Ducati North America is proud to announce a new racing contingency program aimed at encouraging racers to get Ducati’s on the track.

Cupertino, CA February 25, 2005 Two new racing contingency programs were announced today by Ducati North America; the Professional Program and the Club Program. Together, these programs provide $871,000 available for racers on Ducati motorcycles. The new programs further demonstrate Ducati’s commitment to racing in North America as already seen by the addition of Neil Hodgson to the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin factory AMA Superbike team to partner Eric Bostrom.

The “Professional Program” is geared towards anyone racing a Ducati 999R or 749R in the AMA Superbike or AMA Formula Extreme series. (Factory team excluded.) This program has $450,000 in posted prize money.

Series AMA SUPERBIKE AMA Formula Extreme
Bike: 999R 749R
Number of Events: 10 10
Total Posted  $   275,000   $   175,000
Overall Championship  $     50,000   $     25,000
1st  $     10,000   $       7,500
2nd:  $       7,500   $       5,000
3rd:  $       5,000   $       2,500

The second program, called the Ducati Dealer Racing Rewards, is focused on Club level racing and includes cash and product certificate prizes (redeemable for Ducati parts, accessories, apparel, or dealer labor) in CCS, AFM, OMRRA, WMRRA, Canadian Thunderbike, WSMC, and CMRA. The CCS series has a total prize posting of $295,000.

Series Included in the Ducati Dealer Racing Rewards Program and Total:
Champion Cup Series – Race of Champions $24,500
Champion Cup Series – Regional Races $212,000
Loudon Road Race Series Championship (Sanctioned by CCS) $58,500
American Federation of Motorcyclist (AFM) $41,000
Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association (OMRRA) $9,000
Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association (WMRRA) $8,000
Canadian Thunderbike and SBK $24,000
Willow Springs Motorcycle Club (WSMC) $30,000
Central Motorcycle Racing Association (CMRA) $14,000

“This is the most aggressive racing contingency program Ducati has ever offered and it is a demonstration of our commitment to racing in North America. We want people to consider racing a Ducati this season because we are a genuine alternative to the mass market products and racing is in our blood. We are World Superbike Champions and we intend to mount a serious challenge in AMA Superbike in 2005. The grass roots of racing produce the heroes of tomorrow and we want as many of them as possible to learn their craft on a Ducati. “ says Michael Lock, Ducati North America CEO.

The new 2005 Superbikes epitomize the racing history of Ducati and represent the evolution of a formula that has dominated Superbike racing for over a decade. This year’s Superbike family includes seven models: the 749 Dark, 749, 749S, 749R, 999, 999S and 999R and all are eligible for contingency money in addition to the Supersport 1000 and 800 in select racing classes.

With the arrival of the 2005 model, the differences between the 999R and Ducati’s competition bikes have almost disappeared. The R model features the latest, most advanced Testastretta engine, radically redesigned from the cases up. The result is an engine that delivers 150 hp in a usable format, the most power of any Ducati production engine, combined with the most intuitive chassis available anywhere in the world.

See below for complete racing contingency details or visit www.ducatiusa.com.