Soup is reporting that

Ducati Corse head Claudio Domenicali will now, additionally, be the "Director of Strategic Planning and Product Development" at Ducati - for the entire company.

Potentially exciting news as the man heading up Ducati's Superbike and Desmocidici teams will now have influence over the entire product line.

Ducati North America is looking for the coolest, baddest, most customized and unique Monster in all of America. If you’ve got a Ducati Monster that you feel is up for the challenge, then enter the Ducati Monster Challenge! The grand prize winner will take home a new 2005 Ducati Monster S4R.

The Monster Challenge will be featured at these selected Cycle World International Motorcycle shows: San Francisco, Dallas, Long Beach, Seattle, Atlanta, New York, Montreal, Detroit. The grand finale will be held in Daytona, Florida during Bike Week.

If you would like to pit your Monster against all comers in an effort to win an S4R, a trip to a MotoGP event or a Ducati Performance gift certificate, you need to send in an entry form and pic of your bike for prescreening by Ducati NA. 20 competitors will be selected to be on display at each Cycle World International Motorcycle show.
The local prizes, at each show, are a roundtrip airfare and hotel for Daytona’s Bike Week (each local winner), a $250 Ducati Performance gift certificate and a $100 Ducati Performance gift certificate.

For entry forms and all other info, visit Ducati North America by clicking here. Get a move on, the San Francisco show is right around the corner.

Soup is reporting that the rumors of Troy Bayliss being let go from Ducati's factory MotoGP team are true; that is, he has been told he won't be on the team next year. Talk about this has been floating around for half the season so it is not surprising. Here's wishing Troy the best in the Aussie GP!
Read a bit more here.

Soup has a brief note posted today - a conversation with Ducati's Technical Director Paolo Ciabatti who attended the recent race at VIR. His thoughts on the possiblity of two factory riders in AMA next year, "Yes, definitely." Signs would point toward Lanzi 'natch. A great bit of news for the start of the silly season. Read it here at Superbike Planet.