Moto-Brian Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 Had a pretty hectic and crazy weekend, but was amazing in totality. Pretty tight and organized schedule of travel and such, but it was a deal where I had to be in two places at once and wore me out a bit, but yesterday was a great end... On Thursday before MotoGP, we had the Ducati Factory team and riders at Ducati Indianapolis on hand at the shop to do a Q&A and autographs. I went over early to do some set up things to the 1199 with Matt and Chad... The riders and team come through the back and we try and not bother them much as they have a pretty full schedule. Tommy Hayden was awesome as usual. We had some laughs and made me wish he was still racing... As they walked to the front and waited a bit for the handler to give the green light, they were looking over the 1199... Just so happened it was mine and although I don't get "star struck", it was pretty cool and made for a cool pic: As they got up front, the crowd was waiting and very sizable. They did a cool Q&A deal with both riders and Nicky and Dovi did a few autographs... While they were signing, we were back and forth screwing around in the back. Chad was in race mode on Ol' Pinky: The question though was if Chad was better looking than these ladies on Ol' Pinky... Nicky and Dovi took a pic with the staff at Indy. Some great folks work here. Family owned and ran and some seriously talented employees... So, after the autograph session and tearing everything down, Matt, Chad and myself headed over to do a quick blast at the mountain bike trail. The light was going away and fast and we had some pretty sketchy moments in the woods as it was damn near like riding at night with zero lights, but was awesome and worth it. It was a nice finish to the day. Grabbed some grub and headed to the hotel... The next early morning was set by driving to Detroit from Indy. About 5 hours... All for the soft opening of our newest Exclusive Ducati Dealer Ducati Detroit... Actually located in Birmingham, MI and one of the most affluent towns in the region. They use Detroit as it is recognized by most and if we used Birmingham, it would cause confusion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moto-Brian Posted August 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 But, the shop needed to be cleaned and everything set up and put into place. We left around 2:30 am... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moto-Brian Posted August 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 One of the coolest features is the Desmo up on the platform above the restroom and offices... Getting it up there took some creative thinking and a lot of shot nerves... I didn't want any part of dropping a $65k machine... The next morning (8:00am), we got in to get things finalized and ready to open the doors at 9am. The Woodward Dream Cruise was going on this past weekend and if you are from around there, you know that there were about 1.5 million people there for the weekend. So, we had some great opportunities to get eyes on the shop... The dealership is all new and beautiful. Had some cool bikes there like the Desmo I mentioned and this pile... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moto-Brian Posted August 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 Left the shop and headed back to Indy. Wanted to make the Flat Track races, but just didn't make it in time. But, got to hang with the guys from Ducati Indy north of downtown. We had a blast... One thing that I've been doing lately is bending aluminum beer bottles... It's funny to me that we go out and you get a bottle made of aluminum like you were at a baseball game. My objective is to bend and fold each and every bottle my friends use... We were out until 2:30-3am... I'm too old for this craziness!! Then, I needed to be at the Ducati Indy shop by 8:30 for the Red Snake Ride. All Ducatis gather at the shop and we get a police escort from the shop to the track and park at Ducati Grandstand. We had a minimum of 200 riders!!! Got to the track and parked at the Grand Stands... The fact that we had this type of parking and the amount of people gathered to park there showed how much of a following our brand has... We also had a retail store that was located in the infield near the other OEMs. It was nice working the store as it was AC inside!! Ducati then did a raffle where they gave away paddock passes. It was hilarious. The crowd was counting down from 10 if someone had not come when their name was drawn. You had to be present and the crowd would start counting almost immediately to get to the next name/number. Nice back drop... The Grand Stands were in Turn 9. Cool place to watch. But, we also have a deal where we pull a canopy down on the warm up lap for our racers to see... So, we had this HUGE canopy that we unrolled and displayed. Pretty fun and cool: We were all trying to figure out Bill's secrets as the models were glued to him! We tore down a few things and had a great dinner, but had to retire early as we had a track day at Putnam the next day. Ducati Indy and Commonwealth do an event the Monday after MotoGP. Sold out and a full series of groups. LOADS of Ducatis, but was open to all brands. Epic day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moto-Brian Posted August 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 Starting the morning out right... Then of course, Electric Eye capturing some BAD ASS pics. This guy gets some seriously crisp and cool pics. Support him or he won't be able to keep doing this. He takes awesome pics and can make you look seriously fast. electriceyeimages.com c/o Joe Hansen. Left at 6 and had a nice dinner with the Ducati Indy staff and got home at 1am... I am beat and worn out, but when I think about the weekend, I just smile and even laugh out loud... Great stuff and look forward to many more years of the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whattheheck Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 Sound like a good experience! Maybe next year, I will attempt to make the trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owndjoo Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 so badass! If I'm in the states next year I HAVE to return to the Carr establishment for the good ol days lol. been a while since we ALLL got loose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attentiongetter92 Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 (edited) I did the corner 9 suite package deal thingymajigg and it is worth every penny, just as an FYI for people reading this and have already started planning out next year. Free breakfast, lunch, snacks, and of course, drinks. It was also nice to have a nice A/C to cool off after spending majority of the day in the sun, and then they also had a free gear check so your stuff didnt need to get left on your bike or burden you by making you tote it around all weekend. We also had corner 9 grandstand seating(right next to the Ducati tent) and it included paddock passes and such. I will have to get my pictures put up when they are off the camera(s). Sorry about the hijack! Edit: also gets you the ride on the track ticket! And they dont care to much about the 30mph limit written on the back of the ticket Edited August 20, 2013 by attentiongetter92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snot Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Wish I knew you were there Brian. We would of stopped by and said hi. We walked passed Duc area at least 10 times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moto-Brian Posted August 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2013 Wish I knew you were there Brian. We would of stopped by and said hi. We walked passed Duc area at least 10 times! I was in Detroit Friday and Saturday and only at Indy for the GP on Sunday. Just ask next time and someone will know where I am at. Been cool to see you there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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