April / May 2012 DESMOPHILES

#54

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DESMOPHILES

The Newsletter of DOCNZ

Ducati Owners Club of

NEW ZEALAND

April / May 2012 Issue 54

COMMITTEE

REGIONAL CONTACTS Auckland Chris (Haldane M/C’s) 09-579-6020 Wayne Lyons 027-4728-343 Waikato Heath (Hamilton M/C) 07-849-1919 Manawatu Trevor Smart 027 727 1883 Hawkes Bay Nigel Taylor & Claire Miller 021 273 9450 Wellington Todd (Motomart) 0800DUCATI Chris Marer 027-447-4299 Motueka Richmond Grant 03-528-0086 Nelson Greg Monahan 021-851-916 Marlborough Graham McDonald 03-578-2490 Christchurch Craig (Casbolts M/C) 03-366-4401 Phil (Desmocycle) 03-344-1916 Dunedin/Deep South Gary Winter 03-476-7515 021-206-9866

the above members and also the

Ducati Dealer Network

All Magazine contributions and Membership Enquiries to:

DOCNZ P.O.Box 6537

Marion Square Wellington 6141 NEW ZEALAND

Email: secretary@docnz.co.nz

www.docnz.co.nz

President

Greg Monahan 021 851 916

Secretary

Brent (Molly)Meldrum

021 280 3371

Treasurer

Nick Brandon 021 974 487

Editor/Publisher

Richard Sabiston editor@docnz.co.nz

Webmaster

Nigel Haworth webmaster@docnz.co.nz

Communications Coordinator

Greg Monahan docnz@docnz.co.nz

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Jamie has been the editor for the Desmophiles magazine for the last two years and at the NDR2012 he stood down. These are big shoes to fill. My name is Richard Sabiston and I have been a member of the club since Linda tapped (well actually hit) me on the helmet to tell me that I had a very nice Ducati and by the way, do you want to join the Ducati Owners Club. I had enough sense to say yes, or I would have had to face the barrage of logical arguments about the aforementioned Club. Joining the club has been the best thing I could have done after marrying my wife and then buying the Ducati. It provided me with a wealth of knowledge and like-minded individuals to help me with my bike. I have been a member of the club since 2007 and I have really enjoyed it. Linda, you are an inspiration to eve-rybody, but man you can talk the hind legs off a donkey. To all the members and family of members of the club, this is your magazine and I want this magazine to be something that you impatiently wait for at the letterbox (old school) or email inbox (new school). Therefore I want you to send in your articles for the magazine, it does not need about your Ducati trips through the Sahara (although this would be nice), it can be about a cafes that you stopped at while out for a ride, mo-torcycle gear or accessories that you think is fantastic - anything. The biggest news and now no longer a rumour is Audi AG has acquired from Investin-dustrial Group the tradition-steeped Italian sports motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Mo-tor Holding S.p.A. The Supervisory Boards of AUDI AG and Volkswagen AG approved the acquisition in Hamburg and has been authorized by the competition authorities. The other big news is that it is only a month or two before the new 1199 Panigale will hit our fair shores. It is another huge leap and I mean huge leap forward in technology and performance. The looks and the spec sheet is absolutely mind-blowing considering this is the biggest change since the Pantah in the late 1970’s. It is also the start of the new racing season, from MotoGP, SBK to local racing. Take the time to watch and more importantly attend the local racing to support the Ducati racers. They have taken the time and expense to bring the Ducati brand to the public and they need your admiration and support.

Cheers Richard

EDITOR’S SAY

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6 PRESIDENT’S PRATTLE

Well, what can I say! It's really great to be back at the helm of the Ducati Owners Club of New Zealand. Firstly let me say a big thank you to the outgoing committee. Without you guys the club wouldn't be in the position it's in today and for that we owe you a big thanks. The committee has gone through a few changes with Chris stepping down as president and also Nigel stepping down as Secretary. Thanks guys you've done a fantastic job. Nick thank you for all your continuing efforts as treasurer and for sticking with us and helping the committee function smoothly. Replacing Nigel in the secretary’s role is Brent (Molly) Meldrum. Thanks Molly, I'm sure we'll appreciate your skills as club secretary. The editor’s role has also changed and so I say a huge thank you to Jamie for the great magazines that you have produced over the last few years and welcome on-board Richard. To the whole committee new and existing, thank you, it's gonna be a great year and I'm looking forward to working with you all. The Year looks exciting with plans afoot to bring us together again, not too far away with another National Ducati Rally and Ducati Turismo. If you missed the National Ducati Rally held over the weekend before Easter at Hanmer Springs then you really missed a fantastic event. The weekend went as smooth as clockwork and was run so successfully with help of a fantastic team and also the support of the hotel. A special thanks goes to Steve Wynne a club member for sharing his photos and stories of the Mike Hailwood and Robert Holden racing era. The crowd where spellbound and speechless, it really was fantastic. Our other special guest Ian Falloon travelled across from Melbourne to share with us the history of Ducati, the people and the engines over the last few decades, up until now. Once again the crowd was awestruck, it was just like putting kids in front of a television. You guys were fantastic!

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Another thanks also to Warren Lee from NFI for sharing with us the details of the new Ducati Panigale and what is happening in Australia and New Zealand with Ducati. “The Heritage” Hanmer Spring, what a magnificent venue! The entire hotel was opened up to us, we had bikes, posters and banners throughout the inside and outside of the hotel. It really was a weekend to remember and we really made the Heritage our place. The NDR would not have been so successful without the wonderful assistance of the committee and the NDR team. Thanks guys! To all the members that made it to the AGM at NDR, thanks very much for coming, and thanks very much for the confidence in electing me back in as club president, I'm really looking forward to it and relishing the opportunity once again. Ciao

Greg

8 SECRETARY’S REPORT

Firstly I would like to advise it is with great sadness I have to announce the passing of two of our members this year who were both killed while doing what they were both passionate about in their own ways, riding Ducatis. One on the way to work, the other in a hill climb event. I will now call for a minutes silence for Mark Hutching and Malcolm Foster. I would like to thank everyone in the club for putting their faith in me as your club secretary I have enjoyed the last 12 months in the role and I trust I have lived up to your expectations. However I will be stepping down from this role s I am not able to do the job justice while working and living away from home dur-ing the week. The membership of the club for 2012 stands at 135, Life, Individual, Associated Club, NFI and Ducati SPa. This is down from 127 last year which tells me there are probably a lot of people here who haven’t paid this year I am able to ar-range a naming and shaming at dinner tonight if required. I thank you for your support over the last 12 months. Nigel

9 DUCATI BABY OUTFITS

My wonderfully gorgeous wife Eleanor gave birth to our second son Heath on the 28 March 2012 and it was a fantastic experience. Therefore I was sadly unable to attend the 2012 Ducati National Rally to physi-cally accept my role as the editor of the Desmophiles magazine - there are some things that take a back seat and this was one of them, but not for long. I was at Motomart the other day when Dave gave me a wink and passed me a Ducati two pack of one–piece baby outfits. There was no hesitation and my son was baptised into the Ducati family. I am really looking forward to getting him into the outfits and taking him down to the bike store. So if you think a family member or close friend would like one look on the Ducati website or contact your local Ducati dealer. Richard

10 848EVO TEST RIDE

The King is dead, long live the Prince - 996 vs 848EVO Test Ride The guys from Motomart asked me if I wanted to try the new Ducati 848VO, being the new editor of the Ducati Owners maga-zine (I have to have some perks to the job) so I said HELL YEAH. So I rode down on my highly polished and pampered 996. Getting on the 848 and having a ride, I came to the realisation that in many ways the 848 was my 996 in disguise, albeit new and improved, but the agility, power and fun factor were all there in spades. Supermodel looks Both the 996 and 848 bikes are beautiful, slim and very sexy, but you are going to have to cut them some slack on their bad habits: the 996 has a heavy dry clutch, the

mirrors are not completely useful, and my butt gets fried. The 848 was a little bit un-comfortable in the wrist department, well it is a superbike, but did I mention how beautiful they are? Staring at the 996, the design looks as fresh today as it did way back then. How-ever there is more to the Duck than good looks and that beauty is more than just skin deep on this latest 2011 848EVO. Now I'm no rich kid, but I honestly believe that the 848 EVO should be experienced at least once (or twice) in your motorcy-cling "career". If there's any way you can beg, steal or borrow the necessary dosh to buy this bike you owe it to yourself and your Karma to do so. Impartiality is really hard here. Both the 996 and 848 are just motorcycles after

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all... Or are they? One thing that stands out as soon as you start a relation-ship with your Ducati is the inability to keep a low profile. Quite simply, you can't. The cops, neighbours, other bike rid-ers, and even at stop lights car drivers too are latching on to these bikes. The 848 is not a practical two up bike. This is not a bike for anything less than close friends. Other motorcycle articles describe the pillion seat comfort as marginal, but bearable. You don't buy a bike like this to please a third party though. You buy it to scratch that certain itch for corners and acceleration. Power Plant and Clutch When starting the 996 (122hp (82.3 kW) @ 8500rpm and Torque 93 Nm @ 8000rpm) the bike up introduces you to all sorts of rattles and noises. The sound emanating from beneath you takes a little while to sound "normal". That chattering of the clutch although irritating to start with will sound like music the more you ride. Ducati owners tend to liberate even more sound from the clutch by opening it up to the cooling breeze with their slotted and carbon covers. This is another distinguish-able part of the Ducati identity. The 848

By Richard Sabiston

12 848EVO TEST RIDE—cont.

(Power at 140hp (103kw) @ 10,500rpm and Torque at 98Nm @ 9,750rpm) has a different sound that just seems to purr and when winding up the throttle you get a deep and powerful growl, which you keep doing again and again to get that wonder-ful sound. Pulling away on the 996 requires a little clutch slipping skill to cope with the gear-ing. You always get a little shudder through the lever, which is the product of the dry clutch. It isn’t something to be wor-ried about as they all seem to do it. The 848 is another beastie entirely, there is no such problem. The pull on the 848 is very "smooth and strong", especially on a deli-cate looking bike like this. Comfort and Aerodynamics The 996 and 848 are both a little bit un-comfortable in the wrist area, at low speeds, but this can be fixed with after-market bars to give you the right angle for your riding position. This would be high on my Ducati shopping list, together with the prerequisite truck load of carbon fibre from the Ducati catalogue. The front fairing for both bikes would seem to offer as much wind protection as tissue paper in a Wellington southerly, however it is a wind cheater at moderate speeds, even for a 5'11" athletic Ducati-phile like me. The dash on the 996 is the "old fash-ioned" analog style while the new 848 is digital with more information than you can shake a stick at, and can be seen very clearly, showing me the usual idiot lights with a handy low fuel light and a water temp gauge too. The fit and finish of the 848 was absolutely perfect from the front to the rear. I must have a duck seat

shaped butt, because I find the stock seat from both bikes to be pretty comfortable. The seats have no real pressure points for me and when at a standstill I can put both feet on the ground. If you are on the shorter side, you would probably need to use your tippy-toes or slide your behind over to get one foot flat on the ground. When attacking the corners I can slide with ease and its slab like look suits my riding style. Suspension Ducati did not skimp on the 996 or the 848 with both bikes being kitted out with Showa fully adjustable front and rear shock. The 848 has quality suspension and is surprisingly softly sprung consider-ing its track heritage and purposeful feel. The 848 especially responds to the twisties like the song “Pinball wizard” from The Who and feels safe and inspiring for lazy riders. I can't really begin to explain the telepathic feeling the way both Ducatis handle, but I'm going to try though. You feel exactly what the tires are doing, the available trac-tion left and the ability to alter your line with pinpoint accuracy. Chuck in a pair of titanium nitride coated 43mm forks and you can feel exactly what the front is up to and if you feel confident you ride better. Summary It's strange the effect that both bikes have on you. The 848 is a 996 in disguise in many ways, but the younger relative has greater agility, comfort, horsepower and torque on tap, without most of the 996 diffi-culties. The only thing I can say about the 848 is from a quote from the Borg on Star

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Trek “Resistance is futile”. This is one seriously good bike and should be experienced, if not bought. ALL HAIL THE PRINCE - FOR THE KING IS SOON TO ARRIVE.

14 PHILLIP ISLAND WORLD SUPERBIKES

Hamish and I recently had our annual trip to Phillip Island in Australia for the first round of the World Superbike Championship. Needless to say, we had a fantastic time. Our group of eight Kiwis flew into Melbourne on the Thursday morning and spent the day in and around the bike shops. It was supposed to be ten Kiwis, but the two flying out from Auckland missed their flight (long story, and it was not really their fault…). Two of our mates bought new helmets, and I managed to persuade Hamish to buy a new helmet too…an Arai Nitro Nori replica. It’s a lovely helmet and Hamish is really pleased with it. We always love spending time browsing the bike shops in Elizabeth Street, and the guys behind the counter always give us a good deal (probably because we spend so much money each year!) We picked up our final two mates at the airport mid afternoon. They’d got a later flight over, having paid through the nose as the airline they were originally booked on wouldn’t put them on another flight for free. We headed down to the Island, about two hours south of Melbourne city. We had a “people mover”

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were originally booked on wouldn’t put them on another flight for free. We headed down to the Island, about two hours south of Melbourne city. We had a “people mover” rental to take most of us, so it was a lot of fun being in a big group. We arrived at the track in time to pick up our tickets…it was very excit-ing to hand them out to the group, especially because four of them were “first timers” at the Island. We dined at Pinos Trattoria in Cowes on Thursday night, and saw several of the riders and teams in the township. It all adds to the atmosphere that you see them mixing with the public and the fans. We headed to the track bright and early Friday morning, after our traditional breakfast at “Mad Cowes” cafe on the Esplanade in Cowes. We go there every year and the owners know us well. The Australian Suzuki racing team came in and it was good to chat with them. We’d seen Josh Waters at a couple of the rounds last year on the Yoshimura Suzuki. He’s a very nice young man – though to be fair they are all nice guys. The weather started out rather cloudy and misty, but it soon burnt off to a fine day. Most of the group spent the day walking round the track and

By Linda Blair

JL

16 PHILLIP ISLAND WORLD SUPERBIKES—cont.

sussing out where to get good photos. I spent the day in between the pits and the corporate suite where we were based, up above the pit garages. It was very hot and the air conditioned suite held a certain appeal for me! It costs us about $1,000NZ each for the tickets but it was worth every cent just for the air conditioning alone.

I’d taken over a little gift for BMW rider Leon Haslam’s new arrival. Little Olivia May was now just 10 weeks old. One of my friends is very good at knitting, and using soft Merino wool had knitted a set of pink overalls with the BMW logo on the front, and Leon’s number “91” on the back. I found

Oli and Leon and gave them the gift – poor Leon was lying in bed resting the leg that had had the bone screwed in only 24

LB

JL

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hours before. Each year I buy the “Motocourse” book. It is a wonderful record of the previous MotoGP and World Superbike seasons. The photography is just superb. I’d taken the 2011 edition, which had only come into the stores a few days earlier, over with me, tagged with named stickies on all the pages with the good photos of the riders. I had quite a few comments from other fans that I was very or-ganized, but to me it was logical as it makes it so easy to find the rider’s photo quickly. They are busy guys and I don’t to keep them waiting while I find their photo. I traipsed around finding them one by one, and over the weekend I ended up with almost all the riders signatures. I also got lots of autographs from peo-ple like Jonathan Green and Steve Martin (our Sky commen-tators), Ronald Ten Kate, Jack Valentine, and some of the Aus-sie riders like Shawn Giles and Robbie Bugden. It was also lovely to catch up with some of the partners of the riders, Pippa (Eugene Laverty’s partner) and Manuella (Marco Melandri’s partner). They are so friendly and nice, and they remembered us from previous years. Manuella doesn’t speak much English, but Pippa chats away like we’re old mates. And Oli Haslam is always very friendly and chatty. I also had a quick chat with “Rocket Ron”, Leon’s Dad. Some of you will remember the days when he was one of the top GP riders. He’s a nice chap – very down to earth.

(Continued on page 26)

JL

18 NEW SECRETARY MOLLY’S SAY

Ciao ciao from your new Secretary! I’m stoked to be your new Secretary, and dealing with those that understands my obsession! I was there at the beginning of DOCNZ, and am member Nbr 003! Greg and I served on the committee of IMOC together in the same roles so it’s no great surprise to see us together again! To say I am passionate about Ducati would be the under-statement of the century, as the carpet in my living room would attest – it’s lucky old Ducatis don’t drip oil! I remem-ber the day I realised I was a Ducati nut, but I still don’t understand why. It was 1987 and I was in Wellington’s Capital Books browsing Alan Cathcart’s book ‘Ducati Mo-torcycles’, and spied a 1974 350 Desmo, I knew right then that I was hooked and had to have one – I bought my first Ducati in 1991 but managed to secure that 350 Desmo dream in 2005. Where do I start? Well firstly what an amazing time at NDR! The magnificent weather really was just the icing on the cake. My poor bike had been neglected for 18 months but was put back together a week before NDR and ran like a dream. The huge effort in organising and event of that magnitude it is not to be underestimated so well done to all involved. To have Ian Falloon and Steve Wynne there and having a great time really was the highpoint of the weekend. Can’t wait for the next one – next year! Richard has done a fantastic job with the magazine, and we’re so pleased with the re-sult that we thought we’d share it with you all in hard copy form this month. We are cer-tainly willing to send you an electronic copy in future should you wish, and if you do just send me an email at secretary@docnz or flick me a text 021 2803371 to let me know. We have also decided that even if your 2012 subs aren’t paid up (they expired 31 Jan) we’d still send you a magazine this month in the hope that you’d pay your subs for 2012 and continue to enjoy the benefits that a club of similarly afflicted souls brings. Here’s the subtle hint… if there’s a subscription form enclosed with your magazine then my records show you haven’t paid your subs. The hardest thing about being Secretary is keeping the membership numbers up so you’d be doing me a favour! I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the coming months Cheers! Brent (aka Molly)

19 TREASURER’S REPORT

Below is a summary of income and expenses for the period 1 November - 31 December 2011.

The months of November and December have been very good in respect of income for the Club, with NDR registrations rolling in plus early membership subs payments. As the closing date for NDR entries of 31 January approaches a lot more registrations are expected which will ensure that we have plenty of funds available to host the event. By the time you read this NDR and the AGM will be less than two months away so your secretary and I have prepared the following commentary on our finances for coming years. At the AGM this year we will need to consider a change to the way the membership fees are set. With many people opting to receive the magazine electronically the annual cost to print and distribute the magazine have fallen dramatically. Assuming 85 copies 6 times per year the annual cost to print and deliver the magazine will be approximately $4,500. The 85 copies include 30 sent to the dealers. Your treasurer has done a bit of number crunching and come up with the following proposition for the 2013 year:

Ordinary membership $55 single/$65 family (as voted for at the 2011 AGM)

Electronic magazine membership – $30 single/$40 family Based on the current % split of members opting to receive a hard copy of the magazine staying as per 2011 the amount we receive for subs will fall to a sustainable level of ap-proximately $6,500 p.a. and which will allow us to continue to arrange annual events such as Turismo and NDR. There will be a chance to discuss this and consider other options at the AGM. The above has been put together to give you all some basic information and so we hopefully will have an informed debate. In the meantime - keep the rubber side down.

Nick

Cheque account Savings account

Balances of accounts as at 31 Aug 2011 $ 2,860.85 $ 5,444.75

Less expenses for the period 1 Sep – 31 Oct 2011 $ (662.18) $ nil

Add income for the period 1 Sep – 31 Oct 2011 $ 1,950.00 $ 26.89

Closing Balances 31 Aug 2011 $ 4,148.67 $ 5,471.64

20 SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2012

February 26 Phillip Island, Australia

April 1 Imola, Italy

April 22 Assen, Netherlands

May 6 Monza, Italy

May 13 Donington, UK

May 28 Salt Lake City, USA

June 10 Misano, Italy

July 1 Alcaniz, Spain

July 22 Brno, Czech Republic

August 5 Silverstone, UK

August 26 Moscow, Russia

September 9 Nurburgring, Germany

September 23 Portimao, Portugal

October 7 Magny Cours, France

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Chris Marer - NCR New Blue

Ducati Powered

Craig Smith - 916 Foggy Rep

Superbike 851~998

Guy Brickman - 1198 Tricolour

Superbike 848~1198

Hamish Lamont - 750 Sport

Supersport 88~04

John Fraser - Sport Classic

Sport Classic/GT/Paul Smart

John Fraser - 200 Elite

Best in Show and Bevel Drive/Singles

NDR 2012 DUCATI NATIONAL RALLY AWARD PHOTOGRAPHS

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Tony Attewell - Black Diavel

Multi Strada/ST/Diavel

John Clayton - 750 Supersport 1974

Peoples choice

Keri Brickmann - M695

Monster 2 Valve

Nick Marer - Hypermotard

Hypermotard/Streetfighter

Stu Jordan - S4RS

Monster 4 Valve

Luke Van den Borst - 999R

Superbike 749~999

Photographs provided by Greg Monahan

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25 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2012

April 15 Doha, Qatar

April 29 Jerez, Spain

May 6 Estoril, Portugal

May 20 Le Mans, France

June 3 Montmelo, Catalunya

June 17 Silverstone, Great Britain

June 30 Assen, Netherlands

July 8 Sachsenring, Germany

July 15 Mugello, Italy

July 29 Laguna Seca, USA

August 19 Indianapolis, Indianapolis

August 26 Brno, Czech Republic

September 16 Misano, San Marino

September 30 Alcaniz, Aragon

October 14 Motegi, Japan

October 21 Sepang, Malaysia

October 28 Phillip Island, Australia

November 11 Valencia, Valencia

26 PHILLIP ISLAND WORLD SUPERBIKES—cont.

(Continued from page 17)

Saturday we started off again with breakfast overlooking the calm blue sea on the foreshore. It was a very hot day – we’re not used to such high tempera-tures where we live in Wellington. It got to 34 during the afternoon (though it felt a lot hotter than that!). We were treated to some good racing in the Austra-lian support classes, however the day was struck with tragedy mid afternoon when one of the Australian 600 Superstock riders, Oscar McIntyre, fell and suc-cumbed to his injuries during the race. Because of this the Superpole sessions were cancelled so the

grid for Sunday was somewhat different to what it would have been otherwise. When dining in Pino’s on Saturday evening we noticed that they sold Effenbert beer. We bought three bottles of it, and managed to get a carton which had been specially printed with Jakub Smrz and Sylvain Guintoli and their bikes featured on it. I love collecting mementoes from the racing, and if I can get them signed by the riders that’s even better.

Aaron Slight was dining there, so we caught up with him. John Woodley

JL JL

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(who some of you will remem-ber from his days here in NZ, racing RG500 GP bikes) was there as well – it was great to catch up with him for a good chin wag. He’s a lovely guy and still very fast on a bike when he gets out on the track. Sunday morning my first task was to find the three Effenbert riders. I was suc-cessful very early in the day and had Jakub, Sylvain and Maxime each sign one of the bottles, and all three signed my carton. We noticed the clear blade from Johnny Rea’s top fairing sitting on top of the rubbish bin. I asked one of the mechanics if it was being thrown out and he said indeed it was and we were welcome to have it. Within an hour we had managed to get Johnny, Hiroshi and Ronald ten Kate to sign it. We got settled in early on Sunday to watch the main races. All three races were very exciting – I won’t go into detail as I’m sure you’ve all watched them. My heart was in my mouth when Carlos fell at high speed in Race 1, and in

(Continued on page 29)

JL

JL

JL

28 1199PANIGALE DOCNZCLUB NIGHTS

DISCLAIMER Unless expressly stated, the opinions and comments in this newsletter are those of the contributors only, and are not club policy. Nor does the club guarantee any advertisers products or servicing suggestions

made. Although all material is checked for accuracy, no liability is assumed by the editor or DOCNZ.

Our Advertisers and Sponsors Support Us Support them and Support your Club

Whenever you see the services of one of our advertisers (and isn't that all the time?) let them know that

you saw the ad in DESMOPHILES. That way they will know that their advertising dollar is being spent

wisely. It will help your club, the service provider and above all it will help you (there may be a club mem-ber discount available).

Auckland Headquarters Restaurant and Bar, 132 Beaumont St, Westhaven

1st Wednesday of each month from 7.30pm

Hamilton Hamilton Motorcycle Centre, Te Rapa Road, Hamilton

3rd Tuesday of each month from 7.30pm

Wellington The Featherston Bar and Grill, Corner Featherston & Johnston Streets, Wellington

3rd Tuesday of each month from 6.00pm (although Lynda is usually there from about 5.15pm)

Nelson Verdict Bar, Bridge Street, Nelson

1st Tuesday of each month from 7.30pm

Christchurch Dux de Lux on Montreal Street. Start time 7.30pm—1st Tuesday of each month from

7.00pm

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Race 2 it was unbelievable that Max Biaggi could come from last to sec-ond after he’d overshot a corner on the first lap. We hung around the pits after the races had finished. I gave Gigi (Dall'Igna, Biaggi’s Team Manager) a big hug and congratulated him and the team on Max’s superb ride, and I gave Carlos a big hug and was lucky enough to be given one of his knee sliders from the big crash in race one. Sunday night we had an early night, and Monday morning we had our final breakfast at Mad Cowes. I bought another couple of t-shirts from the shops to bring home as gifts, then we headed back to Melbourne. We spent a few hours in the centre of town (a final check of the bike shops!) then dropped off the rental car at the airport and settled into our airport hotel for the night.

(Continued on page 30)

(Continued from page 27)

PHILLIP ISLAND WORLD SUPERBIKES—cont.

30 PHILLIP ISLAND WORLD SUPERBIKES—cont.

We arrived home on the Tuesday af-ternoon tired but very very happy. It’s not long to go now be-fore the sec-ond round at Imola on the 1

st of April.

The scene has been set for a very inter-esting season. I think Max will be a force to be reckoned with - his bike is very very fast. However, Carlos will be keen to keep his title…and with me being a Ducati girl he has to be my favorite. And

who knows how Johnny Rea, Tom Sykes and Jakub Smrz (among oth-ers) will go on the Northern Hemisphere tracks? Those with injury (so many of them!) have some time to heal and get back to full strength, so indeed things may be very different over the next few rounds. It’s not long now till our trip to the USA for the Salt Lake City round….I can’t wait!! Watch this space for a writeup/photos. Lynda Blair

JL

JL

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LB

JL

32 DIAVELCROMO

The flawless shine of the chromium-plated tank, which con-trasts starkly yet stylishly with the gloss black, gives the Diavel

real cult status. This vintage interpretation of Diavel style is completed by horizontal seat stitching and classic Ducati logos.

For more info go to www.ducati.com

33 MOTOGPDI SPAGNA

For more photographs of MotoGP go to www.ducati.com

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CLUBREGALIA

SALE NOW ON!!

Anyone interested please contact

secretary@docnz.co.nz

Due to the change of club logo we are selling off our collectable caps. T-shirts

are already sold out, so get your cap now!

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36 NDR 2012 PHOTOGRAPHS

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38 NDR 2012 PHOTOGRAPHS—cont.

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40 NDR 2012 PHOTOGRAPHS—Cont.

41 DOCNZ MEMBERSHIP FORM 2012

DUCATI OWNERS CLUB NEW ZEALAND I................................................................................................................................................................ [first name] [surname] of.............................................................................................................................................................. [postal address] [suburb / city] [postcode] ......................................................... .................................................................. [Home telephone] [Cell phone] I am happy to receive Ducati related emails Y/N ............................................................................................................................................ [email address - PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY] I hereby apply to the Ducati Owners Club New Zealand for membership. In the event of my admission as a member, I agree to abide by the Constitution and By-Laws of DOCNZ. Signature: .............................................................................. Date: ............................................. Payment Details: Membership fees ( please circle one) Full m/ship $50.00 or Family* m/ship $60.00 *Family membership - family members or partners living under same roof. Associate Membership (non Ducati Owner - no voting rights) Assoc. m/ship $50.00 You may include a cheque with the membership form, or you may pay by direct debit: if you wish to pay this way, the details are: DOCNZ National Bank-Palmerston North 06-0746-0276337-000 Note that you must still complete and post the membership form if you wish to pay this way. Please note that memberships expire on the 31st of January. Applications and renewals received between November and January are registered as a membership for the following year Particulars of motorcycle/s:

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[model and capacity] [year] [ Rego #]

________________________________________________________________ [model and capacity] [year] [Rego #]

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assoc. [make, model & capacity] [year] [Rego #] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Preferred method for receiving DESMOPHILES Club magazine: e version □ hard copy □ Please post to: Ducati Owners Club New Zealand. PO Box 91 612, Victoria St West, Auckland 1142, New Zealand

42

Cover photo: John Fraser’s 200 Elite by Greg Monahan Centre spread and NDR photographs: Wendy Brandon and Greg Monahan.

IF YOU'RE IN THE BUSINESS OF DUCATI MOTORCYCLES YOU MAY WISH TO REACH YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE THROUGH THIS SPECIAL INTEREST CLUB MAGAZINE

SIZE 1 ISSUE 3 ISSUES 6 ISSUES

1/8 page $15.00 $30.00 50.00

1/4 page $20.00 $35.00 $60.00

1/2 page $35.00 $70.00 $110.00

Full page $65.00 $110.00 $200.00

Payment is due at the time of placement of advert.

Club Classifieds

Free classified advertising for club members is available on the DOCNZ website. Registered users can surf to www.docnz.co.nz, click the Forums link, and use the Buy/Sell/Swap forum. If you have any queries or need help please email webmaster@docnz.co.nz.

Magazine Contributions should be sent to: The Editor

P.O.Box 6537 Marion Square

Wellington 6141 NEW ZEALAND

Email: editor@docnz.co.nz

Deadlines are the 1st February, April, June, August, October and December for issues due out towards the end of the month.

Display advertising is available for business – please contact the secretary. Rates above.

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