THE DUCATI MONSTER CHALLENGE IS BACK!

[BevHevSteve]

THE DUCATI MONSTER CHALLENGE IS BACK! 2005-2006 IMS SHOW DATES ANNOUNCED

Last year Ducati searched North America for the coolest, baddest, most unique Monster, this year the search continues…

Cupertino, CA – September 2nd, 2005 – Based on the success of last year’s incredible Monster Challenge, Ducati is again looking for the coolest, baddest, most customized and unique Monster in North America. If you’ve got a Ducati Monster that you feel is up for the challenge, then enter the 2006 Ducati Monster Challenge! The grand prize winner will take home a new 2006 Ducati Monster S2R1000.

Like last year, the Ducati Monster Challenge will take place at selected Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows across the country. The Monster Challenge will be featured at these shows: Houston, Seattle, Long Beach, San Jose, Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Montreal. If you want to be considered for one of these shows, submit your entry form and photos for pre-screening. Any retail registered Ducati Monster is eligible. Further rules and information will be posted on http://www.ducatiusa.com. The bikes selected for each local event will be displayed in a special area at the IMS Show where they will be judged for 1st, 2nd & 3rd prizes.

National Prizes:
1st Prize 2006 Ducati Monster S2R1000
2nd Prize Roundtrip airfare, hotel and ticket to a MotoGP race
3rd Prize $1000 Ducati Performance Gift Certificate

Local Prizes:
1st Prize Roundtrip airfare and hotel to Monster Challenge Final
2nd Prize $250 Ducati Performance Gift Certificate
3rd Prize $100 Ducati Performance Gift Certificate

For details about how to enter The Monster Challenge, please visit http://www.ducatiusa.com or send an email to monsterchallenge@ducatiusa.com.

Entry Form > http://www.ducatimonsterchallenge.com/

Come and visit Ducati at the IMS closest to you.

Nov. 4-6 Fort Worth, TX Fort Worth Convention Center
Nov. 11-13 Houston, TX Reliant Park
Nov. 18-20 Denver, CO Colorado Convention Center
Dec. 2-4 Seattle, WA Qwest Field & Events Center
Dec. 9-11 Long Beach, CA Long Beach Convention Center
Dec. 16-18 San Jose, CA San Jose Convention Center
Jan. 6-8 Novi, MI Rock Financial Showplace
Jan. 13-15 Washington, DC Washington Convention Center
Jan. 20-22 New York, NY Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
Jan. 27-29 Cleveland, OH IX Center
Feb. 3-5 Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis Convention Center
Feb. 10-12 Chicago, IL Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
Mar. 17-19 Atlanta, GA Cobb Galleria Centre

Join the rest of the motorcycle community and come check out the new Ducati motorcycles for 2006.

Founded in 1926, Ducati builds racing-inspired motorcycles characterized by unique engine features, innovative design, advanced engineering and overall technical excellence. Ducati has won eleven of the last thirteen World Superbike Championship titles and more individual victories than the competition put together. The Company produces motorcycles in five market segments which vary in their technical and design features and intended customers: Superbike, Supersport; Monster, Sport Touring and Multistrada. The Company’s motorcycles are sold in more than 40 countries worldwide, with a primary focus in the Western European and North American markets. For more information about the Company, please visit our web site at http://www.ducati.com.
For further information, please contact:

Vincent Chiaro
Public Relations Coordinator
Ph. 408-343-4414
vchiaro@ducatiusa.com

[BevHevSteve]

Hey guys,

The CALIFORNIA Monster Challenge dates are quickly coming up...

Dec. 9-11 Long Beach, CA Long Beach Convention Center
Dec. 16-18 San Jose, CA San Jose Convention Center

If you have a monster you think is kewl why not sign up, show up and have some fun? You will get free admission to the IMS show plus a nice Italian dinner friday night.... Don;t be shy... Your monster doesn;t have to be PERFECT and who knows, maybe YOU will win that brand new S2R1000!!!

The entries to date for the california shows are pretty light so far... What's up with that?

[BevHevSteve]

MONSTERS FACE OFF IN LONG BEACH

Cupertino, CA – December 13th, 2005 - Monster Mania moved to Long Beach this past weekend, as a squadron of highly modified machines descended upon this Southern California coastal town to duke it out in the latest round of the Ducati Monster Challenge.

The competition was fierce and a select panel of judges from Cycle World, Robb Report Motorcycling, and Von Dutch tallied their votes for the best Monster. At the closing bell, 18-year-old Daniela Dunne’s 1997 Monster 750 was left standing as the “Baddest Monster” in Southern California. Her victory in Long Beach earned her the right to compete in the finals of the Ducati Monster Challenge against eight other regional winners of the competition. While the young Santa Barbara resident had some assistance on the project from her father and brother, she did the vast majority of the work on the bike herself.

The winning Monster was bought as a near basket case for $800, and over a two month reconstruction period a single-sided swingarm from a 916, front end from a 998 Superbike, a trick air shock from Marco Lucchinelli’s ’88 Ducati factory race bike and a unique under seat exhaust pieced together from a Multistrada’s system highlighted the modifications. A custom “26” theme paint job and matching powder coated frame rounded out the package.

“It was a really fun project and I felt it would be a competitive bike in Long Beach,” Daniela said. “I put about 50 hours myself into it with a little help from my dad and brother. I do all the PDI work at the Pro Italia shop in Santa Barbara, and I learned a lot more about bikes building this bike,” added Dunne.

Troy Woodard, a Vista, CA resident, returned for his second Monster Challenge and took home a $250 Ducati Performance gift certificate for his second place finish, bringing his ’99 Monster 900 Ben Bostrom Replica to compete in the 11 bike show. The distinctive red, white and blue Bostrom bodywork sat atop a set of full Ohlins Superbike forks and shock, lightened flywheel and radial mount Brembo binders.

“My favorite thing about the bike, other than the Bostrom paint scheme and custom carbon & Kevlar fairing is the FCR 41mm carbs. The bike looks beautiful, but when you give it a twist you’re looking at the sky! I have a few more things in mind to add to the machine,” stated Woodard.

Third place, and a $100 Ducati Performance gift certificate, went to Robert Brown from Aliso Viejo, and his very clean ’05 Monster S2R was a crowd favorite. Brown had painted the wheels tangerine to match the S2R’s black and tangerine stock paint scheme and set the package off with a tastefully applied set of dual “angel eye” headlights up front and a “bobbed” tail section.

“I was just trying to enhance the base design around the Ducati Coventry,” Brown commented. “It looks like it came from a special operations group within Ducati,” he added.

Most of the bikes shown in the Long Beach Challenge were daily riders, and many, such as Gabriel Richard’s ’96 M 900 had logged lots of miles. Gabriel rode his bike to the show from Santa Barbara, complete with soft saddlebags, and showed the crowd the Monster’s place as a hard riding, daily commuter. Chris Kelly’s ’05 S2R was set up almost exclusively as a track day machine, showing yet another side of the versatile bike.

The fourth round of the Ducati Monster Challenge will be staged December 16-18 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose. From there, The Challenge moves to Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, Atlanta and Montreal. For more details, please visit www.ducatiusa.com.

See the photogallery at:
http://www.ducati.com/od/ducatinorthame ... eryId=4046 for available pictures.