Ducati: a grain of rice cooked to perfection

Italian style has one of its peaks of perfection in Ducati. That’s also because at Ducati they do things in the inimitable Italian way. It’s a sort of organised disorder. The famous marque’s CEO, Federico Minoli, and its creative director, David Gross, talk about the Ducati way and style.

A huddle of red shirts moves aside finally letting me get a glimpse of what may be dream-come-true for its fans but a nightmare for its competitors the prototype of Ducati’s latest racing competition motorbike.
After negotiating two security check-points I’m finally at the very heart of it, not only because this is where Ducati jealously guards its secrets but above all because this is the place where objects are born capable of quickening the cardiac beat of thousands of enthusiasts the world over. Actually, I get scores of suspicious glances from the red-shirt clad lads standing around. But luckily my hosts, Federico Minoli, the house’s managing director, and David Gross, its art director, justify my presence in the holy of holies of this motorcycle temple.
And that’s how I come to find myself in the midst of mechanics and engineers to toast the umpteen motorbike championship victory of the world-famous house at Borgo Panigale on the outskirts of Bologna.
“There’s the totem, here’s the tribe, and this is our propitiatory rite”, succinctly explains Minoli by way of a comment to this deep-felt moment of rejoicing. “The races are indeed a great ritual occasion, bringing together our far-flung tribe. There’s of course the Ducati racing team, but there are also the fans who cover large distances even to be near their totem, the motorbike. It’s missing the point to think that a motorbike racing competition is only about winning races. It’s really about the passion that drives millions of people to want to join in and be part of a great festive occasion.”

What’s really astounding though is that Ducati keeps on winning!
If figures count for anything then it’s worth bearing in mind that about forty thousand motorbikes come off the assembly lines of the Bolognese workshop every year, while the largest Japanese manufacturer boasts a turn-out of two million over the same period. Among other things, what the difference amounts to is greater R&D investments by the Nipponic corporation and if to this is added the enormous number of pieces produced one would be more than justified in concluding that the know-how and design development capability of the latter have the edge over those of the former. And yet, it’s more often than not a Ducati that gets waved by the chequered flag as it flashes past the finishing line! Craftsmanship once again has the upper hand over industry, and the David-beats-Goliath myth renews itself yet again.
This enviable track-record owes much to a sort of creative chaos that reigns supreme throughout the establishment.
“In practice, my role is to get the water to boil”, as Minoli, who has also come out with a book on the subject, vividly explains. “Imagine,” he goes on to develop his metaphor, “a glass boiler full of water. First I get the water to boil and then I throw in a grain of rice. It’s immediately surrounded by boiling bubbles that cook it, and once it’s well done I fish it back out. That’s practically what happens in the firm; I launch an idea, build up the right amount of tension around it, get the right people with different skills to work on it, and then up comes the solution. Once it’s done the team winds up and other teams are set up to work on new projects”. What Minoli describes is essentially a positively motivated organisation without any rigid structure or procedure where the work gets done thanks to great personal conviction and commitment and a strong desire to seek out new solutions in a team spirit. This means that any one individual at any time has an overall view of what’s going on and where it’s all heading, so that there’s no getting lost, so to speak, in the details of the single bolt.

If Stendhal’s contention that “beauty is a prerequisite for happiness” is in any way right, then owning a Ducati must be a truly exhilarating experience.
Purchasing a motorbike made at Borgo Panigale indeed means buying into a region-wide tradition of high-powered dream machines. Ferrari, Bugatti, Lamborghini are household names around here. It is also a land of fine food and strong passions. It can truly be said that this is a district where emotions run high and wild. That’s why David Gross is keen to underscore that “the Ducati motorbike’s strong personality owes much to its birthplace. The magnificent, winding road with its many twisting bends that leads up to the Futa Pass tests its mettle and brings out its best racing spirit”.

Interview by Fabio Pornaro