Need a quick hit of motorcycle news, but don't have a lot of time? Don't worry, RideApart has got you. Welcome to Speed Reads, our new roundup of bite-sized stories we thought you might find interesting. We'll skip the long-winded intro and get right to the good stuff.
Ducati to celebrate all of its 2023 racing successes with Campioni in Festa event in Bologna in December
If you'll be in Bologna, Italy on Friday, December 15, 2023, then you may want to make your way to the Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Rino at around 8 p.m. As with previous Ducati celebrations of its racing championships in recent years, admission will be completely free of charge, so you'll probably want to get there early.
Naturally, plenty of your Ducati racing favorites from MotoGP, World Superbike, and World Supersport will be there. Francesco Bagnaia, Álvaro Bautista, Nicolò Bulega, Jorge Martín, and Marco Bezzecchi are all on the list of guests of honor. Expect to see other Ducati luminaries like Claudio Domenicali and Luigi 'Gigi' Dall'Igna as well. There will also be a DJ, so come prepared to dance the night away.
The Italian Motorcycle Federation announced the 2024 Italian National Motocross Championship calendar, so here's when we can expect to see Ducati's MX bike race for the first time
The top two dates on the calendar are international championships, but the 2024 National Motocross Calendar starts the weekend of March 16 and 17, 2024 in Mantova. As you may recall, the Ducati prototype racing motocross machine should make use of the new Superquadro Mono engine also found in the Hypermotard 698 Mono.
It's not clear at this point how differently it might be prepared for racing purposes, nor what other changes might be made. Since we still have yet to see Ducati's MX machine, though, it should be interesting to see.
Royal Enfield's total yearly sales are up 13 percent worldwide at the end of October 2023
According to Royal Enfield's October monthly report, sales for models up to 350cc rose two percent as compared to October 2022. The OEM sold a total of 76,075 bikes in October '23, as compared to 74,828 sub-350cc bikes for the same period in 2022.
Enfield's fiscal year began in April 2023. For the year-to-date, sales of sub-350cc bikes have risen 17 percent, going from 413,410 in 2022 to 482,271 in 2023.
Models with displacement above 350cc paint a slightly different picture. While monthly sales for October are up by 13 percent year-on-year (8,360 in 2023 vs. 7,407 in 2022), year-to-date sales are down in this category by seven percent. From April to October 2023, Enfield sold 59,150 bikes over 350cc, as compared to 63,794 bikes sold over the same period in 2022.
Still, total monthly and yearly bike sales show improvement. In October 2023, the company recorded 84,435 total bike sales, as compared to 82,235 in October 2022. That's a three percent sales rise, if you're counting. Year-to-date sales from April through October 2023 were 541,421, as compared to 477,204 for the same period in 2022. That's a 13 percent rise in sales overall so far this year.
Honda Thanks Day 2023 To Feature Marc Márquez Anyway
Breakups are messy sometimes, we know. Even though MM93 has been testing with Ducati already, he's still listed among the riders scheduled to appear at Honda Racing Thanks Day 2023 on December 2 or 3, 2023 (exact time dependent on your geographic location). A livestream is planned on the Honda Racing YouTube channel, which we've linked above if you want to watch.
Other riders scheduled to participate include Joan Mir, Takaaki Nakagami, Ai Ogura, Somkiat Chantra, Taiyo Furusato, Tim Gajser, Rubén Fernández, Gabriel Marcelli, Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, Josh Hook, Tetsuta Nagashima, Takumi Takahashi, Teppei Nagoe, Ryo Mizuno, Kainosuke Oshiro, Yuki Okura, Tomoyuki Ogawa, and Seiya Ujikawa.
Be aware that Honda does note that riders and drivers who appear are subject to change without notice. What will happen? The only way to know is to tune in to the livestream (unless you're in Motegi).
Finally, if you ever wondered what it takes to plan the Dakar Rally, here's a behind-the-scenes video to show you
Crafting a rally raid successfully also means that you're able to write out a clear roadmap for competitors to follow. How do you do that, though? Watch 2024 Dakar Rally director David Castera show you the ropes.
Like your news in bite-size form? Be sure to check back each weekday for more. Happy reading and riding!
