The Atlantic Motorsport Park is a twisting and bumpy technical track that stresses the suspension to the extreme. With the successful NCR-Ducati 848, work began to try to get the suspension dialed in early in order for the team to feel comfortable to start pushing the limits of the motorcycle and rider. NCR-Ducati factory riders Andrew Nelson and Valter Bartolini had smiles in their faces at some of the wild corners and heart stomping parts of the track. It was Valter?s first time on the track but he managed to turn the second fastest time with a 1:11.389 and Andrew toped the class with a blistering 1:09.695 which was over 2 seconds ahead of third place. Qualifying went very well for the team by securing pole and second place. Andrew topped the charts with a 1:09.277 and Valter second with a 1:10.631.

Race 1 was a heart breaker for the team since both riders got a good start but then Andrew?s shift lever broke after the first lap unfortunately leaving his bike in neutral. Had it broken when he was in second or third he could have nursed it to finish the race for points but it wasn?t the meant to be. Valter kept his eyes ahead and kept a safe distance ahead of second place finishing 9.7 second gap over second place Michael Leon (KTM) and 11.2 seconds ahead of third place Michael Ferrera (BMW).

Race 2 saw both riders get a good start with Michael Ferrera (BMW) with an early lead and Valter and Andrew in close pursuit. By the start of the second lap, Valter Bartolini took the lead and with Andrew sitting impatiently in third. By the third lap, Ndrew passed into second and the close team battle quickly had the riders distancing themselves away from the war for third behind them. By lap 7, Andrew passed his teammate for the lead and never looked back. Andrew broke the class track record with a 1:09.173 while Valter managed his series points and finished 2nd, 9.4 seconds ahead of third place Eric Beausejour. Valter commented that ?Andrew was riding very well this weekend and he was very fast in all areas of the track. I was happy with second and thought of the series points (translated)?. This leaves Walter Bartolini with 256 points, Andrew Nelson with 209 points, Dave Estok (Buell) 198, Michael Ferrera (BMW) 196, Darren James (Buell) 189 and Eric Beausejour (KTM) 181. With 50 points for a win, 4 points for pole and 2 points for leading the most laps, Walter has clinched the championship for NCR-Ducati leaving the final round to determine if the championship is won by Valter Bartolini or Andrew Nelson. The final round is on August 28-31 at Shannonville Motorsport Park in Shannonville, Ontario. Join us there for what will surely be an exciting time.

For more team information or to explore sponsorship and marketing opportunities, visit www.ducatiusa.com, www.ncrfactory.com or contact Joe Ippoliti at 613-936-3579 or Jim McKenna at 404-394-2094.

Pictures will be on-line soon!

It was an exciting weekend of racing at Mosport with two races for the Thunder Class of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship. For NCR-Ducati riders Valter Bartolini and Andrew Nelson it was a critical weekend in their quest for the championship. Bartolini was just coming back from a disappointing weekend in Calgary where a mechanical failure caused him to crash while teammate Andrew Nelson took the win and a lead in the championship.

Early testing showed Nelson with a comfortable one second lead in all practices and Bartolini in second or third position.

When the flag dropped in the first race, it was both Bartolini and Nelson that got a good start and quickly set a fast pace in the high 1:25’s and quickly broke away from the group of riders behind. Nelson grabbed the lead and got into a rhythm while checking that Bartolini was out of his slip stream at all times.
Andrew Nelson first broke the class track record with a 1:25.141 and then on the last lap, Valter Bartolini made a surprising pass in turn 8 to take the lead. The surprised Nelson kept his composure and made a inside pass in the last turn to win the race by 0.003 seconds - a photo finish!! Valter broke the lap record with a 1:24.897 in his last lap. Exciting stuff!!

The second race was run in wet conditions and saw all teams running strong in the changing conditions. It was a sign of things to come as pole sitter Andrew Nelson pointed at his bike after the warmup lap. When the flag dropped, Valter Bartolini and Dave Estok on his Buell that took an early lead with Darren James (Buell), Michael Ferrera (BMW) and Andrew Nelson in close pursuit. By lap 3, Bartolini took the lead and started his Supermotard wet riding style sliding it into turns as needed. By the fourth lap, Andrew’s bike stopped running with what ended up being water in the computer and putting him out of the race. Valter kept up the pace and took the win and a lead in the championship.

That leaves Valter Bartolini - NCR-Ducati with 157 points, Andrew Nelson- NCR-Ducati with 155, Dave Estok - Buell with 140, Darren James - Buell with 137 and Michael Ferreira - BMW with 126 and Micheal Leon and Erik Beausejour - both with KTM with 112 and 110 points respectively.

The NCR-Ducati team looks forward to the next round in Schuberacadie, Nova Scotia on August 8-10th. Join us then!!

Thanks to Steve Hicks and Elvio Valente for their help.

For more information, contact Joe Ippoliti at www.ncrfactory.com or Jim McKenna at www.ducatiusa.com

Calgary, Alberta- Monday, June 30, 2008- The NCR-Ducati travelled across to Alberta for the second round of the Parts Canada Thunder Championship.

Early testing showed that the NCR-Ducati 848 was able to handle the numerous bumps and holes of the Race City Motorsport Park.

Saturday morning practice showed that Andrew Nelson managed the best time of the morning with a 1:19.972 with Valter Bartolini close behind with a best of 1:20.170. Darren James on of the first of the 1125R Buells in third with a 1:22.170 and Davve Estok with a 1:22.193.

Under a beautiful sunny sky, Andrew managed to win pole position with Valter in the second slot.

The race saw a great start by Valter and local ace Chad Pasowisty shooting towards the front while Andrew stumbled momentarily and found himself 5th in the first turn. The previous lap record was quickly broken by the new Thunder Class while Valter Bartolini was leading with an incredible 1:19.362 but it was Andrew Nelson with a 1:19.093 that was on a quick pursuit to pass Chad and to then hunt down the leading Valter Bartolini. Andrew quickly set an incredible pace because he didn’t want Valter to pull away while Andrew battled to get by Chad. Andrew set the days best time but had plenty in reserve to do better if needed. By the half way point of the 16 lap race, the trio of Ducati’s of Valter, Andrew and Chad were pulling away from the field. Valter and Andrew were setting up for the much anticipated battle of the NCR-Ducati teammates but then on the 10th lap, Valter was setting up to do his usual rear end slide into the bumpy left hander after the “Bus-Stop” when his engine locked up and pushed him off the course and onto the grass when he managed to slide off before the tire barrier. Thankfully, he only sustained a sprained ankle during his off-road excursion. Andrew saw the whole event unfold before him but kept his eyes on the task at hand and continued to put down some very fast laps while staying just far enough ahead of Chad in order not to be drafted by him down the longest straight of the series.

Andrew finished first, 2.5 seconds ahead of second lace Chad Pasowisty and 25 seconds ahead of Dave Estok.

This leaves Andrew Neslon with a series lead for NCR-Ducati. Next round is in three weeks at the double header at Mosport Ontario. Join us there for what will surely be an exciting time.

For more team information or to explore sponsorship and marketing opportunities, visit www.ducatiusa.com, www.ncrfactory.com or contact Joe Ippoliti at 613-936-3579 or Jim McKenna at 404-394-2094.

Calabogie, Ontario. NCR-Ducati Team completed the first round of the Canadian Thunder Championship with an impressive first and second place finish on the new Ducati 848. The Thunder Championship is a very competitive class which includes the New Buell 1125R, the KTM Super Duke R 990 and the new BMW HP2 Sport. The Ducati has a significant displacement disadvantage but yet is able to show the refined package that it is, start out of the box. Factory riders Valter Bartolini from Imola, Italy and Andrew Nelson from Kars, Ontario spent valuable time to set-up the razor sharp handling to the new flowing and demanding Calabogie Circuit in Ontario, Canada. On Thursday, lap times started with a best of 1:14.262 for Valter and 1:14.575 for Andrew. The team worked hard on power delivery and suspension changes and were able to drop the lap times to 1:11.730 for Valter and 1:12.235 for Andrew by Sunday morning practice.

In parallel, NCR-Ducati entered a third bike based on a Ducati Paul Smart Sport Classic 1000. The concept was to use the Paul Smart as a starting point and build a NCR New Blue replica using all the factory goodies to enter the ST Class (air cooled). Guy Martin from MBP professionally built the replica in record time to enter the first round. The motorcycle was ridden by Patrick Chartrand for the first time on Thursday and started with laps in the 1:22 range but then was able to drop the times to a very respectable 1:16.799 by Sunday morning. Unfortunately, suspension changes before the race slowed Patrick down for the main event.

The Thunder race was amazing in that NCR-Ducati had both pole and second position on the starting grid. Valter got an amazing start while Andrew got and average launch and found himself behind the Buell 1125R Floridian rider Dave Estok. Andrew didn’t want Valter to get away so he worked hard to pass Dave in the second lap. By then, Valter had set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:10.805 and was slowly pulling ahead. The race ended with NCR-Ducati’s Valter Bartolini in first, NCR-Ducati’s Andrew Nelson 4.4 seconds back in second place and Buell’s Dave Estok 14.2 seconds back in third.

The new NCR packages for the 848 are available on the market, so do not hesitate to contact us or to visit our www.ncrstore.com web site.

The NCR-Ducati team looks forward to the next round in Calgary on June 26-29th. Join us then!!

For more information, contact Joe Ippoliti at www.ncrfactory.com or Jim McKenna at www.ducatiusa.com

Successful week of testing for the NCR-Ducati Canadian Thunder team. Canadian, Andrew Nelson shook off his winter rust with two days of testing at Jennings, Florida. A lot of work was done with the fine tuning the suspension and mechanical set-up of the new Ducati 848 motorcycle. The Bologna based NCR Factory technical crew chief Fabrizio Fontana was flown in for the week of testing. Fabrizio was very happy with the progress that Andrew made in the development of the overall set-up of the motorcycle. Early testing showed that the lap times were dropping quickly by focusing on the balance of the motorcycle. The engine was left stock for preliminary testing since it already is approaching the horsepower limit of the Parts Canada Canadian Thunder Class. Lap times were approaching the 1:20 mark and then quickly dropped with consistent laps in the 1:18’s with a best of 1:18.220. With testing at Jennings complete, the team packed up and quickly set off for Barber Motorsport Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

The goal at the AMA Formula Extreme Class was to use the limitations of the Parts Canada rules in a class that has a lot of flexibility such as slicks and unlimited horsepower. The NCR-Ducati 848 used DOT Street tires and a stock engine to compete in the field of 43 riders. Early testing had Andrew lapping in the 1:33 range and then improved lap times to the low 1:30’s and also qualified 14th. Not bad for street tires and a stock engine!! The start of the race saw a multiple hop start as Andrew attempted to adapt to the torque of a twin. Even Andrew found it funny but it put him little further back than what he would have liked for such a competitive class. He found himself in 18th place and had his work cut out for him. He slowly chipped away one rider at a time and finished the race in 12th position. An excellent result for early spring testing.

Now the focus is on completing the NCR-Ducati 848 package in time for the first round at Calabogie Motorsports park in Calabogie, Ontario on May 23-25th where Italian Valter Bartolini will be joining in the fun. Join us in what will certainly be an exciting year for NCR-Ducati and the parts Canada Canadian Thunder Class.

For more info, contact Jim McKenna at Ducati North America www.ducatiusa.com or Joe Ippoliti at NCR www.ncrfactory.com

The NCR-Ducati team will have two veteran racers on board campaigning the series. The 2007 European Supertwins Champion, Valter Bartolini, will race alongside Canadian racing sensation Andrew Nelson—who won the Canadian RACE 600 Championship and finished a close 2nd in the Canadian RACE Superbike Championship last year. They will be on board the new Ducati 848 Superbike, which will be prepared by NCR.

The team will be managed by Joe Ippoliti, COO of NCR, who commented “It will be a unique opportunity for NCR and Ducati to work together again in campaigning the Canadian Thunder Championship. The 848 is a fantastic bike to base a race platform on and we look forward to putting together an exciting new team while developing new technology and parts for the 848. We invite Ducatisti to join us in the pits at the Canadian National series as well as select AMA and European events. We look forward to a successful season.”

Ducati North America’s CEO Michael Lock commented, “Ducati and NCR share a rich heritage and frequent collaboration. We are very excited about this latest racing venture, which combines the class-leading attributes of the new 848 Superbike and NCR’s undoubted talents in extracting maximum performance while minimizing mass. We are also delighted to be working together in Canada—Ducati’s fastest-growing market in the world.”

“This is a great development,” says Jim McKenna, Canadian National Sales and Marketing Manager, “When Joe first approached me over the winter about doing this project with the 848 Superbike I knew there had to be a way to make this happen. You combine our history with NCR, their skills and professionalism, undeniable potential of the new 848 and the European flair NCR will bring to the show; it should really help put the Parts Canada Superbike Series and especially Canadian Thunder on the map. We should have a great season of road-racing in Canada this year and I invite all Ducati fans and supporters to come out and see us at the track.

For more team information or to explore sponsorship and marketing opportunities, contact Ducati North America or visit www.ncrfactory.com.

For more championship information visit www.cdnsuperbike.com.

NCR will attend at the 6th International Luxury Show that will be held in Vicenza from the 7th to the 9th and from the 14th to the 16th of March.

At the hall B, stand 22, will be displayed all the NCR motorycles: MILLONA, NEW BLUE, LEGGERA and also MACCHIA NERA!

A very exclusive event to admire the luxury on two wheels of NCR.

For more info: www.luxuryyachts.it

After a phenomenal 2007 season, NCR and Bartolini will continue to work together in 2008. We have won the 2007 European Supertwins Championship, the 2007 Italian Supertwins Championship and the 2007 Sound of Thunder in Daytona.

The development will continue on the Millona and New blue but will now also include the brand new Leggera as well as new projects presently under development.

The NCR Leggera, NCR’s first street legal motorcycle, has undergone significant testing with amazing results!

Join us in cheering Bartolini and NCR in the new season. It will be exciting!!

The NCR Corse division was established in 2006 with the goal to test and develop new NCR models and special parts on the track in order to further enhance Ducati performance.

The 2007 season has been full of success and great moments:

- Champions in DAYTONA! Valter Bartolini has won the Sound Of Thunder at Daytona while setting a track record in the Battle of Twins race with a 1:45.4! In the Battle of Twins race, Larry Pegram and Nick Ienatsch gathered third and fifth position on NCR New Blues.

- Champions in ASSEN 2007! Valter Bartolini won the Battle of the Twins clss and achieved third position in the Sound of Thnder in the open class.

- Champions in Ducati Speed Week! Valter Bartolini won three races during the big event at Pannoniaring and also fought a strong battle in the Open Superbike Class against the Yamaha R1 Superstock riden by F. Pellizzon. Valter won while setting a incredible time of 1:57.4!

- Champions in the 85th Loudon Classic in the USA! This longest running race event in America was the place where the Millona One Shot ridden by Eric Wood won the Supertwins class while smashing the air cooled track record by 1.8 seconds with a 1:12.85!

- Champions in Two Races in the R.A.C.E. Heavyweight Class in Canada! Here the NCR Millona had to compete against Superbikes and watercooled 4 valves and managed to break the track record in almost every one of the six rounds.

- Champions of the Italian Supertwins Championship: NCR has won the Italian Supertwins Team championship thanks to Valter Bartolini (MILLONA FACTORY 07) and thanks to the NCR CORSE gentleman riders Fabrizio Tinti (MILLONA ONE SHOT), Enrico Martini (MILLONA ONE SHOT), Alessandro Sellone (MILLONA FACTORY 05) and Giancarlo Castelli (MILLONA S).

- Champions of the European Supertwins Championship! NCR Corse and Valter Bartolini have won the championship aboard the NCR Millona Factory in a very decisive way to demonstrate supremacy across Europe! NCR, at the end of the season, put four MILLONA motorcycles in the top ten!

A big thanks to the team, the riders, the fans and the supporting sponsors, in particular: POGGIPOLINI TITANIUM, BAP, NUOVAMACUT, ZARD, PANTA and BST.

From 2004 to today, NCR has won in 28 out of 40 races entered with 35 podiums and only on retirement due to mechanical problems.
In 2005 NCR has won the Italian Supertwins Championship as well as the Ducati Desmo Challenge.
In 2007, NCR has won the European Supertwins Championship.

At the EICMA Motorcycle show in MIlan this year, NCR introduced its very first street legal motorcycle, the NCR Leggera.

The motorcycle evolved from the Ducati Hypermotard through endless changes to every detail of the motorcycle through the use of ultra modern technologies and components such as a titanium frame weighing just 4.8 kg (10.6 lbs), a ultralight titanium subframe weighing just 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs), quality Ohlins suspension components, carbon fiber wheels, amazing brakes and a full titanium/carbon exhaust.

The Result: Base model at 90 Hp and 157 kg (345 lbs) - The NCR Leggera

Also introduced in Milan this year is the NCR Corse 1200cc racing engine with 132 Hp and a further weight reduction of the NCR Leggera to 140 kg (308 lbs). NCR always brings excitement to Ducatisti!!!

You can configure your own NCR Leggera at our site at http://www.ncrfactory.com/eng/html/19.00.shtml

For people looking to customize their own Ducati Hypermotard, check our our store at www.ncrstore.com for a complete inventory of high tech parts to create your own version of the NCR Leggera.

Even the NCR Corse 1200cc racing engine will be available to transform your air cooled Ducati into a high performance beast!!