KIWI RIDER 04 2020 VOL2 | Page 87

ROAD NEWS DUCATI CLOSES 2019 WITH GROWTH W ith the world still coming to grips with the impact of Covid-19 on various industries, the motorcycle industry has already seen significant moves in response to the virus. One such move is big-name brands BMW, Husqvarna and KTM announcing that they will not participate in this year’s scheduled EICMA and Intermot motorcycle shows – even if the as yet not-cancelled motor shows do go ahead. The European brands are the first to announce pulling out of arguably the two biggest events in the motorcycle show calendar, which were scheduled for October and November this year, due to the hardly foreseeable development of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects. While BMW Motorrad announced it was withdrawing specifically from the two big shows, KTM AG went one step further and pulled the pin on all participation in trade shows for the remainder of 2020. “Trade shows are key business milestones for the entire motorcycle industry but given the situation, public health and the welfare of our staff are higher priorities over the coming months, said KTM AG CMO Hubert Trunkenpolz. KIWI RIDER 87