Ducati Corse

Ducati Corse S.r.l.
Company type	Subsidiary of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A
Foundation	1954
Location city	Bologna
Location country	Italy
Key people	Claudio Domenicali, Ducati Corse CEO
Parent	Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A
Homepage	Ducati Corse

Ducati Corse S.r.l. is a subsidiary arm of Ducati that deals with the firm's involvement in motorcycle racing. It is directed by Claudio Domenicali and is based inside Bologna in quartiere Borgo Panigale. More than one hundred people work in Ducati Corse (almost 10% of the Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. workforce). Ducati Corse currently competes in MotoGP, the Superbike World Championship and other national championships.

The company is split into four departments

• Technical research and development

Divided into two working teams, this department is responsible for the design and development of the motorcycles that compete in the MotoGP and Superbike championships.

• Sporting Activities

This department is responsible for the factory teams that take part in the MotoGP and Superbike championships.

• Commercial Activities

Responsible for providing private teams with motorcycles and spare parts. It also provides consultancy services and technical assistance to Ducati privateers take part in the Superbike World Championship and in national Superbike championships. From 2004 Ducati Corse also supports a satellite team in MotoGP, supplying bikes and technical support.

• Marketing and Communication

This department's goal is to increase and manage the Ducati brand image in racing. It is also responsible for Ducati Corse official merchandising line.

Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing (MotoGP)

Ducati Corse
Last season	2009
Long name	Ducati Marlboro
Base	Bologna, Italy
Principal	Livio Suppo
Riders	27 Casey Stoner 69 Nicky Hayden
Motorcycle	Ducati Desmosedici GP9
Tyres	Bridgestone
Riders champ	1 2007 Casey Stoner

Ducati began taking part in the MotoGP Championship in 2003 and won their first championship within 5 years in 2007.

When the MotoGP technical rules changed in 2002, giving priority to four-stroke machinery Ducati decided to enter Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Ducati's MotoGP motorcycle was unveiled at the 2002 Italian GP at Mugello, for use in the 2003 MotoGP championship.

Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss competed in all rounds of the 2003 MotoGP championship. Loris Capirossi, got a podium in the opening round of the championship in Japan and won the GP Catalunya in Barcelona. Capirossi finished fourth in the final championship standings and Bayliss sixth; while Ducati finished second overall in the Manufacturers’ standings

A large part of the 2004 season went by before the bike became competitive, but the season concluded with both riders on the podium.

In 2005 Bayliss was replaced by the Spanish rider Carlos Checa and Ducati switched tyres suppliers to Bridgestone. Capirossi took two wins in the Grand Prix of Japan at Twin Ring Motegi and in the Malaysian GP at Sepang, while Checa scored a brace of podium finishes

Spanish rider Sete Gibernau replaced Checa for 2006. The team took its first win of 2006 in the opening GP at Jerez de la Frontera, followed by a podium in Qatar. Capirossi led the championship for a short while, but at the start of the Grand prix de Catalunya at Barcelona, Capirossi's bike collided with Gibernau's. Both riders ended up injured and in hospital, with Gibernau sustaining a broken collar bone, and both missed the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen. Capirossi returned at the British Grand Prix, while Gibernau was replaced by German Alex Hofmann for the Dutch Grand Prix, the British Grand Prix, and also the Czech Grand Prix after undergoing additional surgery. With Gibernau still sidelined for the final round of the season at Valencia, Ducati recalled Bayliss, who was recently crowned Superbike World champion. The race was won by Bayliss, his first MotoGP victory, with Capirossi taking second place for the first Ducati 1-2 finish.

Engine displacement was reduced to 800 cc for 2007, Ducati started development of its 800 cc motorcycle extremely early and according to Ducati's racing chief Filippo Preziosi, by August 2006 Ducati had already built 20 800 cc engines with various specifications. Loris Capirossi was joined in the team by Casey Stoner. During the most part of the 2007 season Stoner dominated obtaining his and the team's first MotoGP World Championship in the circuit of Motegi, Japan, on September 23 2007, four races before the end of the season.

At the end of season, Ducati's chief engineer Alan Jenkins was awarded the Sir Jackie Stewart Award for brilliance throughout the season.

Casey Stoner remains with the team and was partnered withMarco Melandri from the 2008 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Marco had a difficult time adapting to the GP-8's performance. Ducati and Melandri mutually agreed to shorten his two year contract to one year midway through the 2008 MotoGP season.

Nicky Hayden has replaced Marco Melandri, who has moved to Kawasaki, for the 2009 season and become Stoner's new teammate on the factory Carbon Fiber framed Ducati GP-9.

Gibernau will pilot a satellite Ducati for Onde 2000 in 2009. The other satellite, team Alice, welcomed Niccolò Canepa, and Mika Kallio aboard for their first tests on 27 Oct 2008.

Superbike World Championship (SBK)

Ducati has been taking part in the Superbike World Championship since it began in 1988. Using 1000 cc V-twin engines Ducati was able to dominate the championship for many years. From 1993 to 1999 Carl Fogarty and Ducati won the title 4 times.

In 2003 the recent rule changes in MotoGP to allow 4-stroke engines meant that the Japanese manufacturers had focused their resources there leaving the Superbike World Championship with limited factory involvement. Ducati Corse entered the only 2 Ducati 999's in the field, taking 20 wins from 24 races in a season where all races were won by Ducati. Neil Hodgson won the title on a Factory Ducati.

2006 saw the return of Australian Troy Bayliss in Superbike World Championship after 3 years in MotoGP. The combination of Bayliss and Ducati proved unstoppable and they dominated the season winning 12 races.

In 2007 Troy Bayliss finished fourth riding once again a Ducati 999. Even though production of the 999 ended in 2006 and the bike was replaced by the Ducati 1098, Ducati produced 150 limited edition 999s to satisfy homologation requirements.

For 2008, Ducati raced a homologated version of the 1098R. The FIM, the sanctioning body for the Superbike World Championship, has raised the displacement limit for 2 cylinder engines to 1,200 cc. Once again, Bayliss won his 3rd world champion on 1098 in 2008.

Troy Bayliss retired at the end of the 2008 season after being with Ducati since 1999. Bayliss was replaced by Noriyuki Haga partnered by Michel Fabrizio for the 2009 Superbike World Championship season.

External links

• ducati.com/racing

Name	Ducati Corse
Title	Ducati Marlboro
List1	Casey Stoner (27) | Nicky Hayden (69)
List2	Grand Prix motorcycle : Ducati Desmosedici GP9