| Ducati Motor Holding SpA has decided to entrust its dedicated racing structure, Ducati Corse, with the task of studying the construction of a four-stroke prototype, which will eventually take part in the Grand Prix World Championship in the near future.
Racing forms part of Ducati’s ‘DNA’ and has always represented the main promotional ‘vehicle’ for the Borgo Panigale-based manufacturer. Ducati is the most successful manufacturer in the history of World Superbike, the championship reserved for four-stroke, large capacity production-based sportsbikes, and has won 17 titles (8 Riders’ and 9 Manufacturers’) in this category of racing since 1990. This remarkable record, which has been achieved with its ‘desmodromic’ twin cylinder bikes, has contributed to the extraordinary commercial success of the Ducati marque, which has paralleled success in the World Superbike Championship. A careful analysis of the opportunities offered by the new regulations, which allow 990cc four-stroke prototypes to take part in the GP category, together with the company’s recent success, which saw a record production run of 39,000 motorbikes in the year 2000, has convinced Ducati to embark on this ambitious new project. Ducati Corse engineers are working on taking the concept of the twin-cylinder ‘desmodromic’ engine to its extreme limit. This radical new engine will eventually be inserted in a tubular trestle frame, in the best tradition of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer. The aim is to build a competitive and innovative prototype while at the same time maintaining the features that have made Ducati famous and successful throughout the world. Innovative and avant-guard ideas, which have become the key characteristics of the success and exclusivity of Ducati bikes all over the world, will in the future be experimented not only in Superbike but also in GP racing and will help to further increase the quality and performance of Ducati’s road models. In the coming years Ducati will therefore be involved with factory teams on two fronts: in Superbike for the promotion and development of its own production bikes and in Grands Prix for the experimentation of new technologies. DUCATI: RACING IN ITS VEINS The Ducati marque has always been linked with motorcycle competition. From the Marianna of the legendary Milan-Taranto race to 44 speed records conquered at Monza in 1956; from the 125 GP triple-shaft desmo which finished second in the World Championship in 1958, to the 750 Sport that won the Imola 200 Miles in 1972 with Paul Smart.
17 World Superbike titles, won with the famous twin-cylinder four-valve desmodromic engine, have in recent years contributed to the success of the Ducati name throughout the world and led to it becoming synonymous with Italian sports bikes in general. Racing competition for Ducati has always been an irreplaceable test-bed for the experimentation of production bikes. This philosophy, which also continues to be Ducati's winning strategy in the new millennium, is tied to the development of a particular type of power-unit: the 'L' shaped twin-cylinder engine. At the end of the 1960s engineer Fabio Taglioni began to work on the design of the legendary 'pompone' (big pump) unit, after being convinced of the validity of this particular architecture due to its power and 'rideability'. The bike on which the Italian genius tried out his ideas was a 500 cc Grand Prix machine. The starting-point was a loam-cast block to which he added two thermal components from the 250 cc single-cylinder engine. The Ducati 500 GP was unveiled in 1971 and aroused considerable interest amongst fans. Its twin-cylinder two-valve engine with single-shaft timing system developed around 72 hp at 12,000 rpm. It made its debut at Modena in the Italian Championship in the hands of Bruno Spaggiari and young tester Ermanno Giuliano. In its second race at Imola Giuliano finished runner-up behind the great Giacomo Agostini. The bike's competitiveness meant that Ducati were now on the lookout for a champion rider to exploit its potential. Along came Phil Read, who finished second in the Italian race at Ospedaletti and fourth in the world championship round at Monza after running second for much of the race. That year also saw the 500 GP's only victory, when Gilberto Parlotti won the international race at Skopia Locka in Yugoslavia. The GP project was soon shelved however and Ducati's limited financial resources were diverted to the development of the 750 GT production bike, the first large-cylinder bike built at Borgo Panigale and from which derived the 750SS that won the Imola 200 Miles race with Paul Smart. Despite its short life, the 1971 500GP has great importance in the history of Ducati and can be considered the precursor of the bikes that have made the Italian manufacturer famous throughout the world. It also confirms the fact that Ducati history is indelibly linked to racing. Whether production-based bikes or Grand Prix prototypes, all the Italian firm's creations have sport in their 'DNA', and over the years this has led to Ducati becoming the Italian sportsbike par excellence. DUCATI CORSE Ducati Corse s.r.l. was founded by Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. in 1999 as a separate company to run all Ducati sporting activity. Great results have been achieved in the two seasons in which Ducati Corse has been responsible for the development of the 996 Factory with the official team: - One World Superbike Championship (Riders) with Fogarty in 1999 The following results have been achieved in a total of 57 races disputed since the start of 1999 (figures up to 2001 round 3 at Phillip Island): Wins 17 30% Ducati Corse clients, who race in Superbike with bikes that are directly derived from the factory machines, have also scored prestigious results in the last two years (among which two British Superbike titles, in 1999 and 2000) as well as three wins in the 2000 World Superbike Championship, two with Hodgson and one with Reynolds. These results demonstrate that the Ducati 996RS is the only 'customer' bike capable of competing at a top level in the World Championship. The results obtained are confirmation of the fact that the Formula 1-inspired approach to racing established by Ducati Corse Managing Director Claudio Domenicali is giving the expected benefits in terms of performance and reliability. At present 80 people work in Ducati Corse in the following sectors: Sporting Activity Research & Development Commercial & Marketing Activity The efforts and commitment of Ducati Corse have enabled the Italian manufacturer to tackle the 2001 World Superbike Championship with three factory bikes. In addition for the first time Ducati Corse has two main sponsors: Infostrada, which has a long tradition of success and mutual satisfaction with Ducati not only on the racetrack but also in the 'business' sector for telephone and Internet services, and Phillip Morris, this year for the first time linked with Ducati, with its L&M brand. A special partnership links Ducati Corse with Shell. The development of fuels and lubricants is fundamental in achieving maximum performance. Work carried out together with Shell engineers is a fundamental component in the success obtained over the years and the reliability demonstrated by Ducati, as well as having a knock-on effect on products for motorcycle fans everywhere. For Ducati Corse the 'GP Project' represents an exciting new test-bed for the experimentation of new solutions which in the future could be introduced on road-going production models. Ducati Corse aims to increase its staff to 110 people by the end of next year in order to face up to this fascinating new challenge, which will accompany Ducati commitment in developing and running the bikes for the factory Superbike and client teams. |
For racing fans, Mike Hailwood's 1978 TT win with the 900SS will go down as one of the greatest chapters in motorcycle history. Onto the 1980s with the Pantah's win in the TT and F1 categories and Lucchinelli's triumph at Daytona in the 1986 Battle of the Twins.
