Ducati CEO, Claudio Domenicali, is one of the architects of the Italian motorcycle manufacturer’s great history, founded by engineer Antonio Cavalieri Ducati in 1926.
Ducati history is a journey of more than 90 years, which tells the passion for speed through its origins, the beauty of the motorcycles and the charm of a company that was born in Bologna and carries the spirit of motorsport all over the world.
Several people have contributed since 1926 to the emblem that is the brand today, and one of them is Domenicali, who in the new millennium has played an important role through the history of the “red Borgo Panigale”, the model of the franchise.
All His Steps
Domenicali was born on November 3, 1965 in Bentivoglio, Bologna province. After graduating from the University of Bologna with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he joined Ducati in 1991.
After a growing career within the company, he was appointed CEO of Ducati Corse in 1999. By 2001, Ducati decided to entrust its racing structure with a study for the construction of a 4-cylinder V-twin engine. A year later, the “Desmosedici” engine project came to fruition, and in August of the same year, the first tests were carried out on the “Ducati Desmosedici”, destined to take part in the MotoGP championship in the 2003 season.
Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss were the riders who mounted the two motorcycles for their debut. During the first season, the Italian bike stunned the world with competitiveness, despite being only in the first competitive campaign.
Related content: MotoE™: Ducati to be the New Supplier of Electric Motor
In 2005, Domenicali assumed the position of Director of Product R&D at Ducati Motor Holding, to be responsible for the technical direction of motorcycle production, as well as product marketing. While remaining CEO of Ducati Corse, he left the day-to-day management to Technical Director, Filippo Preziosi.
When 2007 arrived, the 990 cc MotoGP era came to an end at the World Championship. The displacement drops to 800 and the new Desmosedici GP7 is ridden by veteran Loris Capirossi and the young Australian, Casey Stoner. The latter, on September 23, 2007, led Ducati to win their first MotoGP World Title, breaking the dominance of the Japanese manufacturers.
Following the successes achieved, Domenicali became CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of Ducati Motor Holding in 2009, and in 2013, following the acquisition of the company by the Audi Group, he was appointed CEO of Ducati Motor Holding spa, succeeding Gabriele Del Torchio.
Today, the Ducati CEO has been one of the key players in implementing new technologies with the creation of Physics in Motion: the interactive didactic physics laboratory dedicated entirely to high school students to implement innovations on vehicles.
Domenicali has now taken another big step further by signing a contract with MotoE, the electric motorcycle series, to be the official supplier of the championship from 2023.
Written by I Jhonattan González
