closing his race almost immediately. Haga pushed on to arrive in fifth position, just behind Leon Camier and Leon Haslam; he remained in this position until the eighteenth lap when he was finally able to pass Camier. During the same lap race leader Carlos Checa’s bike came to a stop. Noriyuki moved up to third and held this position to the line. The podium finish is significant for Haga as in the last two years he had never managed to close in the top three on this particular track.

The Ducati Xerox riders did not have an easy start to the second race either. Ruben Xaus touched Noriyuki’s bike right off the line which caused him to lose positions and precious time, while Michel found himself in fourteenth position at the end of the first lap. During lap six Haga got past Rea and, following the retirement of both Checa and Haslam from the race, he moved up to fifth, with Fabrizio in twelfth. Haga pushed hard, catching and passing Corser on the BMW in the closing stages. Even though his pace was still strong, time did not allow the Japanese rider to catch Crutchlow, meaning he had to settle for a final fourth position. At the end of the seventh round, Noriyuki is now fifth in the general standings with 135 points, while team-mate Michel is tenth (102 points). Ducati is still third in the manufacturers standings with 214 points.

Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 – 3rd, Race 2 – 4th)
“I’m really happy to be back on the podium today, but it wasn’t easy! At the start of Race 1 I was having trouble pushing but after a few laps the tyres picked up a bit and I was finally able to get past Camier in the final stages. It’s a great result and the first time I’ve been on the Miller podium. In Race 2 I had a similar feeling with my bike but the race was more difficult. I started badly and had to push so hard to make up the lost ground. In the last two years my weekends at Miller have been conditioned by crashes but this year I had a good feeling right from the first exit I made on Friday and this gave me confidence that a podium was possible. I’m satisfied and now we move on to Misano, a circuit where there is no long straight and where the Ducati could be very fast.”

Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 – DNF , Race 2 – 9th)
“It’s a pity what happened to me in race 1. It was totally unexpected, my bike was sliding around at the rear and then, from one moment to the next, I found myself on the ground. In Race 2 I made a bad start, losing several positions and finding myself in the last group. I made up ground through the race but I wasn’t able to catch Rea and Byrne ahead of me and finished ninth. I hoped to do a lot better here in America but now we must turn our attention to the next round in Misano.”

RESULTS: Race 1 – 1. Biaggi (Aprilia); 2. Haslam (Suzuki); 3. Haga (Ducati Xerox). Race 2 – 1. Biaggi (Aprilia); 2. Camier (Aprilia); 3. Crutchlow (Yamaha)

CLASSIFICATION: Riders – 1. Biaggi (257); 2. Haslam (Suzuki) 242; 3. Rea (Honda) 151; 4. Checa (Ducati) 141; 5. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 135; 6. Toseland (Yamaha) 132; 7. Corser (BMW) 127; 8. Camier (Aprilia) 115; 9. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 107; 10. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 102
Manufacturers- Aprilia 263; Suzuki 252; Ducati 214; Honda 162; Yamaha 158; BMW 130; Kawasaki 45

Ducati is known around the world as one of the most famous motorcycle brands, but few know the real story.

A fascinating story, like an “adventure novel”.
Told for the first time, this adventure story reveals Ducati history with pictures, videos and testimonials from 1926 to the 2007 MotoGP World Championship.

From the innovative Ducati brothers and the birth of the “Cucciolo” to the unforgettable engineer Taglioni and the Desmodromic system. From victory in the Imola 200 to the Scrambler and from Superbike dominance to debut in MotoGP, witnesses recount their personal experiences and accompany the viewer on a journey that is not only the story of a company, but a window through social history and the subsequent passion that created Ducati engines destined to write the history of motorcycling.

From the collaboration of Ducati and the production company, Strike of Milan, director Angelo Barberi has achieved the most complete and compelling account of Ducati’s incredible heritage, and with so much exclusive material released for the very first time, the captivating ninety-minute movie reveals a fast-moving and exciting story.

The film and photographic material, perfectly complemented by interviews with former employees, riders and people who have indirectly experienced this adventure, is divided into twelve chapters. It is the result of ten years of research in Ducati and Italian state archives and historical records.

“This is a new way to tell the story,” Livio Lodi, curator of the Ducati Museum, proudly explains. “As if leafing through an old photo album or speaking with an wise, old relative, the story becomes a fascinating view not only of Ducati’s, but also of Italy’s history. For me, it’s important to share this story with Ducati fans around the world.”

Premiered at World Ducati Week 2010, the DVD is now available at the Misano World Circuit, the Ducati Museum bookshop and Factory Store and will be available in Ducati Stores around the world.

Don’t miss the chance to discover the real Ducati story!

The Ducati Multistrada 1200 from Italy–which boasts a four-bike combination in one innovative package–has arrived in the Philippine market.

At just the push of a button, the Ducati Multistrada 1200 easily switches riding modes from Sport, Touring, Urban and Enduro to give riders an enjoyable experience as the bike adjusts to suit different terrains.

Labeled as a “game-changing” motorcycle, the Multistrada 1200’s 150hp power delivery changes not just by engine mapping but by throttle adjustments. The suspension settings and traction controls are also electronically adjusted, transforming the Multistrada 1200’s performance to the rider’s needs.

In Sport mode, the Multistrada 1200 delivers power just like the sportbikes Ducati is known for–with sports-oriented throttle response. The Ducati Traction Control (DTC) is also adjusted closer to the limit to suit expert riders. In Touring mode, power delivery is smoother and more user-friendly as the DTC’s intervention level is increased to suit the relaxing ride. Cruising in Urban mode makes the Multistrada 1200 even more user-friendly as power output is adjusted to produce just 100hp and the DTC is enhanced further to suit the city’s start-stop traffic. If a rider decides to take things off-road, the Multistrada 1200 feels right at home in its Enduro mode as power delivery is also limited at 100hp as the DTC is adjusted to intervene less while the anti-lock brake system can be completely disabled.

“The 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 presents an unprecedented use of the latest technology allowing distinct riding characteristics suitable for practically all the types of roads in the Philippines,” said Access Plus president Toti Alberto. Access Plus is the authorized distributor of Ducati in the Philippines.

The Ducati Multistrada 1200 and other Ducati motorcycles are available at Access Plus at 102 P. Tuazon Street, Cubao, Quezon City.

Source: Top Gear Philippines

For questions on how you can get your hands on Ducati’s new Multistrada model, please click here.

Ducati makes history with its first ever US Grand National Flat Track victory