TRACK DAY DOMINATOR REIGNS SUPREME AT MONSTER CHALLENGE FINALE Cupertino, CA April 24th, 2006 The grand finale of the Ducati Monster Challenge concluded this weekend at round two of the AMA Superbike series, which was held at Barber Motorsports Park. The dozen winners of the regional Monster Challenge events squared off for this finale, with the winner being awarded the title of “Coolest Monster in North America”, along with a brand new 2006 Monster S2R 1000 motorcycle. This year, Sean Kelii of Sacramento, California emerged victorious after the brutal scrutiny of a panel of motorcycle industry judges, including legendary motojournalist Alan Cathcart, Speed Channel’s Greg White, and Barber Museum chief motorcycle restorer Brian Slark. The judges’ cast their votes based on the performance, workmanship, creativity and sound of each Monster. Gary Eagan, who took some time off from setting world record long distance runs on his Ducati motorcycle, served as the Monster Challenge Coordinator and described the atmosphere of the event: “The Monster Challenge, in my opinion, really gets true Ducatisti together not only to display their art, but to feature the artists themselves. It’s not just about the Monsters, but the people who own them, ride them, enjoy them, and play with them. Their personalities are reflected in each of these bikes.” Sean Kelii was crowned the owner of the “Coolest Monster in North America” for his 1999 Monster 900, which he rides regularly and has highly modified, but still maintains the look of the Monster. Sean eliminated as much weight as possible from the bike and has a host of modifications including a carbon fiber tank, carbon wheels, piston kit, and a lightened flywheel. Sean is obsessed with weight for this track day machine, resulting in a bike that tips the scales at only 355 pounds wet. As he took delivery of the new Monster S2R 1000, Kelii responded, “Actually, I think I’ll try to keep the racing heritage alive and give the bike to my dad so he can experience the enjoyment I got from building a mean Monster. He supported me for so many years and this is a chance to give back to him. He’s a real enthusiast but he needs an air cooled Ducati!” The second place finisher, Peter Hattle of Montreal, Canada wins a spectacular trip to the US MotoGP held at legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Hattle had a highly modified 1997 Monster 900. Rounding out the podium was 18-year old Daniela Dunne from Santa Barbara, California who performed much of her own work on the retro inspired 1997 Monster 750. All twelve of the motorcycles were guests of George Barber and displayed inside the famed Barber Motorsports Museum, where they were in the company of the some of the most famous motorcycles in the world. Race spectators who visited the museum had the opportunity to vote for a winner. This “Peoples Choice” award was given to Steve Metz’s “Tigre” bike. Hailing from San Francisco, California, the “Tigre” boasts a bold tiger theme including an orange and black color scheme and tiger tail.