20 years of WDO!

Somewhere back about 2003, an idea sprang forth from the fertile mind of Dave Cavil. He thought that Italian motorcycle owners needed their own club and so, WADE was born. The Wisconsin Aprilia Ducati Enthusiasts had its start. Under the guidance of club President, Gary Heinitz, who directed us to become an official Ducati club, the name was soon changed to Wisconsin Area Ducati Enthusiasts (WADE). 

In those early years WADE also benefited greatly from being aligned with Corse Superbikes and its principal owner Virgil Keider. Being able to hold meetings and parties at one of the premier dealers in the country at the time was a huge bonus. 

2008 brought a change for the board and Don Mildebrandt was elected president. Not long after, the name was changed to Wisconsin Desmo Owners (WDO). Other changes soon followed when in 2009 Corse Superbikes closed its doors and not having a Ducati dealer to work with, put the club in limbo.  Fortunately, Joe Meinerz opened the doors to MotoUnion and with that brought an official Ducati dealer connection, WDO was off and running again.   

At the end of 2017 saw Don Mildebrandt decide that 10 years was enough and Ross Bennett was elected President. For the next 6 years Ross saw WDO go through another Ducati dealer change and while it was still MotoUnion, it brought new ownership and challenges for the club.