DRE 2017: Ducati riding courses recommence with a focus on safety
In 15 years, Ducati have taught over 10,000 motorcyclists from all over the globe. Tried-and-tested teaching methods, prestigious locations and an unrivalled pool of instructors that includes world champions such as Carlos Checa, Troy Bayliss, Marco Lucchinelli, Paolo Casoli and Manuel Poggiali. Not to mention a motorcycle pool with the entire Ducati range, the latest bikes included. All this has made the Ducati Riding Experience (DRE) – the Bologna-based motorcycles manufacturer’s riding school – a huge success. And now, starting on 6th May, DRE will be back on road and track with a swathe of exciting new features.
Dedicated to a growing range of riders and experience levels, DRE 2017 offers a syllabus that is more effective and meticulously structured than ever. As of this year, DRE courses are sub-divided into three main sections: Safety, dedicated to safe road riding; Racetrack for, of course, race circuits; Enduro, to learn and hone off-road skills.
DRE Safety
Held at the Automotive Safety Center of Vairano (Pavia), DRE Safety is an all-new addition to this latest edition of the Ducati Riding Experience. The course aims to provide the tools needed to ensure better road riding, especially from a safety viewpoint. It will take place in a facility designed specifically for this purpose, to which only Ducati has access during the course. The Automotive Safety Center of Vairano is used by major car and motorcycle manufacturers as a developmental test track. Covering over than 50 hectares, it consists of an internal circuit, which can be configured according to requisites and is equipped with all the tools needed to learn or improve safe road riding techniques.
This all-new, safety-focused DRE course is tailor-made according to the participants’ level of experience.
Level 1 is for riders who already have their license but still have limited road experience or feel they need to boost their on-bike confidence (perhaps after a long hiatus); Level 2 aims to improve riding technique and teach participants how to get the most from electronic systems (an essential, extremely high-tech aspect of Ducati’s current range).
DRE Safety provides participants with an impressive bike pool covering a broad range of performance levels and technical characteristics. They span from the agile, fun-packed Monster 797 to the iconic Monster 1200 S, the new Multistrada 950 and the Multistrada 1200 S. The pool also includes another great new Ducati 2017 bike, the SuperSport and the true “fun bike”, the Hypermotard 939. In addition to ensuring both safety and a uniquely exciting ride experience, each motorcycle features the cutting-edge technology that is the hallmark of every Ducati.
DRE Racetrack
DRE was born on the track: it’s here that a core element of the “experience” remains thanks to four courses sub-divided by ability and participants’ needs. These range from Track Warm Up, for those who’ve never ridden on track but are ready to take their “baptism of speed” on the 959 Panigale, to Champs Academy where you’ll learn from champions like Carlos Checa, Michele Pirro and Troy Bayliss on board the Panigale R. In between are Track Evo and Track Master, which let those who already have some experience under their belts to hone their technique to a sharper edge (respectively on the 959 Panigale and 1299 Panigale S . All on an internationally renowned track and aboard the sleekest, highest-performing motorcycles in the Ducati Superbike family.
This year DRE Racetrack takes place on the same circuits MotoGP and Superbike champions do battle: Mugello and Misano.
Registration for the DRE Safety and DRE Racetrack courses are now open. To register go to www.dre.ducati.com.
DRE Enduro
Sign ups for the 2017 edition of DRE Enduro, Ducati’s off-road riding school, available at www.dreenduro.ducati.com.
DRE Enduro is hosted on the magnificent grounds of the Castello di Nipozzano, in Tuscany, in the heart of Chianti Rùfina country. Riding the Multistrada 1200 Enduro, course participants will get to grips with the off-road environment and learn the required techniques from experienced professional instructors, headed by Paris-Dakar veteran Beppe Gualini, DRE Enduro’s technical director.
Designed to cater all skill levels, the course offers an excellent opportunity to experience the outstanding versatility of the Multistrada 1200 Enduro and the new Multistrada 950, all in complete safety thanks to attentive supervision by highly qualified riders and instructors.
DRE 2017 Calendar
DRE SAFETY
(Level 1 and Level 2)
6 -7 May, Vairano
DRE RACETRACK
(Track Evo – Track Master Champs Academy)
17-18 -19 May, Mugello
DRE RACETRACK
(Track Warm Up – Track Master)
27 -28 -29 June, Misano
DRE RACETRACK
(Track Evo – Track Master)
5- 6 -7 September, Mugello
DRE ENDURO (Castello di Nipozzano)
2-3 June
3-4 June
23-24 June
24-25 June
7-8 July
8-9 July
21-22 July
22-23 July
