WDW2016: a great success again this year

WDW2016 – WDW2016 is a success like every year. After all. The big party, which every two years attracts Ducatisti and motorcyclists from all over the world, is in full swing at the Misano World Circuit "Marco Simoncelli". The 65.000 attendances recorded in the 2014 edition are in the sights. Since the eve of this year's event, the entire Romagna Riviera has been peacefully invaded by thousands of Ducatisti from all over the globe.

The audience at WDW2016 is heterogeneous and comes from all over the world. The four Ducatisti who left Beijing with their Multistrada 1200s deserve special mention. Yan Chuang, Yang Tao, Zhao Yuewei and Li Yubin traveled 10.400 kilometers across China, Russia and Europe to arrive at WDW2016. A fundamental component of the Ducatista universe are the 157 Desmo Owners Clubs (out of a total of 253 official associations present throughout the world) that arrived at WDW2016. A real record of attendance, coming from 35 countries for a total of 5.391 DOC members (in 2014 there were 3.627 and 3.029 in 2012).

"Ducati is linked to sportiness and the color red. This WDW is also something else. Much more than 2014. Today there is a Scrambler area and not just a container. There is also an XDiavel lounge. A different Ducati. Elegant, black. There are the DRE Enduro pills, thanks to which the company enters the world of clawed wheels. Our heart beats for competitions. In the strongest way ever. We continue to grow faster than the market. +7% in the first six months of the year. In 2017 we enter the supersport sector. Not an extreme bike, but a road one. Accessible under 1000cc, also in price. We give the opportunity to become a Ducatista, with a sports car that can be driven by everyone. We will see her at EICMA.” Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati, speaks in the traditional WDW press conference. Domenicali praises the great work of the Emilian company and confirms that next year we will see some good things both in terms of the market and in terms of great entertainment on the track.

Among the many activities proposed during the first day of World Ducati Week 2016, there was the long-awaited Flat Track Race by TIM. The race took place on the special track inside the circuit, where eight MotoGP and Superbike champions, riding eight Scrambler Flat Track Pros, battled it out with spectacular slides and spectacular chases. After a series of knockout heats, the winner was Andrea Dovizioso who won the final heat ahead of Troy Bayliss. At the end of the first day, thousands of motorbikes formed the Ducatisti Parade which from the Misano Circuit took the colorful procession of roaring motorbikes to the Aquafan in Riccione, to have fun together at the Scrambler Party where slides and swimming pools hosted the Land of Joy to the rhythm of 90s music.

The program for Saturday and Sunday is equally rich and engaging, with the paddock still the undisputed protagonist with the expanse of parked motorbikes, the many activities and, starting from 17pm, the Drag Race by Shell, the acceleration race on the starting straight of the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” astride the powerful Diavel Carbon, with the Ducati Corse riders back on track for another fun and exciting comparison. The race will decide the winner among an incredible and top-level field with riders of the caliber of Stoner, Iannone, Dovizioso, Capirossi, Davies, Laconi, Redding and Barbera.

At the end of the evening of Saturday 2 July, the riders, the champions of yesterday and today, will go on stage at the Misano stadium (adjacent to the circuit), to greet the public and to unveil a new motorbike, expressly dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Ducati (1926-2016). The unveil precedes an exclusive concert dedicated to all those present, and a special "ducatista" like Piero Pelù will conclude the evening with his overwhelming rock. So there's room for… football cheering and everyone in front of the big screen mounted in front of the concert stands, to enjoy the Italy-Germany match, valid for the quarter-finals of Euro 2016.