From a press release issued by Ducati North America:

ERIC BOSTROM AND PAUL SMART HEADLINE ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL DUCATI DAY DAYTONA PARTY

After qualifying in pole position for the Daytona 200 with the fastest lap ever, Eric Bostrom met with Ducatisti at the Ducati Day Daytona party.

On Wednesday, March 3rd 2004, the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team and Eric Bostrom proved the speed of the Ducati 999 by breaking the superbike lap record at Daytona. Bostrom and the Ducati 999 are the first to ever break the 1:47 barrier at Daytona Speedway, making the 999 the fastest AMA superbike to lap this track.

Friday, Eric joined his fans and fellow Ducati riders at the Ducati Day Daytona party across from the track to celebrate this accomplishment. Paul Smart was on-hand at the event as guest bike-show judge and wished Bostrom the best of luck for the race. Smart qualified in pole position at Daytona three times in the early 1970s.

Ducati owners graciously welcomed Bostrom to the family and gave him amazing support for Saturday’s race.

In addition to Bostrom and Paul Smart, Ducati North America sponsored a fashion show featuring the latest Ducati Performance Apparel. Both racing and casual wear were modeled, including the incredibly popular Old-Times style jacket and pants.

Any of the Ducati Performance items seen in the show can be ordered through your local Ducati dealer.

The vintage Ducati bike show and exhaust sound off are regular events at the Ducati Day Daytona party. The bike show focuses on historic Ducati motorcycles. This year’s overall bike show winner was Robert Bennett from Iowa with his 1974 750SS. He is the original owner of this bike and brought it from Iowa for the show.

The Desmodromic Monster Club of Rome judged the exhaust sound off. These Ducatisti flew all the way from Italy for the race and Daytona Party. Dennis Liebrecht won for “best sounding Ducati” with his 1978 900SS.

Michelin roadracing manager, Jim Rhodes, and Ducati technical expert Van Singley, were also on hand during the afternoon. Jim gave an informative lecture on tire technology and performance. Getting the most performance from your tires is a key component in the enjoyment of any Ducati, both on the street and on the track. Van followed up with a presentation about Ducati maintenance and answered owner’s technical questions about their bikes.