After the success of the 2023 edition, a prelude to a record-breaking season, Ducati once again chose the Dolomites of Madonna di Campiglio in Trentino to inaugurate the racing season of its official teams, which will trigger the enthusiasm of fans all around the world starting from February.
“Campioni in Pista” is an event made by Ducati in collaboration with Madonna di Campiglio Tourist Board and Trentino Marketing and thanks to the participation of Audi and partners Lenovo, Aruba.it, Monster Energy and Shell. This second edition is a confirmation of the corporate philosophy, aimed at creating memorable experiences at all levels. The union between Ducati and Madonna di Campiglio is in this sense a perfect expression of Italian beauty, as well as a celebration of “Made in Italy” excellence. The success of this event is given in particular by the ability to alternate institutional moments with moments of pure fun, taking advantage of an ideal location in terms of tourist, sporting and culinary attractions and a naturalistic context with few equals.
The first event of “Campioni in Pista” was the official presentation of the Ducati teams, which took place on the morning of Monday 22 January 2024 at the PalaCampiglio with live streaming on Ducati’s and Dorna’s digital channels. This moment was perfect evidence of how racing is an absolutely central element within Ducati’s strategy. Once again, the Bologna-based motorbike manufacturer has confirmed the simultaneous presentation of the Ducati Lenovo Team competing in the MotoGP Championship and the Aruba.it – Racing Ducati Team competing in the Superbike Championship, with the addition of a big novelty: the first historic appearance of the Ducati Desmo450 MX, the bike which marks the start of a new chapter for Borgo Panigale in motocross.
Following the presentation, the Ducati riders met the public in the centre of Madonna di Campiglio late on Monday afternoon: on the stage set up in Piazza Sissi, choruses of cheers and applause accompanied the three reigning World Champions Francesco Bagnaia (MotoGP), Álvaro Bautista (WorldSBK) and Nicolò Bulega (WorldSSP), who this season will switch from the Panigale V2 to the Panigale V4 R, Enea Bastianini and the faces of the Ducati racing project in Motocross, the nine-time MX World Champion Antonio Cairoli and the eight-time Italian champion Alessandro Lupino. Alongside the riders in Piazza Sissi, for the first time together in public, there were all the bikes that will compete in 2024: the Desmosedici GP of the Ducati Lenovo Team, the Panigale V4 R of the Aruba.it – Racing Ducati Team and the Ducati Desmo450 MX which will make its debut in the Italian Motocross Championship as part of the motorcycle development process.
Claudio Domenicali (CEO Ducati Motor Holding): “Ducati’s racing season starts again from Madonna di Campiglio, a location that perfectly expresses the ‘Made in Italy’ values of which we are proud ambassadors and which last year represented the starting point of an absolutely unforgettable season. The road that has led us to be the best in the world in racing is undoubtedly made up of the hard daily work of these years, but also of our ability to work as a team and have fun while putting our maximum effort into what we do. One of the strong points of our brand is the ability to create a system and in this event we demonstrated this by presenting the three teams for the 2024 racing season together. Seeing the three bikes next to each other was a great emotion for me because, although different from each other, they are part of a unitary project. This belonging is underlined by the basic colour of the liveries, Ducati Red, the same for all, and also by a completely new graphic symbol that recalls the curve present in the Ducati logo, inspired by the most exciting part of riding a motorbike: the bend. At the same time these motorcycles are also an expression of the path that Ducati has taken in recent years, investing in its future. The entry into motocross is in fact the demonstration of the company’s solidity and determination to continue investing in expanding the range offered to our enthusiasts. In these two days we have given ourselves the right energy for a season that promises to be full of challenges. After two extraordinary seasons like those of 2022 and 2023, confirming ourselves will be a hard job because the competitors are extremely determined, but certainly everything is ready to face a new season with the utmost determination”.
Maurizio Rossini, CEO Trentino Marketing: “It is with great pleasure that we have met the Ducati Team champions and their many fans on the snow of Madonna di Campiglio. All together we recalled and celebrated a racing year to be framed thanks to the second and consecutive MotoGP and Superbike World championships and, precisely for this reason, the appointment with the launch of the next racing season was particularly important and closely followed by the international media. Our wish is to reap as many satisfactions in the next racing season with the hope of meeting again here in Trentino next January to celebrate them together”.
Tullio Serafini, President of the Madonna di Campiglio Tourist Board: “Having hosted a symbol of Italian excellence like Ducati in our tourism sector was a source of great pride. Madonna di Campiglio shares with Ducati the same membership of Altagamma, the Foundation that brings together the companies of the high Italian cultural and creative industry and of which our locality has been an honorary member since May 2022. I like to remember how this event takes place on the heels of other great initiatives that have highlighted in the past, and continue to demonstrate, how Madonna di Campiglio can be the ideal venue for prestigious sporting events and top-level meetings. A place to meet, feel good and relax while enjoying the view of landscapes of incomparable beauty.”
The direct participation of Audi further enriched the prestige of “Campioni in Pista”. The German manufacturer is linked to Madonna di Campiglio by a solid and active collaboration that has lasted for 11 years. The link between Audi and the Trentino area confirms Audi’s commitment to sustainable mobility while respecting the ecosystem, maintaining, together with the territory and in a logic of collaboration, constant attention in developing new systemic initiatives which were also talked about at this event with the presentation of the new “Mountain Progress Lab” project.
On Tuesday 23 January, while Bautista and Bulega were on their way to Jerez de la Frontera to take part in the first WorldSBK test of the season, Bagnaia, Bastianini and part of the Ducati and Ducati Corse management enjoyed a ski at the sunrise and they subsequently challenged each other in an exciting downhill race on the snows of the iconic 3Tre slope, part of the Skiarea Campiglio Dolomiti di Brenta Val di Sole Val Rendena.
