We were invited to attend the Grand Opening of Ducati Johannesburg on 22nd August. A Ducati presence in Johannesburg has been a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait. It is located at 145 Catherine Street in Sandton. “Wait a minute,” I hear some of you saying, “isn’t that where RACE! is?” You got it, soldier. Ducati Johannesburg is joined at the hip to the world-class luxury supercar and bike sales, tuning and modification entity, the brainchild of Marco Casciani.
It is fair to say that performance machinery is part and parcel of what defines Marco, especially if that machinery has an Italian heritage, so to open a world-class Ducati dealership should actually come as no surprise. Chatting to Gerardo Morico from the Ducati Factory, who has seen his fair share of bespoke Ducati dealerships, he was full of praise for what Marco and his team have created. A top-tier Ducati dealership comparable to the best in the world.
It was a day of celebration centred around the Bologna Bullets. Ducatis of all descriptions and vintages were displayed all over the show, with the undisputed stars of the display being the unveiling, or should that be ‘uncrating’, of the MM 93 Marc Márquez World Champion Replica, a 1103 cc Panigale V-4 emblazoned with all the MotoGP livery and featuring Marc’s signature on the tank. Two of the 293 Replicas built are at Ducati Johannesburg, to be had for a mere R1,6M. Rumour has it they are both spoken for. Oh well, then I can hang onto my kidney for a while longer!
The previous achingly beautiful MM 93 tribute bike was also on display, the Panigale V2, similar to the bike gifted to Marc by Ducati, and on which he does a lot of training. That would be my choice, given that I don’t even remotely possess the skill to extract the potential from the V4. I could possibly do more justice to the phenomenal, yet tad tamer V2. Both bikes are at the pinnacle of Ducati Sports bike design. A perfect marriage of form and function.
Tertius Cronje, head of Ducati SA, opened the day, recognising those who had contributed to making the event happen, and then handed over to Marco, accompanied by his daughter. He gave a testimony to the journey that had brought him to where he, and by extension, RACE! are today. He came across as sincere and totally committed to making Ducati Johannesburg as successful as RACE! has become over time. I get the feeling that if he can’t do it, then no-one can. His daughter then took the mike and told her dad how proud she was of him, which finished the speeches on a really sweet and poignant note.
The many folk attending the opening sat around eating and toasting the success of this spectacular new Ducati venture. The atmosphere was amazing. So much so that it was almost a bit of a sensory overload. I rode back to Pretoria incredibly excited that even in these trying times there are people that will commit 100% to making a success of what they tackle. I went back to the dealership later in the week to get a ‘customer’s feel’ as opposed to having my senses jangled and came away with the same sense of awe.
Marco, what you have done in your new dealership is nothing short of absolute world-class. Walking around the showroom without it being inundated with people, I was blown away by the number of sold signs adorning bikes of all descriptions. Clearly the Jo’burg biking fraternity are already voting with their wallets. Good job guys, good job! Take a ride to 145 Catherine Street and be prepared to be blown away. You owe yourself that much.
