Ducati is riding high in the showrooms as well as on the racetrack right now. With another record year for the Bologna-based bike manufacturer in 2014—45,100 bikes sold in its fifth consecutive year of growth, 2 percent up on 2013. It’s an increase that seems to have stemmed primarily from the introduction of new models, as well as a sharp increase in growth from Asian markets, fueled by the Italian company’s new assembly plant in Thailand.
All in all it represented a fine first full year in charge of the company for its new CEO Claudio Domenicali, appointed by the Italian company’s VAG (Volkswagen Audi Group) owners to head up their two-wheeled crown jewel in April 2013.
Domenicali, 49, joined Ducati upon graduation as a mechanical engineer from Bologna University in 1991. Born just 12 miles from the Ducati factory, he’d been an avid motorcyclist from an early age, and helped work his way through university by writing technical articles for Italian bike magazines. At Ducati, he soon became the protégé of the company’s Technical Director Massimo Bordi, under whom his first job was as project leader of Bordi’s pet project—the Supermono single which debuted in 1993, whose chassis Domenicali designed.
After passing through various management positions, the 1997 takeover of Ducati by American investors TPG saw Domenicali become Assistant Technical Director of the company, and when its standalone Ducati Corse race operation was established in 1999, he was appointed its CEO. Under his direction, Ducati developed the V4 Desmosedici which in its debut 2003 season was the only bike to defeat Honda’s all-conquering RC211V, before going on to win the MotoGP World title via Casey Stoner in 2007.
By then, Domenicali had been given added responsibility, tasked with supervising the development of the company’s new customer streetbike range from 2005 onwards while serving as R&D Director alongside his duties heading up Ducati Corse. This was competing successfully in both the MotoGP and Superbike World Championships—winning seven Riders crowns and 10 Manufacturers titles in World Superbike under his direction, as well as Stoner’s MotoGP world crown.
In 2009 Domenicali was appointed as Ducati’s General Manager Operations and Product Development, and during his time in charge of R&D he was responsible for overseeing development of the Hypermotard, 1098/1198, Streetfighter, Multistrada 1200, Diavel and Panigale models, as well as many different iterations of the Monster family. In 2012, after the sale of Ducati to Germany’s VAG, he was confirmed as a member of the new Board of Directors, and in April 2013 was named to succeed the departing Gabriele Del Torchio as CEO of the company.
The chance to talk to Ducati’s hands-on boss in his office at the company’s longtime base in its Borgo Panigale factory on the northwest outskirts of Bologna, provided a rationale for the company’s present day success story.
Claudio, Ducati enjoyed a record-breaking year in 2014, selling a record number of bikes. What do you attribute this success to?
There are a number of factors, but I think two of them are the most important. First is the continuous wave of new models we introduced for our customers. Which last year included products at the very top of our range, like the Superleggera that continued the concept of Ducati delivering very special and exotic motorcycles into the marketplace, and then, on the other hand products like the Monster 821 that represent an entry level model for anyone to join the Ducati family in an affordable way. The second big pillar was our expansion into new markets, because for sure like other manufacturers based in Italy we suffered a steep decline in our home market that made things very difficult in several ways.
To read more of part one of our interview with Ducati’s CEO Claudio Domenicali in issue 18 of Cycle News, click here