I started my interview with Ducati's Product Director, Claudio Domenicali, by confessing my lack of formal interview experience.

Thanks Dean!, What do you have planned for me next?

Q: Mr. Domenicali, could we start with your giving us some background for you here at Ducati?

A: Yes, I will start with 1991 where I first served as the Project Manager for the Super- Mono.

By 1994 my title changed and I was given the title of Chief Design Engineer for all of Ducati Motorcycles.

In 1999 my position was elevated to CEO and in 2004 Corse was created, a special group within Ducati for which I became solely responsible. My focus here at this time was purely racing.

In 2005 I moved from my position within Corse racing, to my current title of Product Director, where I immediately assumed total responsibility for all of Ducati's products and product development.

Q: So with this current title, what roll or responsibility do you have now which you did not have in the past?

A: In simple terms, I'm responsible for all of the motorcycle products Ducati produces and must insure that the machines we make will be successful, both on a top performance level as well as value.

"Ducati spends a lot of money racing. Racing is about spending, while our production based street motorcycles are about earning. We spend in racing and as a result earn with our production equipment, the two are separate but require each other to exist. "

Q: In other words, The buck stops at your desk?

A: Exactly!

Q: In your position of Product Director for all Ducati Motorcycles, can you reveal any of your future goals for the company?

A: My focus is to further strengthen the world's perception of Ducati, ultimately making "Ducati Motorcycles recognized as the Premiere Sporting Brand of motorcycle made in the entire world."

Q: Ok, to do this, what is, or will be different in your company's approach to product development?

A: Since I have a very strong involvement in Corse and racing, the approach I took with the 1098 (and will continue to use) was to make full use of the best existing knowledge and resources I had available within the entire company. What this means is it was possible for me to move key personnel from the Corse racing into other departments and many of which I assigned to the 1098 project.

Q: How did people feel about this, was it viewed as a demotion of sorts going from the pinnacle of Moto GP and WSBK motorcycle racing, dealing with these technologies and now being moved to the development of what is basically a street based superbike?

A: No, everyone was happy to be involved with the 1098 project as they realized the importance of the project for the company as a whole. With their involvements I really wanted to take advantage of their racing related know-how and expertise. On their part there was never any question, we were all aware how important the new motorcycle is to Ducati and its future success ultimately as it relates to the prosperity of the company.

I think everyone at Ducati realizes that if the products we make are a success, the company as a whole will prosper. My goal is for this prosperity to then be shared by all of Ducati's personnel with things like profit sharing, job security and company longevity, things which ultimately benefit our customers as well.

Q: Who then did you take from Corse to contribute to the 1098 project?

A: Many people contributed, but some of the key people that worked closely with the development of this project were Troy's race engineer, Ernesto Marelli, Moto GP tester Vitorrio Guareschi and Niccoli Canepa.

Q: As an accomplished engineer, what do you think you bring to the development table for this, as well as future ideas for Ducati motorcycles?

A: I really love to ride and test myself. Today you may see me on the track out there with you. I feel nothing can be a substitute for an actual seat-of-the-pants impression; you must really experience this feeling yourself to understand what you are developing and really the differences between this and other machines.

Q: You seem to use comparison as a tool, what else did, or do you ride?

A: I ride everything I can; including as many of the competitions motorcycles as possible. I try to compare how they work and relate this performance to our product.

Q: Ultimately then, how would you equate or compare Ducati's involvement in racing worldwide with the latest street bikes like the 1098? Obviously the street going machines continue to evolve and become more advanced technologically.

A: Obviously Ducati is heavily involved in racing and it is very important to us. We are using the knowledge that we gain from racing to help us develop our motorcycles like the one you are riding today. For me personally I view product development as a very exciting challenge. With product development we are taking knowledge gained from racing and now applying them directly to develop our new and specialized motorcycles. With the 1098 one of our most important tools was the stopwatch, it played a big part in the development of the motorcycle. If a part didn't help the motorcycle perform better on the stopwatch, we didn't use it.

Q: So how do would you compare Ducati's racing involvements with the budgets needed to produce new or future street bikes like the 1098? (Ok stupid question. But at this point I was running out of ideas and our next session was fast approaching. Our very tolerant host had a great answer)

A: Ducati spends a lot of money racing. Racing is about spending, while our production based street motorcycles are about earning. We spend in racing and as a result earn with our production equipment, the two are separate but require each other to exist.

Q: Mr. Domenicali, you stated in our pre-ride introduction that the 1098 we will soon experience was the result of much development work, with critical attention given to every detail. If the parts were not an improvement, then they were not used on the 1098. Every effort was made to make this production motorcycle the best possible. During your speech, I could not help but pose the mental question, if this is the case, what will Ducati change to improve this model in the future?

Previous Claudio Domenicali: 2005--Checa Visits Ducati 2003--Interview

A: At Ducati we are not only limiting our total approach to the development of pure sportbikes. With the process of true evolution we are already looking forward. The way I see it, for me the analogy I will give for product development would be that you must always look forward and further ahead, as you would in locating the next apex.

With Ducati and Moto GP, the steps and processes of evolution are huge. You can expect the knowledge we are gaining now to take at least 4 years to materialize in the technology of our street bikes, but it will!

Soup's response, "And we can't wait!"