Ducati 1199 Panigale wins “best-of-the-best” in premier design competition: The red dot design awards

•4,662 products assessed for the 2013 edition •Official award ceremony held Monday, 1 July in Essen, Germany •The award-winning Ducati 1199 Panigale to be exhibited in red dot design museum, Singapore.

Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 02 July 2013 – The Ducati 1199 Panigale Superbike, an icon of style, innovation and technology has been judged by a jury of 37 experts and awarded “best-of-the-best” within the product design category of the red dot awards, one of the biggest and most prestigious international design competitions.

The 2013 edition of the competition saw a staggering 4,662 products go through the rigorous selection process, with the Bologna-based manufacturer clinching the award for the innovative motorcycle that has further underlined the company’s status as a design icon within the motorcycle industry.

Held at the Aalto Theatre in Essen, Germany, on Monday, 1 July, the glittering awards ceremony was attended by some of the biggest names in the world of design. The highly influential audience enjoyed an intriguing display of jury-selected products, of which Ducati’s 1199 Panigale became the star of the show.

Ducati’s award-winning Superbike will be exhibited for four weeks at the red dot design museum in Germany, at an exhibition in Taiwan and, for one year, at the impressive red dot design museum in Singapore. The  red dot design award is the only international award that boasts two dedicated design museums, in Germany and Singapore, thus giving further visibility and added credibility to awarded product designs.

The 1199 Panigale’s cutting-edge technology and aesthetic brilliance have combined to create a work of art and by going beyond the barriers of motorcycle design, is now enjoying international success. Ducati’s charm has also now spread beyond the boundaries of the motorcycling industry and is fascinating the whole world.

With every single component designed to maximise performance, while achieving aesthetic perfection, the motorcycle’s description further validates its design success. The 1199 Panigale’s shape and form captures light in a way that conveys the dynamism of a body that is solid yet nimble and elegant yet powerful. Its smooth streamlining flows effortlessly from the front fairing to the rear light, artfully housed in the motorcycle’s tail. Even its empty spaces become an essential aspect, with LED lights shaping a surface for the frontal air intakes. Both the engine and exhausts reveal themselves and yet remain hidden, seemingly playing out a subtle game in which exposure constantly interacts with audacious absence. The result expresses the essence of beauty in every last detail leaving the new 1199 Panigale to celebrate Ducati originality, acknowledged by all as the pinnacle of motorcycling design.

“The red dot ‘best of the best’ award acknowledges all the hard work put in by everyone at Ducati R&D for over three years,” commented Andrea Ferraresi, Ducati Design Centre Director, during the prize-giving ceremony. “Moreover, joining the ranks of the award’s top winners has made this product – and Ducati – part of product design history. Every single component has been designed to be performance-oriented and function-specific. Together, all these components form a harmonious, light, visually stunning product. Which is just how a Ducati should be.”

Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, founder and CEO of red dot, highlighted how outstanding design capacity and economic success go hand-in-hand: “The winners of the red dot product design award 2013 are the protagonists of fast developments within the very culture of industrial design. The last few days have seen us engaged in the extremely difficult task of selecting the best, most deserving designs. Indeed, it is sometimes just a single detail that makes the difference when it comes to showing off a product’s special qualities. All these creations have been assessed and examined by the expert and critical eyes of an international red dot jury.”

The Red Dot Design Museum in Singapore covers 4000m2 and houses over 2000 products inside one of the world’s greatest contemporary design exhibitions. From 2-28 July, the museum will host the winning products of 2013 in an exhibition entitled “design on stage - red dot award winners: product design 2013”, a unique event that will highlight the latest design trends. The Ducati 1199 Panigale will be a part of the exhibition and visitors will have the opportunity to take a close look at the originality and innovation of this impressive “best-of-the-best” motorcycle in the extraordinary setting of the red dot design museum.

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.

The Red Dot Design Award

With the red dot design award, the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen created one of the world’s most acclaimed competitions. The prize, the “red dot”, has established itself internationally as one of the most sought-after quality marks for excellent design. The Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen displays the award-winning products in the red dot design museum for at least one year.

In order to appraise the diversity in the field of design in a professional manner, the red dot design award breaks down into different disciplines: the “red dot award: product design”, “red dot award: communication design” and “red dot award: design concept”.  Further information is available at: www.red-dot.de/press

A bit of a round up on issues and articles put up on the Right To Ride and Right To Ride EU website and facebook pages

Most important is the issue around the European Commissions Road Worthiness Testing proposal concerning motorcycles. Our article “Down to the Wire” rounds what has been discussed on the European stage regards this but covers the last few days running up to tomorrow’s, (Monday 1st July 2013) debate and the subsequent scheduled vote on Tuesday in the European Parliaments Plenary session in Strasbourg.  

The position adopted by both council and the parliamentary committees, is the deletion of the requirements to introduce mandatory road worthiness testing for motorcycles throughout, which would thus leave this decision to member states to keep testing procedures for motorcycles or to introduce them.

This position was adopted by the European Council (representatives of democratically elected governments), the TRAN (Transport and Tourism) Committee, in charge of the Road Worthiness Proposal, and the IMCO (Internal Market and Consumer Protection) Committee, both committees of MEPs, democratically elected by European Citizens, that is you and me!  At the eleventh hour ALDE rapporteur and Lib Dem MEP Phil Bennion broke ranks and added amendments to re-introduce the inclusion of 2 and 3 three wheeled vehicles. 

The Green party representatives have included further amendments of a similar nature. We can only speculate why at this point in time these MEPs have evidently thrown a spanner in the works and whilst using the procedures that are allowed in the European Parliament, because they did not get their way in the democratic procedure through debate and voting, they have now made all the efforts of the TRAN and IMCO Committee and the European Council appear to be futile.  

This is effectively sticking two fingers up at the democratic process, to fellow MEPs, to governments and to the rider organisations who have lobbied fair and square and a process in which Mr Bennion took an active part.   We respectfully request that our UK MEPs do not to support any amendments which would reintroduce mandatory road worthiness for motorcycles across Europe and to support the previous position of the Council – TRAN and IMCO Committees in this matter and to encourage their colleagues to do likewise.  

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The Thankful Villages Run is a nine-day charity ride-out to all 51 villages in the UK who had all their soldiers return home alive at the end of the Great War in 1918 and we want you to take part!

The run, which takes place between 27th July and 4th August 2013, is the brainchild of motorcyclists Dougie Bancroft and Medwyn Parry and appropriately aims to raise £51,000 for the Royal British Legion.

Triumph, who supplied 30,000 motorcycles to the allied forces during WW1, have loaned two, bespoke liveried Trophys to the duo, to enable them to undertake this historic tour.

The bikes have now been collected, the route planned, the GPS, tracker and comms fitted, now all that’s left to do is invite you to join the Thankful Villages Run.

Pick as much or little of the route as you like and follow the two Triumph Trophys between the Thankful Villages. Riders who join the ride are asked to donate a minimum £5 towards the Royal British Legion and can do this by texting ‘THVR51 £5’ to 70070, via the website or in cash on the day.

Further details, including the complete village-by-village schedule, are available on the Thankful Village Run website.

Schedule   Saturday 27 July Ceredigion – Gloucestershire Sunday 28 July Gloucestershire – Somerset Monday 29 July Somerset – Sussex Tuesday 30 July Kent – Northamptonshire Wednesday 31 July Essex – Leicestershire Thursday 1 August Nottinghamshire – Lincolnshire Friday 2 August Lincolnshire – Yorkshire Saturday 3 August Yorkshire – Lancashire Sunday 4 August Lancashire - Ceredigion

www.thankfulvillagesrun.com

The Heritage Motor Centre is pleased to announce a new experience day providing an introduction to the classic car scene for potential or first time owners. The ‘Classic Virgins Day’, is to be held at Gaydon on Saturday 28 September.

The day will give participants the theory of classic car ownership including choosing a classic car, finance, insurance, club support etc. The day will also include some “hands on” experience in the workshop to enable new owners to tackle basic maintenance with greater confidence. Experienced tutors will guide the participants through basic maintenance issues of lubrication, carburettor and fuel pump, ignition and brake adjustment.

In the afternoon participants will ride in a range of classic cars through the Warwickshire countryside with a rendezvous at the Tool Connection showroom in Southam. Cars have been made available by a range of club members giving their time and, more importantly, a chance for those taking part to sample the thrill of classic motoring.

Bob Wilkinson, Course Director, said “I’m excited about this event and sharing our enthusiasm with those considering buying a classic car. For the rides I have assembled a group of classic cars covering a range of values and styles – sports cars and saloons from several decades. The participants will be in a better position to make an informed decision about becoming a classic owner without the sales pressure which usually goes along with buying a first car. The day will be an enjoyable experience to give as a birthday present for a family member or a friend considering becoming a classic car owner”.

Emma Rawlinson, Lifelong Learning Officer at HMC said “Car clubs have been concerned about getting the next generation of classic car owners involved in the hobby. This experience day will hopefully be just the thing to attract them. Gaydon’s central location and facilities make it ideal for such an event”.

The cost is £50 per person including lunch, refreshments and museum entry. Please note the event is open only to those over 18 years of age. For more information about the Heritage Motor Centre please visit www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk or call 01926 641188.

A survey carried out for the Motorcycle industry* researched the impact of bikers on the tourist industry and found that Motorcycle-related tourism spending in the UK is over £565 million each year, supporting over 13, 000 tourism jobs.

In recent years the most significant growth in motorcyclists has been in female riders and with this the rise in longer stays under bricks & mortar such as B&B's, hotels, cottages, etc, rather than just for one night... Many riders know there is nothing worse than arriving somewhere after a long ride, unpacking, showering, eating, drinking, sleeping and then up the next day to pack up and move on. With this there is a significant rise in finding a great Biker Friendly place to stay as a base for a few days and then to go out each day to tour and explore the area.

Hoteliers, cafes, pubs, event organisers and other tourist related organisations could be getting more money from the biker pound, by choosing the correct medium to promote themselves within, especially as many Bikers travel in the UK for their holidays, along with overseas motorcycling tourists spending over £17 million on trips here.

The traditional stereotype of bikers being free-spirited, leather clad hooligan is thing of the past, according to research** the profile of the ‘average biker’ in 21st Century Britain, a seemingly upstanding, 40+-something middle-class citizen who is a married, professional, family man, who almost certainly owns a car. Challenging the old perceptions of bikers even further, only 7% sport either long hair or a pony tail. This is probably because nearly 60% of those surveyed hold down a professional senior/management job, taking home an average wage 25% higher than the national average.

By simply advertising your business as 'Biker friendly' here on THE BIKER GUIDE is letting this niche audience know that you welcome them, which many times is enough in itself... by also offering drying facilities, garaged and/or secure parking is a bonus and not a necessary, for you to capitalise on this growing market.

Other interesting facts:

More than half of all motorcyclists are over 40, with the vast majority of motorcycle tourists being in this age category.

“The lack of interest in the motorcycle tourism sector may be due to a perceived image of rebellious youthful bikers which is at odds with their current demographic," (Dr Cater, lecturer at Aberystwyth University).

* by GHK on behalf of the MCI