World Ducati Week 2018: our live story of a record-breaking edition

Simply calling it a rally would be reductive, just as it is perhaps wrong to call the Borgo Panigale creations motorcycles. Only by living to the fullest, as we have done, the World Ducati Week you can understand what the world really is Ducati.

World Ducati Week: on two wheels it's something else

There's nothing better than attending a Ducati event than riding a Ducati. For this reason we went to the Bolognese company to collect our Hypermotard 939. Beautiful, beautiful. The model is super well known and we have all appreciated its features since its presentation. Attractive lines, performance, style: it's all there. We get on the saddle, shift into first gear and set off towards Misano. When the gates open there is already a queue, the square is flooded with motorcycles, even though it is Friday morning and therefore a weekday. We are not surprised because already during the trip we found many enthusiasts on the road and we cannot notice license plates from all over Europe. There is a lot of red in a splendid contrast with the blue sky of a fantastic summer day. The temperature (during the day it will touch 38 degrees) would make anyone go to the seaside, but here there are 30.000 hearts that beat for the engines, the asphalt, the smell of rubber and the noise of the engines. The atmosphere is one of true celebration, of family. The various stands are stormed, as are the stands of the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. A sea of ​​people, moving serenely and orderly, loud music, "revving up" and the inevitable hunt for an autograph among the many champions of yesterday and today in Ducati history.

World Ducati Week: the numbers

The 10th edition of the World Ducati Week closed with record numbers. From Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd July, 91.596 people gathered: an even more surprising record if we also take into account the rain that fell yesterday morning. An important and significant number which allowed us to exceed 13 by 2016%, when 81.000 were recorded. The participants came to the Riviera from all five continents, representing 73 different nations. Among all we cannot fail to mention Ken Lu and Lv Fei, the two Chinese motorcyclists who left from Xinjiang (China) riding their Multistrada 1200 Enduro and arrived in Bologna after just 7 days of travel. An extraordinary feat, which saw them travel 7.575 km through 10 countries to reach the rally.

World Ducati Week: the events

Many thematic areas organized during the three days. They range from the "Land of Joy" of the Scrambler world, to the Monster Village, specially organized to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this iconic motorcycle. It is mandatory to take a tour of the area dedicated to the Panigale and the Multistrada Experience where Carlin Dunne's Multistrada Pikes Peak, "The King of the Mountain", winner of the Pikes Peak 2018, was also on display. It aroused interest and created long waiting queues, the exclusive and mysterious “preview room” which, only for WDW2018 participants, allowed them to preview one of the new Ducati products from the 2019 range. One of the most exciting moments of this WDW edition was experienced on Saturday 21 July at 13.00 pm with the “Race of Champions”, the race saw 12 Ducati MotoGP and SBK Champions (Andrea Dovizioso, Jorge Lorenzo, Danilo Petrucci, Jack Miller, Tito Rabat, Xavier Simeon, Karel Abraham, Marco Melandri, Xavi Fores, Michele Pirro, Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Troy Bayliss) compete on the Misano circuit riding Panigale V4 S specially prepared with race configuration and dedicated liveries (for the record READ HERE) which saw test driver Michele Pirro triumph. Emotions on the asphalt after those experienced on dirt during the Flat Track Race which, on Friday afternoon, saw Andrea Dovizioso triumph, capable of repeating last year's success.

World Ducati Week: show on the seafront

On Saturday evening on the stage set up in Piazzale Roma in Riccione, in collaboration with the Municipality, Linus and the music of Radio Deejay and the Street Clerks enlivened a special and engaging evening. Claudio Domenicali and the Ducati riders greeted all the Ducatisti, receiving in turn tributes of affection and esteem from the large audience. The scene was then left to Nina Zilli and her beautiful songs, a further gift for the participants of the World Ducati Week and for the large Riccione public, involved in a weekend dedicated to the desmodromic "sound".