Ducati sets the Unipol Arena in Bologna on fire with the celebration “Champions in Party”

We had the atmosphere of special occasions and a house full of fans at the Unipol Arena for the “Champions in Celebration”, an event to celebrate Ducati’s dominance in the world of competition in 2023, with triumphs in MotoGP, WorldSBK, and WorldSSP. The Unipol Arena and the streets around the famous sports pavilion in Bologna were colored in red to welcome the fans and the stars of the night: the Ducati Champions. The three World Champions of 2023 took to the stage, Francesco Bagnaia (MotoGP World Champion with the Ducati Lenovo Team’s Desmosedici GP), Álvaro Bautista (SBK World Champion with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team’s Panigale V4 R) and Nicolò Bulega (Supersport World Champion with the Aruba.it Racing WSSP Team’s Panigale V2). With them were the other two Ducati riders on the podium of the 2023 MotoGP season, Jorge Martín (Pramac Racing Team) and Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Racing Team), completing an exceptional lineup, capable of demonstrating the superiority of Ducati riders and bikes in the world’s top two-wheeled competitions.

The five “Champions in Celebration” received a wave of affection from Ducatisti enthusiasts around the world, who did not want to miss this historic moment of celebration. The city of Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna region with Motor Valley celebrated, together with Ducati, the successes of the Company that draws strength from its history every day, firmly rooted in Borgo Panigale and, at the same time, honored to be an ambassador of “Made in Italy” worldwide. The “Champions in Celebration” show started at 9:00 pm on Friday, December 15, with the Rockin’1000 music band, which, for the occasion, brought to the stage the Power100, a selection of one hundred musicians from its international community. Some of the most iconic rock songs in history accompanied the moment of the show dedicated to reviewing the unforgettable sports season of 2023. The role of hosts of the event was entrusted to Barbara Pedrotti and Gianluca Gazzoli, TV presenters with a great passion for racing. The first protagonist to take the stage at the Unipol Arena was Ducati’s CEO, Claudio Domenicali, followed by Ducati Corse’s General Director, Luigi Dall’Igna. Both spoke to the audience about the magical moment that the motorcycle manufacturer from Bologna is experiencing, highlighting the records achieved, both from a corporate and sporting point of view, making it clear, at the same time, that the desire to grow and improve is inexhaustible.The highlight of the event was the celebration of the five heroes of the 2023 season. This segment opened with the victories obtained by Ducati in the World Championships for production-based motorcycles, with Nicolò Bulega, who achieved his first success in a world championship in Supersport, and Álvaro Bautista, who completely dominated the WorldSBK 2023. For Bautista and Bulega, the “Campioni in Festa” celebration was also their first appearance as teammates, as they will share the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team box in 2024. The entrance of Guido Meda, the unmistakable voice of MotoGP on Sky Italy, announced the moment reserved for the celebration of the results achieved in the most important international sports competition, in which Ducati won the Constructors’ World Title five races before the end and monopolized the podium of the overall standings. The warmth of the audience at the Unipol Arena was expressed in applause and chants for the presence of Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Racing Team) and Jorge Martín (Pramac Racing Team), which turned into a great shout of joy when it was time to bring on stage the two-time MotoGP World Champion, Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia. The three World Champions of 2023 – Bagnaia, Bautista, and Bulega – brought their respective motorcycles on stage, allowing enthusiasts to feel up close the roar of the fastest bikes in the world.Finally, the Bologna manufacturer dedicated a moment of the show to present the future and historic new chapter in the world of competition: its entry into motocross, which will take shape at the beginning of the 2024 Motocross World Championship. On the stage of the Unipol Arena were the future Ducati team rider, Alessandro Lupino, eight-time Italian Champion and winner of the 2021 Motocross of Nations, and the nine-time MX World Champion Antonio Cairoli, who joined Ducati as a high-performance test rider for the new sports program. Lupino and Cairoli joined the five Ducati champions, Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), Domenicali, Dall’Igna and other key people in Ducati’s successes, for the final thanks and the much-awaited photo on stage.

After recounting the emotions of this dream year, it was time for music and fun to begin at the Unipol Arena, with the DJ Set of an exceptional international guest like Martin Solveig, the composer of numerous house music hits. The audience was able to have fun until the end of the event.

During the press conference preceding the “Champions in Celebration” event, a big surprise was also revealed. To pay tribute to the record-breaking sports season of 2023, Ducati created an exclusive series of collector’s motorcycles: five Ducati Panigale in a limited and numbered edition, with special color schemes inspired by those of the Ducati Champions and with dedicated components.

The 2023 Panigale Replica bikes are made even more unique by the original autographs of the riders applied to the tank, protected with a layer of transparent varnish. The number of units of each limited series celebrates the number of the rider to whom it is dedicated: the Panigale V4 Bagnaia 2023 World Champion Replica, characterized by the Ducati Yellow color scheme used by the Ducati Lenovo Team in Misano, will be produced in 263 units, the Panigale V4 Bautista 2023 World Champion Replica (also in Ducati Yellow) will be produced in 219 units, the Panigale V2 Bulega 2023 World Champion Replica will be produced in 111 units, the Panigale V4 Martin 2023 Racing Replica will be produced in 189 units, while the Panigale V4 Bezzecchi 2023 Racing Replica will be produced in 72 units.

Another way to celebrate the successes of this season is offered by the special edition t-shirts, which replicate those worn by the Ducati Lenovo Team in the Valencia box for the celebrations of Bagnaia’s second MotoGP title, and by the Aruba.it Racing Team – Ducati in the Jerez box for the celebrations of Bautista’s title defense. The two t-shirts are available in the Ducati e-shop and will soon arrive at Authorized Dealers.

The press conference was also an opportunity to announce the date of the presentation of the official Ducati Corse teams for the 2024 season. From January 21 to 23, the second edition of “Campioni in Pista” will take place in Madonna di Campiglio, an event organized in collaboration with Trentino Marketing and the Tourism Office of Madonna di Campiglio. In the Trentino snow, Ducati will present the Ducati Lenovo Team, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, and the team that will compete in the 2024 Italian Motocross Championship.