The 23rd annual presentation of the Ducati MotoGP and Ferrari F1 teams for invited press—now known as the “Wrooom International Ski Meeting”—kicked off at the exclusive Madonna di Campiglio ski resort high in the Italian Dolomite mountains today, with the 2013 factory Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden and new teammate Andrea Dovisioso posing for photos before tomorrow morning when they host the official press conference. In a twist from previous Wrooom events, the factory Ducati MotoGP team will be joined in the afternoon by the official Ducati “Junior Team”—so-called because they will reportedly be given direct factory development support instead of only customer-spec lease racebikes—of Pramac Racing’s Ben Spies and Andrea Iannone.
Today was Dovisioso’s first public appearance in 2013 Ducati colors, the Italian taking over from fellow countryman Valentino Rossi who bolted back to Yamaha after a very difficult two years spent attempting to get the GP11/12 versions of the Desmosedici up to contending form. Dovisioso dutifully posed for group photos with Hayden and Ferrari Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso and Fellipe Massa, before he and Hayden mingled with the crowd while the two Ferrari men swiftly disappeared.
Newly appointed Ducati Corse...
Newly appointed Ducati Corse general manager Bernhard Gobmeier (far left), Ducati PR man Francesco Rapisarda (middle left), new Ducati WSBK director Paolo Ciabatti (middle right) and Ducati Motor CEO Gabriele Del Torchio (far right) relax at the intro Wrooom party.
There were some other new faces in the crowd besides Dovisioso. Newly appointed Ducati Corse general manager Bernhard Gobmeier—who led BMW’s World Superbike effort in 2011 and 2012—was present, along with new press manager Paolo Ciabatti, who up until last month was InFront Motorsports’ (former rightsholders for World Superbike) SBK director. Ciabatti returns to Ducati after a very successful run as the firm’s Superbike director back in the WSBK heydays of Corser/Fogarty/Bayliss et al.
The 2013 Ducati Desmosedici...
The 2013 Ducati Desmosedici GP13s of the factory and Pramac Racing teams are carried behind a SnoCat to their unveiling place for Tuesday night.
Both teams will unveil their newly liveried 2013 Ducati Desmosedici GP13 racebikes on Tuesday night at Wrooom. The Pramac Team will have separate sponsors for the first time; Iannone’s bike will be sponsored by Italian natural gas concern Energy T.I., while Spies’ GP13 will be sponsored by Ignite Asset Management, a financial services firm based in New York.