“2026 will be a very important year for Ducati, that is the year Ducati turns 100 years old,” says Francesco Milicia, Director of Global Sales and After Sales for the renowned Italian motorcycle maker. “The history of Ducati is very important, it is part of the value of the company,” continues Milicia.
Speaking to invited Malaysian motorcycle media at the 2024 Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia, Milicia elaborated on both Ducati’s history in light of its upcoming centenary as well as the direction moving into the future. “You can copy the design, you can copy the brand, you can hire people from Ducati, but you cannot buy the history of Ducati” he says.
“The history is made by people in Ducati like Taglioni, Tamburini, Domenicali himself, and there are the rider, riders like Bayliss, Fogarty, Stoner, they are like heroes but with a story,” says Milicia. “It is not just a sports, they are really heroes for us. Like Bayliss, he say, cut my finger I want to race tomorrow,” Milicia adds.”
Touching on Ducati’s branding, Milicia says, “the impact the Ducati brand has on the world cannot be measured.” Asked about how the Ducati brand is perceived in Malaysia, Milicia says, “we have a lot of support from the Ducatisti in Malaysia, the Panigale, we have sold many, and also the Multistrada is very popular.”
Commenting on why that is so, Milicia says Malaysian riders know the attraction of the Ducati brand. “Ducati is always a premium brand, we are a brand riders aspire to because to own a Ducati is an achievement,” he explains. “We appreciate the Malaysian Ducati fans and the strong support,” Milicia says.
“Certainly, the Ducati team in Malaysia, lead by Dennis Michael, has done many things to bring the Ducati brand to the Malaysian rider. This is in terms of the client engagement, the activities,” says Milicia. “At Ducati, we do not say you are a customer. You are not a customer, you are a client. Why we say client is because there is a relationship, Ducati is here to help you develop as a rider, in owning a premium motorcycle,” he says.
