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BRIEFS
PSB reports that the Gold Wing Road Riders Association in the USA is to close after 45 years . At its peak , GWRRA had some 80,000 members in 53 countries , with over 800 active chapters managed by 4,000 volunteer leaders . Headquartered in Phoenix , Arizona , the GWRRA has called itself " the world ' s largest single-marque social organisation for owners of Honda Gold Wing / Valkyrie motorcycles ," and it adopted the motto " Friends for Fun , Safety and Knowledge ."
Eugene , Or ., based Arcimoto , Inc . ( NASDAQ : FUV ), makers of " rightsized , outrageously fun , ultraefficient electric vehicles for moving people and stuff ," says it produced 102 vehicles in the second quarter , the highest vehicle production quarter in its history - saying that it delivered 41 customer vehicles and produced 41 vehicles for commercial pilot programmes and marketing use . The company also produced 20 rental vehicles , and now totals 109 rental vehicles across Arcimoto rental locations and partner rental locations . Founder and CEO Mark Frohnmayer says that " we continue to target 1,000 vehicles produced for the year ."
Montreal , Canada based Taiga Motors Corporation ( TSX : TAIG ) has announced that it has started deliveries of its 2022 Orca electric personal watercraft - saying it has achieved the world ' s first electric personal watercraft sales . Taiga claims to have developed the world ' s first performance-focused , commercial electric off-road powertrain . First installed into its snowmobiles , then adapted and fine-tuned for the Orca PWC , it delivers a claimed 120 kW and peak torque from zero rpm . Taiga initiated North American deliveries of its Nomad snowmobile in March and made its European debut in April .
Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corp . has broken ground on an " advanced and innovative SMART Warehouse " project at Newnan , Georgia , USA . " Using state-of-the-art automated storage and retrieval systems , the new 200,000 sq ft facility will be capable of reducing response time for fulfilling dealer orders for Yamaha WaveRunners , Golf Cars , ATVs and Side-by-Sides by more than 50 percent ."
World Ducati Week XI
Ducati appears to be drunk on its own Kool-Aid after what , by all reports , was a very successful return to in-person customer Meet & Greet at its 2022 World Ducati Week festival of all things red at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli near Rimini in July . " The most beautiful World Ducati Week ( WDW ) of all time " was the official verdict , as an estimated 80,000 attendees (" Ducatista ") came to worship at the shrine from some 84 countries in total . Apparently , the event was even bigger on the internet with over six million impressions on social media , and counting . " The record-breaking parade of motorbikes coloured the Misano circuit , and the entire Riviera Romagnola ," said Ducati ' s official event wrap , with Pecco Bagnaia triumphing in the Lenovo Race of Champions on the Panigale V4 S - after having also set the fastest lap in 1m35.886s . Claudio Domenicali , Ducati CEO : " World Ducati Week celebrates the deepest soul of Ducati : we don ' t sell motorcycles , but we design experiences and emotions for our fans ." This was an 11th edition for the biennial WDW , making its return after a four-year absence , and it " brought together Ducatisti and fans of the world of two wheels for three days of passion , fun and unforgettable experiences . The main protagonists of the three days were the 235 Ducati Official Clubs present at the event , which animated the area of the International Village dedicated to them , together with all the Ducati subsidiaries ". Claudio Domenicali , Ducati CEO , is quoted as saying : " At World Ducati Week , we can experience the celebration of Ducati ' s deepest soul : we do not merely sell motorcycles , but we design experiences and emotions with bikes at the centre for our fans . " We all wanted to go back to being together with the Ducatisti , and they arrived in massive numbers , as usual , from all over the world , even though we are still in the presence of travel restrictions and therefore we were not able to welcome anyone from China , for example . Once again , we were able to touch the great passion for Ducati and the desire to meet again . " Thanks also to all of Ducati Corse , and in particular to the riders - the heroes of the WDW - who , as usual , were available and close to all the fans , and who gave us a unique show in the world like the Lenovo Race of Champions ." The Lenovo Race of Champions starred 21 Ducati riders who compete
' we don ' t sell motorcycles , we design experiences '
in the MotoGP , Superbike and Supersport championships , fighting it out on standard Panigale V4 S and Panigale V2 bikes , equipped only with slick tyres and racing exhausts . A unique show that only Ducati can offer its fans . Bagnaia ' s fastest lap was only two and a half seconds more than the time from this year ' s Superbike pole position at Misano . Federico Caricasulo took the victory in the Panigale V2 category . The Lenovo Race of Champions was live streamed on the Ducati website and up to nine international television stations and online streaming services broadcast the race live . In Italy it was broadcast on the Sky Sport MotoGP channel with the commentary of
Guido Meda and Mauro Sanchini , with the contribution of Sandro Donato Grosso from the starting grid . The autographed motorcycles from the Lenovo Race of Champions will be on sale online for a selection of Ducati ' s best and most enthusiastic customers globally , via a timed online sale . " The parade of Ducatisti on Friday evening will remain as one of the most memorable moments of this eleventh edition of the WDW . The biggest parade ever saw a massive number of bikes that first filled the circuit and then paraded along the coast before arriving in Riccione , where the Scrambler Beach Party was held . At the head of the ' Big Red Snake ' was Claudio Domenicali with MotoGP and Superbike riders ".
The numbers behind WDW XI are impressive - 5,805 laps of the track covered in total ; 51,000 photos and 60 hours of video footage taken by staff photographers ; 84 nations represented by the participants ; 235 Ducati Official Clubs present ; 30 world titles won between the past and current riders who took part ; 1,244 experiences lived by Ducatisti in three days on the track , off-road and on the road ; 600 simulator tests on the Panigale V4 R and Panigale V2 Bayliss ; 4,320 leathers tested with virtual tryon ; 45 Ducati Talks spread out over five stages ; 102 " mechanics graduates " participants ; one wedding celebrated by Paolo Ciabatti and one wedding vow made at WDW 2022 ; 22 hours of music between DJ sets and live shows in the paddock and at evening events and 548 Ducati workers actively participated in the event .
18 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2022 www . idnmag . com