The racetrack is the birthplace of new technology for the automobile and motorcycle world, hence the catch-phrase: “Race on Sunday; sell on Monday.” Now, thanks to a collaboration with hybrid cloud data services and data management company NetApp Inc., legendary Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding SpA is taking the popular saying literally.

“We transform racing motorbikes to road bikes,” said Konstantin Kostenarov (pictured, right), chief technology officer of Ducati. “We give our customers this kind of experience because all information [gathered] during the Sunday [race] we are able to put in on Monday and sell a bike that has the same performance, safety and pleasure of riding [as a race bike].”

Kostenarov joined Jean English (pictured, left), senior vice president and chief marketing officer of NetApp, for a conversation with Lisa Martin (@LuccaZara) and Stu Miniman (@stu), co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during this week’s NetApp Insight event in Las Vegas. They discussed how Ducati is leveraging NetApp’s hybrid cloud expertise to gain insights from real-time performance data, transforming not only their racing team, but also their sales line. (* Disclosure below.)

Applying the power of data to accelerate the motorcycle market

Ducati is known for sleek, sexy bikes that turn heads, creating a loyal following of enthusiasts both on and off the racetrack. But in the motorsport world, milliseconds make the difference between winning and second place, and maintaining the brand’s legendary status means constantly analyzing performance statistics and innovating new technology.

“In order to be customer-centric, or rider-centric, we really have to be data driven,” English said. “We think about all the connections and the dots of data that happen, whether it’s on the bike, the rider, the community itself … it’s all about the data.”

New technology in Ducati’s racing bikes sends real-time data from more than 60 physical sensors for analysis through artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. Ducati then applies this information to increase performance and improve rider experience both on and off the racetrack.

“The collaboration with NetApp is not only storage, and is not only data, but is data management,” Kostenarov said. “I like the simplicity to use the NetApp technology that gives us the speed of reaction and transform the information into knowledge.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the NetApp Insight event. (*Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for NetApp Insight. Neither NetApp Inc., the event sponsor, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE