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Category: Ducati

  1. Ducati and Aruba together in the Superbike World Championship‏

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    • The agreement between Ducati and the important Italian web company will last three years

    • A new version of the Ducati Panigale and new regulations closer to production models for the 2015 Superbike World Championship

    • "Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team" is the name of the team, the only official Ducati outfit to compete in the Superbike World Championship

    Borgo Panigale/Arezzo (Italy), 8 January 2015: Ducati and Aruba confirm the signing of a three-year agreement that will see their joint participation in the 2015 Superbike World Championship with the “Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team”. This is a partnership agreement that sees Aruba directly involved in the management of the official Ducati team as well as in the role of title sponsor.

    Aruba, based in Arezzo, is Italy’s leading web hosting and cloud services company and has consolidated its activities in Europe with a network of Data Centres in France, Germany, the UK and the Czech Republic. The Tuscan firm has decided to take on this new challenge in collaboration with Ducati as it shares a significant number of values with the Bologna-based manufacturer, ranging from the technological avant-garde in their respective sectors, to the ability to offer the excellence of “Made in Italy”, operating with passion and competence to guarantee the satisfaction of their users and clients across the world. Important affinities that, combined with Ducati’s long-time experience and success in Superbike and the passion that Aruba has for sport, have contributed to the birth of this prestigious partnership.

    Ducati Corse will continue to be responsible for the development and preparation of the Ducati Panigale R bikes with which the team will compete in the upcoming championship. Ducati and Aruba have made the decision to continue collaboration with Feel Racing, the technical and logistical structure that has long been linked to Ducati. Aruba will be responsible for certain organizational aspects of the team and also, together with Ducati, for team communication and marketing activities.

    Chaz Davies and Davide Giugliano will continue as official riders for the second consecutive year, with Serafino Foti confirmed in the role of Team Manager. Ernesto Marinelli will continue to be the Ducati Corse Superbike Project Director and Technical Director of the team. Aruba will be represented at the tracks by Luca Scassa. The 31-year old rider, who hails from Arezzo and has sixty Superbike races under his belt, will also be one of the team’s official test riders.

    Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A, stated: “It’s with great pleasure that we can announce this important agreement with Aruba that guarantees a solid work platform for Ducati in the Superbike World Championship over the next three years. While fully respecting our philosophy of using racing to test and continuously improve the product that we offer to our fans, the new “Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team” will be able to count on a profoundly evolved version of the Panigale in 2015, which will also be available to our fans and be even more powerful, lightweight and electronically cutting-edge. For Ducati, races have strategic importance, and the Superbike World Championship allows us to demonstrate, on track, just how high-performing and fast a twin-cylinder can be. With the new 2015 regulations, which stipulate that the bikes competing must be even closer to production models, we believe we have everything we need to be very competitive. With its 14 Riders’ titles and 17 Manufacturers’ titles, Ducati has an extraordinary history of successes and victories in the Superbike World Championship and, with this agreement, we think that we have laid the foundations from which to build on this unique record of achievement. I therefore wish Chaz and Davide lots of luck and extend a warm welcome to Aruba.”

    Stefano Cecconi, CEO of Aruba S.p.A, commented: “We are very proud of this partnership in which we have great faith, and that will allow us to manage, together with Ducati, an official team with two very competitive riders. We have taken the decision to enter the world of racing because it links in many ways to our world and shares some of the same fundamental pillars, such as the continuous quest for maximum performance and ever increasing reliability, and a constant focus on safety. We will take on this new challenge with the same commitment and with the same passion that we show our clients each day. This is why we have chosen our Data Centre IT1 in Arezzo, the symbol and heart of technological development for our group, as the setting for the official presentation of the team.”

    The new team will be officially presented to the press in early February, with a dedicated event that will take place at the Aruba Data Centre in Arezzo. Further details will follow in the coming days.

    Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.

    Founded in 1926, Ducati has been producing sport-inspired motorcycles since 1946. Today, their motorcycles are characterized by performance engines with Desmodromic valve actuation, innovative design and avant-garde technology. Covering several market segments, Ducati's range of motorcycles is divided into model families which include: Diavel, Hypermotard, Monster, Multistrada, Scrambler, Streetfighter and Superbike. These authentic icons of “made in Italy”, together with an extensive range of associated accessories and technical and lifestyle apparel, are distributed in over 80 countries around the world, with concentration on the European, North American and Asia-Pacific markets. In addition to the Bologna factory located in the Borgo Panigale area, Ducati has a plant in Thailand, which opened in 2011 and assembles motorcycles for the Asian market, and, since 2012, another in Brazil that assembles motorcycles for South America. In 2013 Ducati delivered 44,287 motorcycles to customers, an all-time company record.

    Ducati competes in both the World Superbike and MotoGP World Championships. In Superbike Ducati has won 17 Manufacturers' titles and 14 Riders' titles and in 2011 passed the historic milestone of 300 race victories. Ducati has participated in MotoGP since 2003, winning both the Manufacturers' and Riders' titles in 2007.

    www.ducati.com

    ARUBA S.p.A.

    Aruba S.p.A, founded in 1994, is the Italian market leader for data center, webhosting, email and domains. The company manages 2 million domains, over 6 million email accounts and a total of more than 2 million customers. The company is present in the main European markets such as France, England, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary. Aruba has also gained massive experience in dedicated servers, housing and collocation, managed services, security services and smart cards. Since 2011, it has been expanding its product portfolio with fast-growing Cloud services and in 2014 Aruba became the official Registry of the domain ".cloud".

    www.arubacloud.com

  3. Dennis Hobbs wins the 2014 Ducati TriOptions Cup

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    After a year-long battle in the 2014 Ducati TriOptions Cup, Dennis Hobbs finally overcame team-mate Leon Morris in the final race of the year to take championship glory for P&H Motorcycles/Carl Cox Motorsport. The prestigious one-make series was won by just 21 points after 16 flat-out showdowns this year.

    Morris led the points table from the opening race of the season at Brands Hatch back in April, and since then the TriOptions Cup has raced the length and breadth of the UK, and even overseas at the iconic Assen Circuit. A first DNF of the year in the penultimate race on Saturday for Morris handed Hobbs the standings lead by a slender seven points. What’s more, the 2011 series victor sustained a finger injury which further put him on the back foot for the final contest.

    As the lights went out for the last time it was Morris who made the best start, jumping up to second place behind pole-sitter and outgoing champion Marty Nutt. The JHP/Ducati Coventry rider could only hold top spot for the first lap, however, as a resurgent Hobbs was a man on a mission. He blasted through to the lead and immediately began to gap the field, and as Morris scrapped behind with a number of riders, Hobbs kept his head and powered to a commanding victory and overall championship glory.

    Despite his best efforts, Morris began to drop down the order as the laps ticked by, crossing the line in fifth place at the chequered flag just behind Darren Fry who secured his best result of the year in fourth.

    Jonathan Railton provided a fitting swansong for the Ducati 848, securing his only outright podium of the season and the last for the model which will not be eligble to race in the 2015 TriOptions Cup. He swapped positions with Nutt numerous times, but ultimately had to concede second place to the #1 899 Panigale on the last lap.

    It was a fitting end to another thrilling year of Ducati racing in the British championship, and with the series confirmed for next season, we’ll be sure to see plenty more action from the TriOptions Cup.

    2014 Ducati TriOptions Cup champion Dennis Hobbs said: “I don’t know what to say – and I’m not normally lost for words! I came into this weekend knowing that I had to win races and I was quickest in practice and qualifying. Then in race one it was all going really well, but I had a huge moment and I was so lucky to stay on the bike. Unfortunately Leon went down which put the pressure on me today, so I just had to try and stay calm.

    “The last few laps were the longest laps I’ve ever done – you start worrying about everything but the bike didn’t let me down. I’m just over the moon for the whole team – the family is here to share the moment and it’s just awesome. I’m looking forward to next year already! Hopefully I’ll be back on an 899 again next year, it’s been a great year for me – one of the best I’ve ever had.”

    2014 Ducati TriOptions Cup runner-up Leon Morris said: “I threw it away yesterday really – having led it from the start and been quick in every kind of conditions at every track it went wrong at the vital moment. Before I’d even had time to think about getting ahead of Dennis yesterday I was on the floor – I’ve ridden today because anything can happen, but I’m devastated not to win. On the flip side I’m pleased for the team – they deserve the championship more than anyone, and while its unfortunate for me that I couldn’t give it to them, thankfully Dennis did – so congratulations to both him and the team. Now I’ve got a reason to come back – I expect you’ll see us again next year!”

    P&H Managing Director Paul Searle said: “The whole year has been one big highlight for us! What a fantastic result with the one-two, and having two great riders who are also really nice guys to work with makes the whole atmosphere in the team so enjoyable. The guys at P&H give up huge amounts of time to make this happen, so this is a perfect result for everyone involved.”

    Outgoing champion Marty Nutt said: “I’ve absolutely loved riding the new bike, it’s improved a lot since the start of the year. We started off a bit slow, but from Knockhill onwards we were back at front-running pace. Unfortunately by then the top guys had capitalised and moved out of reach, but even still every weekend has been so much fun – this championship is what racing is all about for me.”

    848 class winner Jonathan Railton said: “I’ve been trying all year to get that overall podium and it finally happened in the last race! It’s been a personal preference to ride the 848 – it really suits my riding style and I’ve really enjoyed racing it this year.”

    Managing Director of Ducati UK, Tim Maccabee, said: “The Ducati brand has an amazing racing heritage, and I'm proud to say that the TriOptions Cup has continued the tradition of top-level motor racing and become an integral part of the British championships. We’re really looking forward to next year and are already making plans – the support for the riders and teams this year has been amazing and we’re sure that 2015 will be even bigger and better!”

    Ducati UK would like to thank all the teams, riders and sponsors involved in the 2014 TriOptions Cup for making it another thrilling year. We look forward to seeing you again in 2015.

  4. Ducati TriOptions Cup set to go down to the wire after action-packed Assen weekend

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    The battle for the 2014 Ducati TriOptions Cup reached fever pitch at Assen in the Netherlands this weekend (19-21 September), as the 899 Panigale and 848 machines took to the circuit for the penultimate event of their season. 

    As the series heads to what’s sure to be a thrilling conclusion at Silverstone in a few weeks’ time, the fight for overall championship glory is going to be between the two P&H/Carl Cox Motorsport riders Leon Morris and Dennis Hobbs. 2011 Ducati Cup champion Morris has held a slight advantage in the standings for the majority of the season, but after two sensational races at ‘The Cathedral of Speed’, the gap has been reduced from 22 to just 13 points.

    In qualifying on Friday it was the Hyside Motorcycles 899 Panigale of Rob Guiver that set the pace. He secured pole position by the tiny margin of 0.052s ahead of title challenger Hobbs, with reigning champion Marty Nutt in third for JHP/Ducati Coventry and a frustrated Morris in fourth.

    For the first race on Saturday, Morris looked to have resolved his set-up issues and he launched into the lead from the second row. He was to come under immediate pressure from pole-sitter Rob Guiver, however, and the Hyside Motorcycles rider re-took the lead going into the final chicane on the opening lap.

    From there Guiver initially pulled an advantage, as Morris, Hobbs and reigning champion Marty Nutt rode hard to stay in contention. Sean Neary was also in the hunt early on but retired with mechanical issues on lap four.

    Hobbs and Morris made it through on Guiver at mid-distance, but as the #25 bike of Hobbs pulled a slight gap, Guiver made a last lap, last corner lunge to try and grab second place back from Morris. This forced the pair wide and just gave Nutt enough room to slip through and take second place with Guiver crossing the line ahead of Morris in third and fourth respectively.

    Assen’s unpredictable weather played a big part in the second TriOptions Cup race, as a Sunday rain shower just before the grid formed up left the riders with very difficult drying conditions to negotiate. Most of the front-runners opted for a wet front Pirelli tyre and dry rear, and for the opening laps the strategy appeared to work – with Guiver the only rider going for a full dry set-up.

    Hobbs was sitting on pole having set the fastest lap in race one, but a slow getaway meant that it was his team-mate leading the way on the opening tour. Nutt made a good start from third on the grid to challenge Morris for the lead, and it wasn’t long before Guiver was also in the hunt on his dry tyres.

    The top three traded places for much of the contest, but as the track continued to dry out Guiver’s 899 Panigale came alive and he streaked away at the front with a couple of laps remaining. He went on to cross the line 6.391s ahead of the pack to take his second win of the year having won the season opener at Brands Hatch way back in April.

    Perhaps the battle of the race came from a trio of riders on older 848 machines, as Mark Cheetham, David Ferns and Jonathan Railton traded blows for much of the 7-lap sprint. In a typically spectacular last lap Assen showdown it was Railton who emerged as top 848 in seventh, just 0.2s ahead of Ferns.

    Back at the front Nutt edged out Morris for second place and Hobbs finished fourth, so the championship battle has been left finely balanced going into the final event at Silverstone (3-5 October) with the two Carl Cox Motorsport competitors the only ones now capable of lifting the Ducati TriOptions Cup.

    Leon Morris said: The aim is to beat Dennis at the moment regardless of where the two of us end up. Today turned out a fair bit better than yesterday – we went with the safe option in the drying conditions – if we didn’t have a championship to worry about I’d definitely have gone with the dry front like Guiver. We lost a fair bunch of points yesterday so to claw a few back is really important – it’s all about winning the championship now – the P&H boys deserve that trophy more than anyone, and I want it to be me not Dennis that gives it to them!

    Dennis Hobbs said: The bike was perfect yesterday but I got a bad start and had to be careful not to make any mistakes. Once I got through to the front I just put my head down and didn’t look back – it’s really important to have closed the gap going into Silverstone, it’s definitely all still to play for.

    Marty Nutt said: It’s been a good weekend. The team has been brilliant and the bike has been right on the money all the time, even in the really tricky conditions in race two. The main aim was to beat everyone who was on the same tyres – once it was dry there wasn’t really anything I could do about Rob [Guiver] on the dry tyres, but it’s been a really good trip to Assen for the whole team.

    Rob Guiver said: The track was drying really quickly, so even though it was quite a short race it turned out to be the right choice to go on dry tyres. Everyone was very cautious at the start so I could stay with them, and then I could push so much harder on the dry sections. The race just came to me which was perfect!

  5. Smrz makes Ducati history at Thruxton‏

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    Millsport Ducati and Jakub ‘Kuba’ Smrz have grabbed the headlines this afternoon (2 August) by taking the first ever pole position for the 1199 Panigale in the British Superbike Championship. The sensational result came at the UK’s fastest circuit – Thruxton in Hampshire – as Smrz beat all of the championship front-runners to top spot.

    Following a first front row earlier in the year at Snetterton, the team was confident that the elusive maiden pole was coming their way, but with conditions looking mixed at the high-speed Hampshire venue no-one dared predict it this weekend.

    Smrz had been on the pace from the start of the race meeting, setting top ten times in both of the free practice sessions on Friday. With tricky conditions for FP3 this morning, the Czech rider proved he had the pace whatever the weather with another top ten time, and despite some huge downpours that threatened to half proceedings the track was dry when it was time for qualifying.

    With confidence riding high, Smrz put in a great lap early on in the first part of the session, going third fastest and immediately returning to the pits happy that it would be enough. Times moved on another step in Q2, as Kuba made sure he progressed to the top-ten shootout with a tour two tenths quicker than his initial effort. The leap to pole position was, however, an incredible half a second, as the Ducati rider’s time of 1:15.281s outshone all of the established BSB contenders.

    The team is understandably elated with the result, and it has been a long and committed road to this success by everyone at Millsport.

    BSB pole-sitter Smrz said:

    “It feels really good! Everything this season is new for us – we are working really hard to improve the bike, and it’s always good to have some reward for that. While today is good, we need to be fast in the races tomorrow as well but we are proving that we are going forward. To have pole with some things still to improve is cool.

    “I really like tracks like this – it even reminds me a little bit of the legendary Phillip Island in Australia which is one of my favourite tracks. Pole is important, my team have found some solutions to our issues getting off the line, so hopefully tomorrow’s start will be good and we can fight for the podium.”

    Millsport Ducati’s chief technician Steve Moore said:

    “It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve proven that all the hard work has been worth it. The long-term commitment from our sponsors and team members have made this pole position possible, and I’d like to thank them, and of course Kuba for producing a fantastic lap!

    “We’ve been working hard going through the data to help the Panigale get off the line better, so we’re hopeful that Kuba will be able to get away at the front tomorrow and bring home some silverware!”