From a press release issued by Ducati North America:

DUCATI.COM WINS WWW 2004 AWARD

Ducati website receives prestigious first place honours in the automotive category of awards presented by the renowned Italian publishing group “Il Sole 24 ORE”

The strong support of its fan community helped Ducati lift the coveted WWW 2004 award in the ‘Automotive’ category, assigned by Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 ORE to the best and most popular websites in the country. Ducati’s website not only crossed the line ahead of stiff opposition from the likes of Ferrari, Aprilia, BMW Italia, Alfa Romeo and Toyota Motor Italia but was so far ahead of its adversaries that it actually reached 10th position in the overall competition.

The WWW award has been presented since 1998 as nationwide recognition for the creativity and functionality of Italian websites and is sponsored by the Italian Minister for Innovation and Technology. The Il Sole 24 ORE, which publishes the most important financial paper in Italy and one of the most relevant in Europe, is a vital source of information in the economic and financial world with more than 50 publications, a huge network of international reporters, 13 offices in Italy and 8 worldwide.

Websites were voted for by the general public online on www.ilsole24ore.com or by SMS and a jury composed of well-known Italian press, finance and technology personalities chose the winners from the five highest voted websites in each of the nine categories. A special award was reserved to the best voted website overall, and several other awards were presented for graphics and usability. Nielsen//NetRatings, a Nielsen company specialising in Internet and digital media measurement and analysis, certified the voting.

“We are extremely proud of this achievement,” commented Ducati.com’s General Manager Patrizia Cianetti. “It really shows the support that we receive from our passionate fan community and, at the same time, the award is a tribute to Ducati’s bravery and wisdom in creating such a powerful Internet presence.”

Relaunched in 2000, the Ducati website currently attracts more than 1.2 million unique visitors every month, downloading over 10 million pages. Boasting 15 gigabytes of data, texts and images, the website offers complete information on the current Ducati motorcycle range, 24/7 coverage on its racing activities in both national and world championships and news on events within the Ducati community and clubs worldwide.

The website also offers information on the company and its remarkable heritage, on its dealer network and subsidiaries via several localised websites, and general information and services aimed at motorcyclists or “would-be bikers”. The catalogue in its online shop details over 2,000 Ducati-branded products such as apparel, accessories and merchandise, available for online or offline purchase. The site’s visitors come from the US (40%), Europe (35% – with Italy highest) and Japan and Australia leading all other online nations.

Ducati.com partners that have contributed to its success are E-TREE, Etnoteam, I.Net, Miguel Sal&C., Almaweb and Studio Zac.

Founded in 1926, Ducati builds racing-inspired motorcycles characterized by unique engine features, innovative design, advanced engineering and overall technical excellence. 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 60 countries worldwide, with a primary focus in the Western European, Japan and North American markets. Ducati has won thirteen of the last fifteen World Superbike Championship titles and more individual victories than the competition put together. For more information about the Company, please visit our web site at
http://www.ducati.com