On September 23, 2007, Casey Stoner clinched his and Ducati's first Grand Prix World Championship.
Ducati rejoined Grand Prix motorcycle racing in 2003, after a 30-year absence. In 2007 MotoGP had changed its rules reducing the four-stroke engine size to 800 cc (49 cu in), and Ducati proved to be the fastest with a bike that was markedly quicker than its rivals as was especially evident on tracks with long straightaways. In other words, Ducati smoked 'em.
Ducati's rich history with motorsport began with speed records on Cucciolo motorized bicycle factory racers in 1951, followed in 1954 with bringing in Fabio Taglioni to found a road racing program with the 100 Gran Sport (a beautiful machine that still puts an extra thump in your heartbeat). Ducati still pursues the "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" business model and spends 10% of company revenues on its racing business. It appears to be working as the company has won 13 rider's World Championships since the championship's inception in 1988. It has been argued that Ducati has amassed more wins than any other manufacturer because the rules are deliberately set to favor their bikes through manufacturer lobbying; this, of course, is a matter of dispute as displayed by the frequent arguments and fist-fights in cafe's and taverns across Europe and in the UK. In 2006, Troy Bayliss' championship winning 999R was said to have 10 to 15 hp LESS than the Japanese four-cylinder rivals, despite the fact that the Ducati V-twin had fewer limitations imposed for tuning its engine (afforded due to the two-cylinder configuration).
To date, there are more than 400 Ducati clubs worldwide and nearly 25,000 registered users of the Ducati Owners Club web site. Enthusiasts and riders are informally referred to in the motorcycling community as Ducatista or Ducatisti.
