Michael van der Mark finished fourth in today’s final round of the 2013 World Supersport championship season, securing fourth place in the overall standings in his rookie year.

His Pata Honda team-mate Lorenzo Zanetti had a relatively lonely ride to fifth place, and fifth in the points table, as world champion Sam Lowes took the final race win of the year.

Dutch flyer van der Mark took three podium finishes in his debut World Supersport campaign, while Zanetti finished on the rostrum at Monza in May. Both are enthusiastic about the forthcoming 2014 championship year which begins with a private test at Jerez on Tuesday.

Michael van der Mark - 4th

It was quite difficult today because it took us a while to find the right set-up for Jerez. My start wasn’t that great and I had to pass some other guys but my pace was OK. I had to catch Rolfo but he was doing really good lap times and we were quite similar. Three laps from the end I was on his rear wheel and tried to push to get even closer but I pushed a little too much and lost the front a few times. I’m happy with fourth place in the race and in the championship. The season has gone really quickly and I can’t wait for the next one to begin!

Lorenzo Zanetti - 5th

Fifth place is not bad but I lost a lot of time in the first three laps trying to get past Russo. When I did that, the group with Michael had gone and I needed to be there to fight for the podium. Also, towards the end of the race my rear grip dropped off and this has been a problem. I spent the rest of the race alone, which wasn’t positive. However, the season has been positive and my feeling with the bike has improved so I think we can look forward to the next season with a lot of confidence.

Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator

Michael had a race-long battle for third but the grip dropped in the last few laps which prevented him attacking for the podium. Fourth was good, though, and he finished fourth in the series in his rookie season, so we’re happy with that. He was 10 points short of third overall but I’m sure he can fight for that and more next year. Lorenzo couldn’t quite get to the pace of Michael and couldn’t get better than fifth. But he has also had a good rookie season and I think we can be satisfied with both our riders’ performances this year.

Baiocco scores points in final two BSB races while incredible Superstock 1000 contest sees both Ducati riders in the top four.

Ducati ended the 2013 British Superbike Championship season on a high this weekend at Brands Hatch with points-scoring finishes in both of Sunday’s BSB races and an impressive performance in the National Superstock 1000 class.

Coming off the back of a sensational weekend at Silverstone for Matteo Baiocco and the Rapido Sport Racing Ducati team, the pressure was on to produce another good result around the challenging Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. Having missed the first free practice session on Friday, the Italian was on the back foot for the first part of the weekend. Come qualifying, however, the pace seen from the 1199 Panigale RS superbike last time out made a welcome return, and for the second race meeting in succession Baiocco progressed into the final qualifying session to secure tenth position on the grid for race one.

A problem with the clutch meant that the reigning Italian Superbike champion couldn’t capitalise on his strong qualifying, and he slipped back to 17th over the first of three 18-lap contests this weekend.

Race two on Sunday saw mixed conditions throw another layer of uncertainty into the mix, with riders opting for different tyre choices throughout the grid. Baiocco’s decision to run full wets paid off in the early stages, and he ran for a time as high up as fourth place. As the track dried, however, his pace dropped away, and he had to fight hard to maintain a points-scoring position, eventually crossing the line in 13th. The final race of the year saw full wet conditions, and from down in 18th on the grid Matteo once again had it all to do to score points. With great pace in the middle part of the race he was able to secure 15th, rounding out a progressive debut season in BSB with points finishes in both races on finals day.

The two Ducati riders in the National Superstock 1000 class grabbed the headlines, as Tristan Palmer rode to his fourth podium of the season for Rapido Sport Racing and Robbie Brown rode brilliantly through the field to score his best result of 2013 in fourth for DMC Racing.

In Friday’s dry qualifying session Palmer put his Panigale fifth on the grid, with a marked improvement in the dry for Brown putting him 15th. Sunday’s wet conditions then played into the hands of both riders, and as Tristan fought for the outright race win, 2012 Ducati 848 Challenge champion Robbie proved once again his prowess in challenging conditions. He charged through from 15th to finish just 0.294s from the podium positions setting the fastest lap of the race along the way.

Palmer had led the race going onto the final lap, but just lost out going into Clearways for the final time. Second place for Palmer and a seasons-best fourth for Brown left both Ducati teams in high spirits going into the winter break, with more success surely on the cards for the Panigale in Superstock trim.

Having seen the potential of the Ducati Panigale in the BSB, Millsport Racing, who have worked alongside Rapido Sport Racing this year, have announced their intentions to step up to compete in the main superbike class for 2014. The team is now looking to secure sufficient sponsorship to mount a serious championship challenge.

Robbie Brown said: I can’t complain at that – I just wish I’d had a couple more laps and I know I could have won it! It’s great to finish on a high – we’ve made some real progress over the last few race meetings, and I wish it wasn’t the end of the season now. I’d like to say a big thanks to Ducati Manchester and everyone who’s supported us this year. Hopefully we can get the budget together and come back stronger next year.

Tristan Palmer said: I pushed 100% to try and get the win but Jenkinson just got past on the last lap and there was nothing I could do. It’s great to get another podium for the team, and to have both Ducati’s right up there is good for everyone. I’ve enjoyed riding the Panigale for Rapido Sport Racing this year, and hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to challenge for the championship next season.

Three weeks before;

• Book hair, nail, eyebrow appointment
• Buy hair colour
• Search e-bay for new outfit
• Look at your womanly physique in the mirror... decide that you need to lose a stone in 3 weeks, so make mental note to do workout, sit-ups, squats, etc, every day
• Save small amount of your favourite toiletries, face cleanser, toner, eye make up remover, day cream, night cream, eye cream, factor 15 for the face and factor 8 for the body (the sun WILL come out), body lotion, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hair product one (to give it body), hair product two (to make it straight), hair product three (to make it glossy) hair product four (so it does not frizz), hair product five (to keep it in place)

Two weeks before;

• Buy new outfit (two of just in case) off e-bay, found using searches such as 'Biker babe', 'biker rally outfit', 'black goth', 'black basque ladies', etc...
• Start tan-tastic preparations, scrub flesh and moisturise

The week before;

• Dye hair, hair cut, buy new hair product
• Eyebrows waxed
• Manicure (and pedicure if its summer)
• Apply self-tanning creams (unless goth)
• Look in shops for a new outfit (just in case you see one you like better than the two you bought last week)

The day before;

• Sort out the clothing you are taking into piles
• The clothing you are wearing on a hanger
• All other items hidden, so that your Victor Meldrew husband does not say "Do you think you are taking that lot for two days!"

The day of;

• Face pack, condition hair, shave armpits and legs, apply make up with no mascara (to avoid panda eyes on the way in gail force winds)
• Try to pack 10 tops, three pairs of jeans, 3 sets of matching underwear, toiletries (as above), towel (the size of a small country) into small bag
• Text mates to see if they are taking hairdryers and/or straighterners as you realise you have gone over your allocation baggage allowance
• Moisturise whole body, get dressed putting on extra layers of clothing that you could not fit into small bag
• Put extra items you forgot to pack into coat pockets

Men

• Put tent on bike
• Take toothbrush if longer than one night
• Moan at woman at the amount of luggage she is taking for two nights
• Put on 'Rally' pants, club t and leather vest
• Go...

Motorcycle Live features a double dose of TT action this year, with two days dedicated to the Isle of Man’s flagship road racing festivals. Sunday 24 November will celebrate heritage event the Classic TT, while Sunday 1 December will be devoted to the world’s most famous road race, the Isle of Man TT. There will also be special guest appearances from top racers on a daily basis.

20-times Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness and 2013’s big winner Michael Dunlop will be leading a star-studded line-up which also includes Manxman Conor Cummins, fan favourite Bruce Anstey, SES TT Zero winner Michael Rutter, veteran competitor Ian Lougher and rising star James Hillier, who won his first TT race this year.

John Holden and Andy Winkle, Ben and Tom Birchall, Tim Reeves and Dan Sayle and sixteen-time TT champion Dave Molyneux along with his passenger Patrick Farrance will be representing the Sidecars. For a full list of riders and their appearance dates click here.

The riders will be signing autographs and meeting fans on the TT Paddock Experience stand and taking part in daily Q&As with TT commentator James Whitham on the Black Horse Stage in the British Eurosport Entertainment Zone in Hall 2. On Sunday 1 December, the TT will take over the stage, with four Q&A sessions and a special TT-themed edition of Fast Bikes Question of Bikes hosted by Steve Parrish. Race fans will also have the chance to bag early-bird Grandstand and VIP hospitality packages for the 2014 Isle of Man TT.

Advance tickets for Motorcycle Live 2013 are just £17 per adult, £11 for Seniors and £7 for children aged 6-16* (kids five aged and under accompanied by a paying adult go free). Bike parking is free of charge and subject to availability. Reduced car parking costs of £8 – subsidised by Motorcycle Live. To book your tickets, call 0844 581 2345 or visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk

...with miniature Ducati 1199 Panigale

  •Latest version of the world’s best-selling board game, MONOPOLY, now ready for release •New MONOPOLY board features 22 top brands, with Ducati the game’s sole Italian brand •Game tokens include a miniature Ducati 1199 Panigale

Borgo Panigale (Bologna) 15 October, 2013 – Hasbro’s all-new MONOPOLY Empire features Ducati among 22 of the world’s most prestigious brands, offering players a whole new gaming experience in which they buy and sell the best-known names in business (instead of property) to "take over the empire" and win.

Featured brands in the new MONOPOLY Empire include: Beats by Dr. Dre, Carnival, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, eBay, Electronic Arts, Fender, Hasbro, Intel, JetBlue, McDonald’s, Nerf, Nestlé, Paramount Pictures, Samsung, Spotify, Transformers, Under Armour, Xbox, X Games Yahoo! and Ducati.

Ducati represents the only Italian brand included in MONOPOLY Empire game, the prestigious Bologna-built motorcycle brand taking pride of place on the MONOPOLY board and occupying the same square previously assigned in the classic versions to those ultra-expensive icons of the MONOPOLY world, Mayfair (UK) and Boardwalk (USA).

Ducati’s inclusion in the game underlines the strength of this unique motorcycle brand, which has become an ambassador of Italian-made quality and a global icon of excellence and success. Supporting Ducati’s technical excellence will now be more fun than ever and drive Ducati to further success on MONOPOLY’s gaming battlefield.

Players move around the board using tokens that represent six of the brands included in the game: a  Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, a Ducati 1199 Panigale, a bottle of Coca-Cola, an Xbox controller, a Paramount Pictures clapperboard and the world-famous McDonald’s French fries.

Drawing inspiration from the on-skyscraper advertising typical of all major cities, players display the brands they own on billboards upon their own empire tower. The first player to put their brand’s billboard advertising at the top of the tower wins the game, but unforeseen hazards such as a sudden push for dominance from competitors or a stock market collapse provides additional and realistic challenges. With the concept of property purchase and construction of houses an hotels discarded in the latest version, most players will be able to finish the new game in under 30 minutes.

MONOPOLY is the world’s best-loved board game. It has been played by over 1 billion people in 111 countries. Played in the company of friends, or using the mobile or online versions, the MONOPOLY game experience can enjoyably be fitted into any lifestyle.

Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A – An Audi Group Company

Founded in 1926, Ducati has been producing sport-inspired motorcycles since 1946. Their motorcycles are characterised by “Desmodromic” performance engines, innovative design and avant-garde technology. Covering several market segments, Ducati's range of motorcycles are divided into model families which include: Diavel, Hypermotard, Monster, Multistrada, Streetfighter and Superbike.

These authentic icons of “made in Italy” are sold in over 80 countries around the world, with concentration on the European, North-American and Asia Pacific markets. Ducati competes in both the World Superbike Championship and, with an official team, the World MotoGP Championship. In Superbike Ducati has won 17 Manufacturers' titles and 14 Riders' titles and in 2011 passed the historic milestone of 300 race victories. Ducati have participated in MotoGP since 2003, and took both the Manufacturers' and Riders' titles in 2007.