Ducati Motorcycles heralded the start of the MotoGP season by bringing tens of thousands of fans to the centre of Bologna, home of Ducati.
The Ducati MotoGP Team on stage Image: Ducati |
More than 38,000 fans crammed into the Italian city's central square, the Piazza Maggiore, to see Ducati MotoGP riders Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden, before the team heads off to the first race of the season in Qatar on 20 March.
Rossi, one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time and an Italian sporting hero, joined the Ducati team for the 2011 season after previously riding for Honda and Yamaha. He, and US-born team-mate Hayden, will ride the new 800cc GP11 Desmosedici in the 18 race season. The 'bikes will use Shell
Advanced fuel and lubricants.
After a visit to the Ducati factory in the Borgo Panigale area of the city, the two riders then joined the rest of the team on a specially constructed stage in the centre of Bologna to receive the best wishes of the fans.
There was a bonus for the Bolognese crowd who were told by President and CEO, Gabriele Del Torchio, that Ducati will build a new factory next to the current plant. The 134,600m2 plant will also include a museum and R&D unit.