Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128347
in Mot or c y clin g Doohan on the Bottle Racinglegend Mick Doohan, the five-time 500cc World Champion, recently launched a new wine bearing his name in the lead up to the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island. Doo han and Queensland's Sirromet winery have joined forces to produce the 2002 Mick Doohan "Special Release" Cabernet Sauvignon. As part of the launch, held on the Gold Coast, Doohan rode a Honda CBRIOOORR for 15 laps of the 1.24-mile circuit at the Holden Performance Driving Center. "I still enjoy riding motorcycles as much as ever, but my racing days are ove r: ' Doohan said. "The corners seem to come up quicker these days, even though I'm riding slower!" Doohan, awarded the Order of Australia in 1996, attended the Phillip Island MotoGP event the weekend of O cto be r 15-17. The bottle label on Doohan's wine features a photograph of him riding his Honda NSRSOO and holding the Australian flag after clinching his fourth 500cc World Charnplonship title in 1997. Doohan's move into wine was prompted by an association with va Super. car driver Paul Morris, whose father, Terry Morris, owns the Sirromet w inery. "We all have an interest in motorsport, and we started talking about a special release wine about a year ago:' Doohan said. '" sampled a few of Sirromet's wines and the one I liked the most was the Ca bernet Sauvignon, so we decided to go ahead and make it happen ." The fruit was handpicked at Sirromet's vineyards on Queensland's Granite Belt region, and the winemaking process included aging in French oak for 13 mo nths before bottling . Fo r more information on pur chasing Doohan's wine, log on to www.sirromet.com . (]ul:ati PUt5 It on Paper Th e ultimate Italian design collaboration between Ducati and the Aquila Group resu lted in the making of Ducati writing instruments, exhibited exclusively at Harrods department stores in London , England. On October 6, as part of the "Made In Italy" promotion at Harrods, Ducat i intro duced its High-Performance Sports Pe ns. The eveni ng even t in the stationery department featured not only the full pen collectio n but also the first prototypes from Ducati's new Sports Classic motorbike collection , which was the source of inspiration for these writing instrume nts . This exciting part nership between Ducati and the Aquila Group has enab led the crea tion of an outstanding and stylish collection of pens and small leather goods that represent a combined passion for workmanship and quality. Ducati is the embodiment of high-performance engineering, commitme nt to championship racing and total ded ication to Italian design. Since the appearance of the "Cucciolo" (a small four-stroke engine known as the puppy in 1946), Ducati has come to be a huge factor in motorcycle racing. From the first 250cc motorbike in the 1950's to the iconic 9 16 Supe rbike and the Monster, the Ducati family name has become synonymous with style, speed and accuracy. The Aquila Group , founded in Naples by Leopoldo Aquila, has ove r 60 years of pen-making experience, producing and exporting the finest pens worldwide. like Ducati, the Aquila family has in its genes a passion for design excellence , which is the basis for ongoing development. Leopoldo realized that in addition to being a writing instrument, a pen cou ld also be an expression of artistry and enduri ng - ..... _-- ., .... ,,. value. His philosophy has continued to influence the company, which to this day creates writing instruments and small leather goods of the highest quality. The Ducati pen collection draws inspirat ion from the historic Ducati models of