I feel very let down. For years we've had stories of jolly skiing trips and reciprocal factory visits between Ferrari and Ducati. 'For sure', a Ferrari F1 ace has loved spending some time with the Ducati Moto GP and WSB teams, while various riders have travelled the short distance from Bologna to Fiorano to try the latest road rocket from Maranello.

One big family, clearly; two great teams proudly wearing Italian racing red, sharing technical resources and jointly carrying the hopes of the nation on two wheels and four.

But what's all this about? A 'cooperation' between Ducati and AMG? That's AMG, a sub–division of Mercedes–Benz, in case you hadn't noticed, which not only runs its own F1 team but also powers Lewis Hamilton's and Jenson Button's McLarens — arch–rivals to the Scuderia on the track.

Further reading of the news announcement shows the relationship has yet to reach the 'coming in for coffee?' stage. It is a marketing and sponsorship opportunity, apparently.

And there was I thinking that two companies with such high engineering values would see synergies a world away from the baseball cap and T–shirt stalls.

Steve Wakefield Managing Editor sw@classicdriver.com

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