We had the atmosphere of special occasions and a full house of fans at the Unipol Arena for “Campioni in Festa”, 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 well-known sports hall in Bologna were colored red to welcome the fans and the stars of the evening: the Ducati Champions. The three 2023 World Champions took to the stage, Francesco Bagnaia (MotoGP World Champion on the Ducati Lenovo Team Desmosedici GP), Álvaro Bautista (SBK World Champion on the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team Panigale V4 R) and Nicolò Bulega (Supersport World Champion on the Team Aruba.it Racing WSSP Panigale V2). With them were the other two Ducati riders on the podium for the 2023 MotoGP season, Jorge Martín (Pramac Racing Team) and Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Racing Team), completing an exceptional line-up capable of demonstrating the superiority of Ducati riders and bikes in the world’s leading two-wheeled competitions.
The five “Campioni in Festa” received a wave of affection from Ducatisti enthusiasts all over the world, who didn’t want to miss this historic moment of celebration. The city of Bologna and the region of Emilia-Romagna with the Motor Valley celebrated, together with Ducati, the successes of the Company that every day draws strength from its history, firmly rooted in Borgo Panigale and, at the same time, honored to be an ambassador of “Made in Italy” throughout the world.
The “Campioni in Festa” show kicked off at 9 p.m. on Friday, December 15, with the music band Rockin’1000, which, for the occasion, brought Power100, a selection of one hundred musicians from its international community, to the stage. Some of the most iconic rock songs in history accompanied the show dedicated to reviewing the unforgettable 2023 sports season.
Barbara Pedrotti and Gianluca Gazzoli, TV presenters with a great passion for racing, hosted the event. The first protagonist to take the stage at the Unipol Arena was Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, followed by Ducati Corse Managing Director Luigi Dall’Igna. Both spoke to the audience about the magical moment the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer is experiencing, highlighting the records achieved, both from a corporate and sporting point of view, while making it clear that the desire to grow and improve is inexhaustible.
The culmination of the event was the celebration of the five heroes of the 2023 season. This segment opened with Ducati’s victories in the World Championships for production bikes, with Nicolò Bulega, who achieved his first world championship success in Supersport, and Álvaro Bautista, who totally dominated WorldSBK 2023. For Bautista and Bulega, the “Campioni in Festa” celebration was also their first appearance as teammates, as the two will share the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team box in 2024.
The entrance of Guido Meda, the unmistakable voice of MotoGP on Sky Italy, heralded the moment set aside to celebrate the results achieved in the most important international sporting competition, in which Ducati won the Constructors’ World Title with five races to go and monopolized the podium in the overall standings. The warmth of the crowd at the Unipol Arena manifested itself in applause and chants for the presence of Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Racing Team) and Jorge Martín (Pramac Racing Team), which turned into a huge cheer when it was time to welcome two-time MotoGP World Champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia to the stage. The three 2023 World Champions – Bagnaia, Bautista and Bulega – took to the stage on their respective bikes, making enthusiasts feel the roar of the world’s fastest motorcycles up close.
Finally, the Bologna manufacturer dedicated a moment of the show to presenting the future and historic new chapter in the world of competition: its entry into motocross, which will take shape at the start of the 2024 Motocross World Championship. On stage at the Unipol Arena were future Ducati team rider Alessandro Lupino, eight-time Italian Champion and winner of the 2021 Motocross of Nations, and nine-time MX World Champion Antonio Cairoli, who has 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-anticipated photo on stage.
After recounting the emotions of this dream year, it was time for the music and fun to begin in the Unipol Arena, with a DJ set by an exceptional international guest such as Martin Solveig, the composer of numerous house music hits. The audience was able to enjoy themselves until the end of the event.
During the press conference that preceded the “Campioni in Festa” event, a big surprise was also revealed. To pay tribute to the record-breaking 2023 sporting season, Ducati has created an exclusive series of motorcycles for collectors: 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 Panigale 2023 Replica bikes are made even more unique by the riders’ original autographs 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 Giallo Ducati (Ducati Yellow) color scheme worn by the Ducati Lenovo Team in Misano, will be produced in 263 units, the Panigale V4 Bautista 2023 World Champion Replica (also in Giallo Ducati) 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 chance to celebrate this season’s successes is offered by the special edition t-shirts, which replicate those worn by the Ducati Lenovo Team in the Valencia pit for the celebrations of Bagnaia’s second MotoGP title, and by the Aruba.it Racing Team – Ducati in the Jerez pit 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 Retailers.
The press conference was also the opportunity to announce the date for the presentation of the official Ducati Corse teams for the 2024 season. From 21 to 23 January the second edition of “Campioni in Pista” will take place in Madonna di Campiglio, an event organized in collaboration with Trentino Marketing and the Madonna di Campiglio Tourist Office. On the snows of Trentino, Ducati will present the Ducati Lenovo Team, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team and the line-up for the 2024 Italian Motocross Championship.