Ducati.com

General questions

What's it all about?
The Ducati Riding Experience is a series of riding courses for various skill levels, aimed at people who want to learn how to ride or who want to improve their riding skills on the street or track. The courses include practice as well as theory sessions. All the details about DRE are available on this site.

Where and when do the DRE courses take place?
The DRE courses are held on the dates and at the circuits indicated on the calendar on the site. Each course is one day long, from 8 am to 6 pm. Please check the official calendar for further details.

Who can take part in the DRE courses?
Participants must be at least 18 years old when they purchase the course. All participants, excluding those who sign up for the Basic Riding Course, must have a valid licence allowing them to ride motorcycles of any engine size. The participants must bring their licence with them on the day of the course and show it to the organisers or management upon request.

PURCHASING AND PARTICIPATING

How can I sign up for a course?
You can only sign up for a course via the Ducati web site, of which you must also be a registered user (everybody who signs up must have their own user name and password). To sign up for a course, click on the BUY NOW menu button, select your preferred course and date, and complete the registration process:

Indicate whether you would like to bring a guest
Indicate whether you need to hire any gear and, if so, choose the gear you would like to rent
Decide how you want to pay and finalise the registration.

As confirmation that the registration has been successfully completed, participants will be sent an "e-receipt" to their e-mail address. Please keep this receipt as a record of your registration. Ducati will not accept registrations via telephone, fax or e-mail.

How can I pay?
The on-line registration process allows two methods of payment:

Credit card. We accept Visa or Mastercard; pre-paid credit cards are also accepted as long as they belong to the Visa or Mastercard system and are compatible with on-line payment.
Bank transfer. If you select this form of payment, the web site will show the bank details necessary to carry out the transfer of funds into the current account of Ducati Motor Holding. If you choose this option, you must fax proof of payment to 051 6413268 no later than 3 working days after sending your registration. It is crucial that you send the bank transfer form in order for your registration to be processed. If you do not send a copy of the bank transfer form within 3 days, your registration will be cancelled and you will not receive an e-receipt. In that case you will not be registered for any course.

Is there a closing date for course registrations?
There are a limited number of places available for the DRE courses. Registration must close 11 working days before the date of the course so that the day's events can be organised. If a course is filled before the closing date, registration for that day will close and you will be asked to choose an alternative date.

Do members of official Ducati clubs have any discount on Ducati Riding Experience courses?
Members of official Ducati clubs have a 15% discount on the course price. For information, contact your Club as soon as possible.

How can I give a DRE course as a gift?
In order to give a DRE course to another person you must:

Choose the date and the course
Indicate the riding gear you would like to hire for the participant (only go online to purchase the course once you know the participant's sizes and what riding gear he or she needs). Remember - you can only hire gear at the time of purchase - you cannot go back online to hire gear at a later date
Login, inserting your username and password;
Insert the DRE participant's data and riding experience (the rider's information, not yours)
Continue the purchasing process through the confirmation pages. The confirmation, also your receipt will arrive to you and not to the participant, the person receiving the gift.

What happens if you can't attend a course that you have signed up for? Can the registration be transferred to another date?
The DRE regulations do NOT allow for dates to be changed once the registration has been processed. If it is impossible for a participant to attend, the DRE contract provides the following options:

Cancellation: The participant may withdraw from the participation contract within ten working days after sending the registration by writing a letter that must be sent by registered post to the following address: Ducati Motor Holding spa, Servizio Clienti DRE, via Cavalieri Ducati n.3, 40132 - Bologna, Italy.
Name change: The participant may let somebody else take his or her place on the course. The new participant must come to the course with the name change form included in the regulations, which must be signed by the original applicant, as well as a copy of the original applicant's ID. The new participant may take part in the same course that the original applicant had registered for, provided that he or she meets the necessary requirements and fully accepts in writing all the obligations listed in the regulations as belonging to the participant. The original applicant is responsible for informing the new participant about the contents of this regulation. For the track riding and masters racing courses, please communicate (telephone + e-mail) the motorcycling level of the replacement participant no later than 11 working days before the course date (i.e., before the closing date for registrations).

EQUIPMENT

Can equipment be rented?
You can hire special equipment (suit, helmet, gloves and boots) on the DRE website. Note - you can only rent riding gear when you sign up for a course - you cannot go back online to rent gear at a later date. Please read the regulations included on the website and check all the details concerning hire, as well as the size table. We recommend that you wear something thin under your hired suit (such as a Lycra exercise or cycling outfit). DRE will not accept rental requests that come in after a course has been purchased.

What special clothing is required?
To take part in any course you must wear correctly fitting protective clothing for motorcyclists, including a full-face helmet, a padded leather suit (all-in-one or two piece zipped around the waist) with protectors on the forearms, shoulders and shins as well as knee-pads, leather riding gloves and leather riding boots. A back protector is strongly advised for those taking part in the Intermediate, Track and Racing Masters courses but it is not required.

If the chosen size is no longer available what I can do?
If the size you require when booking on-line is no longer available, there are two options:

Select another size that will fit
Go back through the booking process and select a different date for the same course

What can I do if I realise that I chose the wrong size in my on-line booking, but I have already sent the application?
It is not possible to change the size of items already booked once the on-line application has been finalised. If you have made a mistake, please contact the DRE customer services as soon as possible.

MISCELLANEOUS

What do 1° Level and 2° Level Racing Course mean?
The 1° Level Racing Course is designed for motorcyclists that are either getting on the track for the first time or have little experience. The 2° Level Racing Course is a course aimed at riders that have a good amount of experience on the track. The 1° Level Racing Course uses the 848 while the 2° Level Racing Course uses the 1098.

What happens if it rains and/or the weather is bad?
In case of wet weather, participants should arrive at the track at 8 am as scheduled, as the courses will still be held. Please read the regulations covering these conditions carefully.

Does Ducati have any partner hotels for overnight stays?
You can find details on our partner hotels by clicking on the "DRE Hotels" menu button. Please contact them directly to arrange your stay.

Can I change to a different course after I have registered?
It is not possible to change course once your application has been processed.

Who can be a partner/guest?
A partner/guest is somebody who comes to the course with a participant and watches the activities in the reserved areas. Participants can choose to register for a basic course (1 participant) or a course with a partner (up to a maximum of 4 partners per participant). The fees for the latter are subject to a supplement of € 35 (per partner).

What languages are the courses taught in?
The DRE courses will be held in Italian, and English for foreign participants.

Are the bikes and participants covered by insurance?
Participants are responsible for damage done to the bikes only if it was intentional or the result of gross negligence. Any minor, accidental damage will be paid for by Ducati. There are no insurance policies for individual participants. For further details please see the event regulations. Before taking part in the course each participant must sign a "hold-harmless" declaration absolving from any responsibility arranged by the Organisers, and another one, written by the Management and contained in the regulations.

Can participants use their own bike?
No, Ducati provides the bikes for the DRE courses.

Is it possible to use a bike with reversed shift or special set-up during a DRE course?
Bikes with reversed shift are not provided for DRE courses and all bikes used by DRE participants have a standard set-up.

Is free practice allowed during the track sessions?
No, the DRE does not include free track sessions.

Please read the DRE regulations available on the website carefully and visit this special DRE section.

DUCATI PRESS | DUCATI CORSE PRESS | WEB MEDIA KITS | OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS