Ducati to pull out of WSBK?

JakeR1 · 04-11-2007, 12:46 PM

Found this on another forum, I haven't been able to find a link yet.

Quote:

Ducati will walk away from the World Superbike Championship next year unless series bosses make sweeping rule changes to allow 1200cc V-twin bikes to race.

The Italian manufacturer, the most successful team in the history of the championship, currently races the 1000cc 999 model in the championship for world champion Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi, but no longer produces the bike for road use.

And their race chief Claudio Domenicali claims that a refusal by rulemakers the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM) to allow their new 1098 bike, which uses an 1198cc V-twin engine to race, will see them make an immediate exit from the sport.

“There is no way we can continue racing in Superbikes with the 1000cc V-twin engine we currently use, Domenicali told MCN.

“It is not in the spirit of Superbike racing because we no longer produce a road-going 1000cc V-twin sports bike – only bigger capacities.

“It cannot be made any simpler. We will withdraw from the championship if the rules are not changed.”

The superbike formula was devised in 1987 with the idea being that teams would run race versions of road bikes, meaning that while Moto GP is the two-wheeled version of Formula One, Superbikes is far more like touring cars.

The concept of ‘race on Sunday, sell on Monday, may be an American one, but Domenicali believes it is still extremely valid now.

He added: “The whole point of Superbikes is to race what you sell, and this is not the case any more. We always knew 2007 would be an interim year – we have been racing the 999 when we do not sell the machine any more. This cannot continue.”

Ducati have told rulemakers the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM) that the rule changes must be made official in just six weeks in order to give them time to prepare for next season.

Ducati's WSBK achievements dwarf everyone else's, with 12 rider's titles and 254 wins in 20 years.

Crazy G. · 04-11-2007, 01:04 PM

Whoever wrote that article didn't do their research, the 1098 has a 1099cc engine, but Ducati desided not to name it the 1099 because of the tax form with the same name or some wierd BS like that.

JakeR1 · 04-11-2007, 01:12 PM

It still exceeds the 1000cc limit.

firehawk · 04-13-2007, 12:42 AM

This has been known for quite some time. Ducati started spreading that word in Motorcycle Racer magazine about 4 months ago.

Haywood · 04-13-2007, 07:42 AM

Once the FIM allows for 1200cc V-Twins (which they should), all those folks that bought the 1098's will be a 'flash in the pan'.

Ducati's been complaining about the costs of thier racing program(s) for several years now, and rightly so. The cost of racing the 999 is significantly more than the other factory teams with I-4's.

Hopefully the FIM allows the bump, it would really suck to see Ducati pull out of WSBK.

04-11-2007, 01:12 PM	#3
JakeR1 Club Racer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: SD Bikes: '99 R1 "The Disintegrator" '07 R1, '04 R6 "Slow" Age: 26 Posts: 2,517 iTrader: (1) Rep Power: 5 (62)	It still exceeds the 1000cc limit. __________________ Just call me Matt... www.msf-usa.org

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04-11-2007, 01:04 PM	#2
Crazy G. Squid Tournaments Won: 1 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: San Diego Posts: 142 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 3 (15)	Whoever wrote that article didn't do their research, the 1098 has a 1099cc engine, but Ducati desided not to name it the 1099 because of the tax form with the same name or some wierd BS like that.

04-13-2007, 12:42 AM	#4
firehawk Know It All Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 319 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 2 (43)	This has been known for quite some time. Ducati started spreading that word in Motorcycle Racer magazine about 4 months ago.

04-13-2007, 07:42 AM	#5
Haywood Know It All Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Ramona Bikes: '06 KTM SMC625 '03 RC51 '03 EX500 '98 VTR SuperHawk Age: 39 Posts: 294 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 2 (24)	Once the FIM allows for 1200cc V-Twins (which they should), all those folks that bought the 1098's will be a 'flash in the pan'. Ducati's been complaining about the costs of thier racing program(s) for several years now, and rightly so. The cost of racing the 999 is significantly more than the other factory teams with I-4's. Hopefully the FIM allows the bump, it would really suck to see Ducati pull out of WSBK.