The eternal dilemma, two wheels vs four wheels, which is faster? The Italians from Due Ruote pitted the Ducati 1198 SP against a Mercedes AMG SLS at the super fast and difficult Nurburgring circuit.

According to the testers who battled on track for three laps, the motorcycle and car were almost equal performance wise, with the Ducati slightly faster, however with big differences between the two machines in the various types of corners with the 1198 SP almost unbeatable acceleration and in the fast corners and on the straight as it reached a top speed of 287,3 km/h, more than 7 km faster than the 6300cc Mercedes.

Check out the video.

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Renowned tuning company Radical Ducati has teamed up with Dragon TT designers to create a new bodykit for the current Ducati Superbikes range called Vendetta and - true to their name - what they have come up with is something more than a simple ‘facelift’. In fact, any Ducati 848/1098/1198 that will undergo the Vendetta treatment will end up looking like a completely different beast.

The Vendetta bodykit presented by the two Spanish companies makes the Ducatis look slimmer, more compact and, in a way, more aggressive. It doesn’t require any particular intervention to get fitted on the bike and is available in both carbon fiber and fiberglass. In comparison to Ducati’s standard bodywork, the tank is bigger, the air flow around the bike better (which should translate into better performance as well) and, quite obviously, it is lighter.

More specifically, the Vendetta kit consists of: front fairing with 2 high beam and 2 low beam ellipsoidal lights , windscreen, aluminum front bracket, sidepanels with incorporated blinkers, bellypan, fuel tank, air funnels, single seat with incorporated leds rear light, seat under-tray and silencers adaptors. We can hear Ducati purists’ teeth grinding but… what else could you ask for?

via | Radical Ducati and DragonTT

View the full Ducati SBK Vendetta photo gallery

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The tarmac at Indianapolis was a bane for MotoGP riders who had complaints about the different types of ashpalt, the bumps and cracks that they encountered, making set-up very difficult, but the Speedway addressed the issue by repaving the infield section in time for upcoming Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP race, August 26-28.

Ducati’s Nicky Hayden was the first rider to test the the new surface using a Ducati 1198 yesterday, and after his run the 2006 champion declared himself happy with the job that was done and can’t wait to race on what he considers his home track as it’s just three hours from his home in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Indianapolis Speedway Q&A with Hayden after the jump.

Continue reading: Nicky Hayden tests Indy's new asphalt (w/video)

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What is it with Ducati names of late? After playing around with the dialect of Bologna to produce the Ducati Diavel (which we’re sure makes the baby boomers it’s aimed at feel all devilish….), we’re now apparently getting the Ducati Xtreme. This pic is supposed to be the first teaser shot of the new 2012 Ducati Superbike, the 1199.

The pic comes from Motociclismo magazine, who claims the bike will be called the Ducati Xtreme, while MCN says that it will almost certainly be the 1199. It quotes a source as saying: “The XTreme name was something that was used within Ducati. It’s not the name of the bike which is almost definitely going to be 1199.”

The new Ducati 1199 is expected to house a V-Twin engine with some extra power on the Ducati 1198 - up to about 185 or 190 hp. Apparently the design and chassis is revolutionary for Ducati, with HFL betting on a monocoque frameless design borrowed from MotoGP tech, with lightweight materials to get weight down to about 140 kg.

Further reports on the model suggest we could get a horizontally-mounted rear shock, and A&R is reporting on an underslung tail exhaust like the Ducati Desmosedici. More will be revealed when Motociclismo gets its print version out soon, but they themselves are describing the new Ducati 1199 (Xtreme?) as the “biggest technical turning point for Ducati in the last decade”.

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When we took the first cursory glance at these photos, we went bug eyed and immediately thought that Valentino Rossi and Aldo Drudi had teamed up again and decided to go crazy with the palette, instead these Ducati’s 1098 and 1198 were done by highly controversial Danish artist, Kristian von Hornsleth.

What inspired von Hornsleth to call this series “Kill Me Fast” and based on Ducati’s almost impossible to make more stunning superbikes?

“You don’t feel anything as you hit the wall with 320 Km/h”, said the salesman when I asked him if it was dangerous to ride such a bike. Then I wondered why, I myself was so fascinated by this relation between amazing italian design and the superior engine technology. It is precisely this blend of beauty, speed and death, which inspired me to include this ’scuplture’ in my artistic work. The painted lines and forms interacts in a ‘futilistic’ attempt to investigate and challenge the given logic of the Ducatis design.

If you can’t afford one of the ten motorcycles in the series, you could settle for a poster, they come in three sizes, just hit the artist’s website for more info.

Source | motorpasionmoto.com

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When Valentino Rossi had to switch to a street version of a Ducati 1198 at Silverstone after his spec 1198 SP conked out on him, several pundits remarked that we’d soon be seeing the bike on sale on e-Bay, instead Ducati UK has decided to auction the bike during the upcoming Silverstone GP, with sales proceeds going to MotoGP’s favourite charity, Riders for Health.

The bike, complete with licence plate, indicators and mirrors and used for customer demonstration rides was autographed by Rossi after his 30 laps on it as a thank you to Ducati UK, will go on display at the Riders for Health Day of Champions at Silverstone on Thursday June 9th and then auctioned on Saturday June 11th.

If you’re interested but cannot attend the auction, telephone and commission bids are also being accepted, just click Silverstone Auctions for further information.

Source | ducatinewstoday.com

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Valentino Rossi will be at the Silverstone Circuit tomorrow (May 17th) to inaugurate a new paddock wing and will also be riding the circuit for the very first time as he missed last year’s round due to his broken leg.

Before anyone starts shouting foul and citing FIM rules and regulations, the Italian will be riding a Ducati 1198 just like he did at Misano to check his shoulder fitness and this time it will probably be some demonstration laps for the usual promotional purposes, so we expect to see some sort of video of the event.

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After the official pics of Valentino Rossi at Misano with the Ducati 1198 SP, we can now show you a video (the first 30 seconds) from who else than Sportmediaset, of the Italian trying to test the fitness of shoulder.

Unfortunately the verdict is not a good one for the new Ducati rider, he’ll be heading to a hot and humid Malaysia next week on this statement “It hurts a lot and isn’t very strong” and we really don’t think that Rossi is exaggerating on the condition of his shoulder, but the Sepang tests are going definitely going to show if he’s sandbagging.

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We didn’t have to wait for some fan photos and videos to show up on the web showing Valentino Rossi in action for the first time on the Ducati 1198, because the Ducati website posted these pics.

So far no word on how Rossi’s shoulder is holding up in this fitness test workout, nor have any lap times filtered out from the Misano track, but we expect some sort of brief statement shortly.

UPDATED:

“First of all, thanks to Filippo (Preziosi) and to Ducati, who organized this test. Misano Circuit let us use the track on a day when Mattia (Pasini) was planning to ride in order to confirm his own condition. The track more or less confirmed what we expected: the shoulder is painful—especially under braking, when the front area hurts, where they stitched the tendon. Movement is stable enough, and we’re also doing not so bad with endurance, but apart from that, it hurts a lot and isn’t very strong. Let’s hope it gets a little better in these next few days before the test in Malaysia. Once we’re there, we’ll work with the riding position in an effort to make the most of the situation and collect important information with the Desmosedici, even though I’m not in top form. Today I did a total of 25 laps on the 1198 Superbike, which is sort of a ‘historic’ motorcycle for Ducati: beautiful and fast. I liked it!” said Valentino Rossi.

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We certainly should have expected that Valentino Rossi would want to test his shoulder condition before heading to Sepang for the official pre-season MotoGP tests next week, because the Italian rider is currently at the Misano Adriatico race circuit with a Ducati 1198.

When Rossi decided to return to racing after breaking his leg at the Mugello, he tested his fitness at Misano and Brno with James Toseland’s Yamaha R1 and now he’s doing the same with a Ducati Superbike.

During the Vrooom event, Rossi revealed that he’s still not 100% fit and that his shoulder is still causing him pain when he lifts his arm and that he’ll be fully fit only by April or May, so this test is a first taste of how his tendons and muscles will react under the stress of riding and above all under braking, even if it’s on a Superbike.

We expect as the soon the word gets out, all hell will break loose and Misano will start filling up with fans and journos so we can get some photos and videos for you. So check back with us later or tomorrow.

Source | motoblog.it

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This post started in the most natural of ways, that is to say a chat between a friend of mine and me over Ducati’s decision to pull out of the WSBK as an official factory team. My friend is Italian, a motorcycle nut and rides a BMW so that makes him both interested and disinterested in Ducati’s decision in the sense that it’s obviously disappointing for any WSBK fan to see a team pull-out, it’s particularly disappointing for Italians to see Ducati do it from a cultural heritage point of view; but for my friend it’s also not a disaster as his beloved BMW is still in the running and looks like it could have a positive 2011 (he also likes Australian riders so that helps, too).

Ducati’s WSBK pull-out has been almost universally accepted as a way to fund the purchase of Valentino Rossi in the MotoGP but I decided to suppose this not true for a moment and to take Ducati’s stated reason as the truth: they want to invest more in product development. In which case I was interested in my friend’s take on product development and whether the nitty gritty end of the business gets done in WSBK or in the prototype world of the MotoGP.

I had always supposed the real product development - that is to say bikes that become production models to be used on the road by the general Joes and Janes of the world - to occur in WSBK. The prototypes developed for MotoGP will always be able to lend something to their production counterparts but in the end, they’re mostly designed purely for racing. The WSBK is where the action’s at in terms of developing production models, as indicated by the Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC Special Edition and the Ducati 1198SP seen at the 2010 Intermot.

Continue reading: Ducati and WSBK analysis: product development and Valentino Rossi

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The Ducati 1198 also gets a few electronic updates at the 2010 Intermot show, going head-to-head with Aprilia on the superbike front. The new Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC special edition was revealed, and following that we see the Ducati 1198SP get the same superbike-technology-on-a-road-bike treatment.

The 1198 now has some electronic racing components from the R version such as DTC traction control, Ducati Data Analyser (DDA) and a quick shift option like that of the Aprilia. The Ducati 1198SP also gets an Ohlins TTX rear shock absorver, Ohlins at the front, new clutch control and some carbon fibre features. We also love the aluminium tank like what we’ve seen on the ‘Corsa’ versions. This Ducati 1198 special edition should replace the 1198S and will be sold at approximately that same price point.

Continue reading: Ducati 1198SP gets new electronics at 2010 Intermot

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