SECOND ROUND OF MONSTER CHALLENGE COMPLETE, NEXT STOP LONG BEACH Cupertino, CA December 7th, 2005 – Monsters were out in force this past weekend in Seattle, as 10 extraordinary motorcycles vied for bragging rights as best of show in the second round of the Ducati Monster Challenge. When the dust cleared, two exquisitely prepared Monsters squared off in a Clash of the Titans reminiscent of the fictional battles between King Kong and Godzilla! In the closest margin of victory of any round of The Monster Challenge, Steve Fowler’s glitzy ’04 Monster S4R eked out the narrowest of victories over Lance Coffel’s exotically prepped ’95 Monster 900, earning Fowler the title as owner of the “Baddest” Monster in the Pacific Northwest. Fowler, a Microsoft executive, and Coffel, a former body builder from Lake Oswego, OR, both earned praise from the three-judge panel, as did the other entrants. One judge, Lee Parks, a moto-journalist, author, riding school owner and 2001 WERA National Endurance Champion, said he was “Incredibly impressed how each bike showed off the personality of the owner, yet still retained the character of the Monster.” The dozen entered Monsters were judged in four categories; engine and suspension modifications, overall quality of workmanship, visual impact and creativity. A maximum of 10 points can be awarded to each bike in each category, and at the final tally Fowler’s machine squeaked out a scant three point victory, 107 total points to 104. Eric Schroeder brought his ’04 Monster 1000S to Seattle from Monroe, WA, and finished third with 99 points. Fowler’s S4R had literally been taken apart bolt-for-bolt, and almost all parts were polished to mirror finish before reassembly, contrasting dramatically with the glossed black body, ceramic coated exhaust and headlight lifted from a Harley V Rod. “This bike just dares one to try to tame it,” said Fowler. I’m especially fond of the V rod headlight and the custom bracket we made allowing it to be mounted. I call it the Black Diamond and I believe it lives up to its name. I was very impressed with Lance’s bike, and feel very fortunate to have won,” he added. Coffel’s ’95 M 900 featured an extremely well finished, painted frame coupled with an intricate “Monster” tank lettering that housed numerous pictures of glaring-eyed beasts. It was the crowd favorite, inching out Fowler’s bike in the public voting. Points were awarded to the “People’s Choice” winning bike and added to the total of the points awarded by the judges. “We spent more than 50 hours just on smoothing out the welds in the frame, doing the custom ‘Monster’ lettering and striping. It’s an old bike, and I had a lot of fun putting it together. The judges had a hard job, but I think they got it right. Steve’s bike was very well done,” commented Coffel. Moto Euro magazine editor Larry Williams also served as a Challenge judge, and credited all entrants with producing well-prepared, creative examples of the venerable Monster. “All the owners managed to present an eye catching bike, but did so in a way that kept the machine functional. It was very hard to pick a winner, but I gave the nod to the winner (Fowler) because I thought he did the most complete job. These were all great bikes,” Williams said. Schroeder’s creatively painted and very clean ’04 1000 S scored well with both the public and judges in chalking up a close third place finish. “I really like the paint on my bike, and my idea in building it was to pay tribute to the Desmo heritage of Ducati and follow the organic lines of the bike,” said Schroeder. His bike is also a daily rider, and he’s logged more than 9,000 miles on his Monster since he bought it this past March. Fowler’s victory earns him a slot in the National Finals of the Monster Challenge, where the winning bikes in the remaining seven rounds of the event will join him. The next Monster Challenge will be held this weekend, December 9-11 in Long Beach, CA, at the Long Beach Convention Center. Other rounds of The Challenge will be held in San Jose, Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Montreal. A 2006 Monster S2R 1000 will be awarded to the overall winner of the Monster Challenge, while the overall Second Place finisher will be flown to a round of Moto GP and a $1,000.00 Ducati Performance gift certificate awaits the Third Place finisher. For more information on the Monster Challenge, please visit www.ducatiusa.com. Founded in 1926, Ducati builds racing-inspired motorcycles characterized by unique engine features, innovative design, advanced engineering and overall technical excellence. Ducati has won eleven of the last thirteen World Superbike Championship titles and more individual victories than the competition put together. The Company produces motorcycles in five market segments which vary in their technical and design features and intended customers: Superbike, Supersport; Monster, Sport Touring and Multistrada. The Company’s motorcycles are sold in more than 40 countries worldwide, with a primary focus in the Western European and North American markets. For more information about the Company, please visit our web site at www.ducatiusa.com.