The passion at World Ducati Week has never been greater: record attendance for the 2024 edition of the biggest Ducati event in the world.
A crowd figure of over 94,000 was recorded during the three days of World Ducati Week 2024. The twelfth edition of the biggest Ducati event in the world thus rightfully enters the history of the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer as the most well-attended ever. From Friday 26 to Sunday 28 July, Ducatisti and enthusiasts of the two-wheel world packed into the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, arriving from every continent (86 nations represented) to share three days of celebrations and fun.
Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO: “World Ducati Week is the event that better than anything else embodies our brand’s mission to offer memorable experiences to our enthusiasts, created around special bikes, which are a magical combination of technology and beauty in pure Italian sporting style. The numbers of this edition are extraordinary and are proof that the love for Ducati in the world has never been so strong. I want to thank every single participant, but also all the staff composed mostly of Ducati employees who, as usual, worked hard to make this incredible experience possible. Thanks also to all of Ducati Corse and in particular to the riders, the heroes of WDW, who made themselves available to the fans and gave us a show that is unique in the world like the Lenovo Race of Champions. The performance achieved by the new Panigale V4 is truly incredible: the fastest lap in qualifying was just 3.2 seconds away from the MotoGP race track record, which belongs to Francesco Bagnaia with 1m31.8s. Equally incredible is the determination with which Pecco once again proved to be the best, in a race where everyone had exactly the same bike.”
Many activities and opportunities made this WDW2024 unique. Meet-and-greets and autograph sessions with Ducati riders, riding courses and test rides on the road, Hot Laps and test drives in Lamborghinis, Ducati Talks, stuntmen performances, activities and many sessions on the track. In the paddock, the different thematic areas managed to represent all the different souls of the Ducati world with the exhibition of the models that make up the range (Adrenaline & Fun Area, Travel & Adventure Area and Lifestyle Area).
WDW2024 is a show that unites the past, present and future of the Company. History came to life through the exhibition dedicated to the 30 years of the 916, whose owners were the protagonists of an exciting parade led by heroes Troy Bayliss and Carl Fogarty. The future was represented by the exciting new chapter of Ducati in motocross, represented thanks to the first public exhibition of the Desmo450 MX prototypes and the presence of riders Tony Cairoli (9-time World Champion) and Alessandro Lupino (8-time Italian Champion).
The most crowded area of the paddock was undoubtedly the “New Panigale V4 Sphere”, where the Borgo Panigale company showed live and exclusively for the participants of the event the brand new Panigale V4, the seventh generation of Ducati super sport bikes, presented to the world the day before the event with a Ducati World Première episode . Inside the sphere, the new Panigale V4 was exhibited in typical Ducati Red colour and over the course of all three days there were technical insights into the bike and its development.
The new Panigale V4 in the S version was also a great protagonist of the highly anticipated Lenovo Race of Champions with 15 bikes taking to the track in special liveries, faithful replicas of the bikes used in racing by Ducati riders in the World Championships. Since the free practice and qualifying sessions on Friday, the “Race of Champions” confirmed itself to be a world-class sporting spectacle and the race on Saturday ignited the enthusiasm of the fans, reaching its peak when the reigning MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia crossed the finish line in first position ahead of Andrea Iannone (poleman on Friday) and Marc Marquez. On the curves of the Misano World Circuit, the times recorded by the Ducati heroes immediately confirmed the performance of the new bike with Iannone’s pole position in 1m35.0s (over one second better than in 2022) and Bagnaia’s fastest race lap in 1m35.4s. The race pace of the 2024 edition was overall one full second better than the previous edition.
The many fans present in Misano to watch the Lenovo Race of Champions were joined by 687,000 viewers who tuned in from home to follow the live streaming on Ducati’s YouTube channel and MotoGp.com Facebook page. But that’s not all: as many as 12 international television and online streaming services broadcast the race within their schedule, effectively making the Lenovo Race of Champions a global event.
The autographed motorcycles of the Lenovo Race of Champions, unique pieces in racing configuration, characterized by the liveries of the riders and the triple clamp lasered with the name of the race and the logo of the rider, were put on sale as per tradition, offered to a selection of passionate customers, and they were all assigned online in a few hours. The sale took place through a dedicated shop, created and managed in collaboration with Drop E-business & love!, a commerce provider active in the sector for 25 years.
The essential protagonists of the three days were the 240 Ducati Official Clubs present at the event which animated the WDW for its entire duration. Also thanks to their contribution, the parade of Ducatisti on Friday evening will remain among the most unforgettable moments of this twelfth edition of the WDW. The largest parade ever saw the participation of many motorcycles, which completely filled the circuit and then paraded along the coast and arrived in Riccione, where the traditional “Rustida” and the “Land of Joy at the Beach” party took place. At the head of the long line together with Claudio Domenicali were the MotoGP and Superbike riders, the Mayor of Misano Adriatico Fabrizio Piccioni and the management of Ducati.
“La Notte dei Campioni”, a great new feature of this edition, was a massive success. At the end of the Lenovo Race of Champions, thousands of people invaded the track to celebrate the podium of the race. At sunset the track was transformed into an open-air disco in a show hosted by Gianluca Gazzoli and with greetings from the stage by the Ducati Corse heroes. The DJ sets of Fargetta and Rudeejay accompanied the Ducatisti as they danced until late at night, finally ending with an unprecedented fireworks display.
The World Ducati Week is an event created with consideration for social responsibility, environmental sustainability and brand enhancement. Drinking water was distributed in the paddock at a sustainable price, while part of the contribution requested from participants for the use of the leathers and helmet storage inside the paddock will be donated to the CHIAMA chiAMA Anti-Violence Centre of the MondoDonna Onlus Association, a women’s association and an anti-violence centre committed to combating all forms of gender-based violence.
Many companies decided to actively participate in the World Ducati Week. In addition to the aforementioned Lenovo, Ducati would like to thank MotoProtection, Monster Energy, WD40 and 24 Bottles, official licensees Safilo, Pittarosso and Locman (Official Time Keeper), long-standing suppliers who support Ducati in the development of series production motorcycles – Termignoni, Pirelli, Akrapovic, Shell, Bosch and STM – but also Brembo, Givi, Dainese, Arai, Suomy, Kyt, Ilmberger Carbon Parts, Ognibene, NGK and Spidi, 3DBeta and Andreani, VMoto, Platum and Grani&Partners. The partners of this 2024 edition of WDW also include Contadi Castaldi, Aruba.it and EICMA (Official Partners), Summertrade (Food & Beverage Provider), DHL (Logistic Partner), Edelweiss Bike Travel and HP Motorrad (Travel Partner).
Here are the numbers of World Ducati Week 2024:
– a total of 5,925 laps on the track by motorcycles and cars during the three days
– 90,000 photos taken by staff photographers and 70 hours of video footage
– 86 nations represented by participants
– 240 Ducati Official Clubs present
– 40 world titles of legendary and current riders who took part in the WDW
– 15 Panigale V4 S made in special livery
– 33 minutes the time it took the snake of Ducati motorcycles to leave the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” to form the motorcycle parade for Riccione
– 1,296 experiences lived by Ducatisti in three days between the track, off-road and on the road
– 52 Ducati Talks distributed across 5 stages
– 104 “mechanical graduates” at the Monta-Smonta
– 16 hours of music between DJ sets and live shows in the paddock and at the evening events
– 12 international television stations and online streaming services broadcast the Lenovo Race of Champions live in their schedule
– 98 Ducati directors and managers from Borgo Panigale and its branches around the world who served and cooked during the Rustida
– 531 Ducati 916/996/998 models officially registered at WDW2024
The digital numbers of World Ducati Week 2024:
– 565,000 page views on the Ducati website page dedicated to WDW since ticket sales opened
– Over 17 million impressions on Ducati social media profiles
– Over 687,000 viewers connected to the live-streaming of the Lenovo Race of Champions on the Ducati YouTube channel and the MotoGP Facebook page
– 130,000 sessions recorded via the WDW App