World Ducati Week was at Misano last week.

The sixth edition of World Ducati Week, the massive event that unites and excites the Ducati community, has finished after four incredible days with a record-breaking attendance of 60,000 motorcyclists.

Held at the Misano World Circuit on the Adriatic Riviera, the celebration – entitled the ‘Red Planet Returns’ – ran in soaring temperatures from Thursday, 10 June to Sunday, 13 June to become one of the best ever in the event’s history.

While Italian Ducatisti made up 60 percent of the total attendance at WDW2010, the remaining passionate Ducati fans travelled from 28 nations and five continents to underline the huge international appeal of the Ducati brand.

Owners from Europe, USA, Australia, Russia and India, united with those from Brazil, China, Malaysia and even Gabon and Nepal to celebrate their shared passion and loyalty to the Ducati brand.

Four sun-drenched Ducati days peaked on Saturday, 12 June when the full program of events climaxed in a spectacular knock-out drag race competition that featured Ducati MotoGP and Superbike team riders aboard asphalt-ripping Ducati Streetfighters.

True to form, the eight riders – Franco Battaini, Troy Bayliss, Shane Byrne, Carlos Checa, Michael Fabrizio, Noriyuki Haga, Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner – put on a fantastic show from the moment they left the pit garages, playing to the crowds that filled Misano’s paddock terraces.

World Superbike Ducati Xerox Team rider Haga won the photo-finish final, just fractions of a second ahead of American former MotoGP Champion and current Ducati MotoGP Team rider Hayden, with Aussies Bayliss taking third and Stoner fourth.

Immediately after the all-star drag race, the riders joined Ducati’s top management – Gabriele Del Torchio, Claudio Domenicali and Filippo Preziosi – on stage before a stunning light and sound show pushed the evening’s excitement even further into the red.

The packed four-day program provided both entertainment and interaction for the 60,000 visitors, including events on the track and courses in the “Ducati University” presented by Ducati engineers, riders and managers from the Bologna-based manufacturer.

There are Ducatis galore at WDW, as you'd expect!

While the Mangusta helicopter aerobatics display provided an incredible show in the air, stunt shows, vintage bike shows, motocross freestyle displays, dragsters and race track demonstrations by the Ducati Xerox Team provided the same on the ground. The event also staged concerts by four Ducati Bands, chosen from a list of local artists submitted by Ducatisti in the run-up to the event.

The massive WDW event has now become so big, it attracts sponsors and partners happy to associate their name and image in such a dynamic environment. In addition to the Generali group, who already enjoy the prestige of being a Ducati MotoGP Team sponsor, AMG-Mercedes also took the opportunity to use the event for the presentation of their new Mercedes SLK ‘Naked’, a model inspired by the Ducati Monster, the icon of naked motorcycles.

Other significant brand names and companies involved in the success of WDW2010 included, Finance Planet Compass, who are part of the Mediobanca group and provided individual financial consultation for those wishing to buy their dream Ducati.

Italian displayed and provided a testing area for their range of new Ducati licensed electric bicycles including the ‘Ducati City Pearl’ and NCR presented their stunning new ‘NCR Millona 16’ alongside a range of NCR Ducatis and special parts produced in sophisticated materials such as titanium and carbon.

Taft, a dynamic range of Testanera professional hair products, organised a competition called ‘Style ‘n’ GO!’, while Toshiba presented the ‘Ducati Edition’ range of laptops and video cameras.

Cartorama, the Italian leader in the field of stationery and school items, and Colombini, Italy’s largest producer of children’s furniture both displayed their ‘Ducati range’ of products alongside KeyLine SpA, the leader in key-making technology, and DHL the world-famous package delivery service.

While WDW was entertaining people in Misano, Italy, the rest of the world enjoyed a virtual WDW online by connecting to the official website www.wdw2010.ducati.com, where more than 200 official photographs and 30 videos were uploaded in real time from the event.

During the four days of WDW, a record 400,000 visits were also recorded on Ducati’s official Facebook page and over 60,000 people watched the action moment-by-moment by viewing videos on Ducati’s YouTube channel, making it the world’s most followed automotive channel that week.

WDW record-breaking numbers over four days:

• 60,000 visitors!

• 38 million km covered by Ducatisti in order to reach Misano – 80 times the distance between the earth and the moon!

• 21,000 traditional ‘piadinas’ eaten!

• 1.2 tons of sausages eaten!

• 8,600 litres of cold drinks and over 50,000 litres of mineral water consumed!

• 56,000 photographs taken by staff photographers!