Ducati Corse boss Domenicali delighted with Stoner victory

Although Casey Stoner was victorious on the Ducati Desmosedici on Italian soil in 2007 at Misano en route to his World Championship win, that win was of course at the San Marino Grand Prix, so his Sunday win at Mugello was Ducati’s first true home triumph.

At the track where Ducati test and develop their MotoGP machine Valentino Rossi has been dominant on Honda and Yamaha machinery in recent years, but Stoner finally broke the legendary Italian rider’s winning streak at the Gran Premio d’Italia Alice, giving the thousands of Ducatisti the perfect reason to party.

Indeed, when Ducati Corse CEO Claudio Domenicali spoke to motogp.com after Sunday’s race he explained that the win would bring happiness to those throughout the Ducati structure who were present to witness Stoner’s success.

“It’s really fantastic and it is incredibly exciting for us because it’s our home Grand Prix,” Domenicali enthused. “We have developed our bike here at Mugello since the very beginning and we have all of our fans and the factory coming from Bologna which is close to here. All the suppliers and the people who assemble our bikes are here so it is like a family party for us.”

Noting that Stoner’s victory could provide encouragement for the other Ducati riders in MotoGP the Italian boss added, “We are positive and although we have been struggling a little bit in recent races Casey has been very consistent. We were missing winning since Qatar so this is very important for the championship and for restating that we are here.”

Acknowledging Niccolò Canepa’s best effort to date in MotoGP in ninth place, perfectly timed at his own home race, Domenicali added, “The race was very good for Niccolò who was in the top ten for the first time and he sowed that he is getting more comfortable with the bike.”