Jorge Lorenzo admits being "too slow" in parts of the Qatar Grand Prix shows he is still not prepared to challenge at the top end of MotoGP with Ducati
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Jorge Lorenzo admits being "too slow" in parts of the Qatar Grand Prix shows he is still not prepared to challenge at the top end of MotoGP with Ducati
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Ductalk Ducati News
Ducati News Daily Curated by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Built for an avid amateur racer, with an engine tuned to the limits and paint from the 1968 Corvette palette, Walt Siegl's new custom Ducati build is one of his best yet.
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Ducati's Scrambler 1100 packs more punch, more sophisticated electronics and an even more premium feel. It's everything we wanted in a Scrambler.
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
In all the history of the Ducati Monster, nothing like this had ever been seen: which ensured the previous record (established in 2008 by the enthusiasts of the Monster Owners Belgium Club, with 405 bikes) was soundly beaten.
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Three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo has accused his Ducati team-mate Andrea Dovizioso of trying to intentionally "undermine" his morale, both currently and throughout their MotoGP careers
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Ducati & Lloyd Brothers tap former GP racer Stevie Bonsey
Bonsey will be riding a Ducati powered Monster 821
Team, Rider and Motorcycle will debut April 7 in Woodstock, GA
Ducati North America partners with The Dillard Family Racing / Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team to back former Grand Prix motorcycle racer Stevie Bonsey for ten rounds of the American Flat Track (AFT) championship. First race of their season will start with the Atlanta Short Track on Saturday, April 7 in Woodstock, GA at the Dixie Raceway.
Stevie Bonsey, one of the fiercest riders on the AFT circuit mounts his official comeback after a serious crash left the Salinas, CA native with a broken neck in 2016. Bonsey made an appearance at last year’s finale promptly battling up front and finishing just 0.041 seconds off the podium.
The bike is built around Ducati’s twin-cylinder four-valve liquid-cooled Testastretta 11° Monster 821 engine specifically set up for American Flat Track racing by the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team and the support from Ducati and sponsorship from long-standing Ducati collector Jim Dillard.
Lloyd Brothers Motorsports has a history running Ducati-powered machines. History was made together in 2010 by snapping Harley-Davidson’s nearly two-decade winning streak with a victory at the Arizona Mile as a privateer effort. The expanded 2018 program with Bonsey at the controls shows a seriousness of winning intentions by all involved.
“I feel privileged to get a chance to ride of Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Ducati for the 2018 season, it’s going to be a challenging season with a class full of so much talent, but I truly believe we have a bike and a team more than capable of going out front.” Says Bonsey
Team co-owner David Lloyd said “We are very happy to have Ducati involved with both our team and the AFT series. Since 2010, we have been racing air-cooled Ducati two-valved engines and have managed a Main event win and podiums; we have now put together two proof–of–concept liquid cooled four-valve engine race bikes that have shown very well the few times on track. With our latest revisions, we are excited and thankful to have sponsorship to be able to race our Ducati Monster 821-powered machine this season with one of the most talented racers, Stevie Bonsey”
“We knew that this combination of Team, Rider and Bike would give the Ducati brand an opportunity to contend with the top in the field in the fastest growing motorcycle sport in the US. We’ve given our Ducati fans a team to cheer on and we’re excited to see progress in action as the season develops”, said Ducati North America CEO, Jason Chinnock.
About Lloyd Brothers Motorsports:
Lloyd Brothers Motorsports (LBM) is a professional motorcycle race team, co-owned by David and Michael Lloyd which has been active in professional motorcycle racing for 34 years. Based out of Atlanta, LBM has a long and successful history of European brand podiums. Currently, LBM is the top Ducati development team in American Flat Track. For 2018 LBM is proud and honored to be supported by the following long time sponsors:
Dillard Family Racing, Ducati, Daniel Kalal, Motion Pro, DucShop, Fuller Moto, M4 Exhaust, Desmo Pro, Ducati.net, Ohlins, GMD ATL, Spectro performance lubricants, Arts Radiator, Diamond Chain, Mr. Sign, Speed Cell, Pure Attitude, XT Racing, Tovella CNC, Factory Pro, Goodridge, 6D, Alpinestars, Drew Masa, EKS brand, Asterik, and Josh Chisum Racing.
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
If you've got a spare few quid in the bank, a classic bike can be a great little earner - and it looks great in the garage, too
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Ducati’s fastest three MotoGP riders all use a thumb-operated rear brake, 25 years after Mick Doohan introduced the system to Grand Prix racing
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
For a company priding itself on racing and performance, there’s an irony in the fact that, since its introduction in 2014, the Scrambler has been Ducati’s
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Andrea Dovizioso has been in talks with Honda and Suzuki, Autosport has learned, while awaiting a firm offer from his current MotoGP employer Ducati
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
DUCATI INVITES ALL TO JOIN THE NEW DUCATI ISLAND EXPERIENCE AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS FROM APRIL 20-22 ~
Three-Day Ducati Ticket Packages Go on Sale Today with a New Location and Exclusive Activities
Ducati enthusiasts and fans alike from all over the world will congregate at Ducati Island, the place to be during Austin’s MotoGP weekend. As part of race day programming, Ducati Island will offer the ultimate Ducati experience, featuring the 2018 Ducati lineup at COTA’s famed Velocity lounge, test rides, Scrambler Road Trip tour bus, team appearances, meet and greet opportunities with executives, and more. A new location for Ducati Island has been established to amplify race day thrills with new activities for attendees. Three-day Ducati Ticket Packages go on sale today and can be purchased here (http://circuitoftheamericas.com/motogp/tickets/ducati-island ).
Premium accommodations and seating are just the start of the exciting Ducati Ticket Package, which also includes a Ducati-Only Parking pass, VIP pit lane walk, Ducati gift voucher and, new for 2018, Ducati-Only Track Lap, karting ticket and access to the Velocity Lounge VIP area. Come test ride the Scrambler lineup, meet company executives and rub elbows with team racers, all of which will add to the exhilaration of admission to Ducati Island. Ducati Island ticket packages start at $259 per person, for three-day access.
The new location of Ducati Island near the Main Grandstands will provide the perfect vantage point of the start/finish line during an important year for the Ducati team, as MotoGP team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo are poised to pilot their Desmosedici GP motorcycles to victory.
The MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas takes place from April 20-22 at Circuit of the Americas. It will be the third race of the MotoGP season and is the only North American stop of the 2018 race schedule.
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
photo and story: Vicki Smith
The garage of Rino Caracchi is empty today. Looking thru the photos I have taken there over the years it’s possible to tell which of the many visits it was by the bike on the work bench, but really, not much else ever changed. The always on TV in the ceiling, the well-organized parts and tools, bicycles hung from the ceiling on pulleys, Bologna sunlight filtering in thru the high window, and of course Rino, quietly working away. This was the workshop of a master tuner.
Rino Caracchi was a world class mechanic, who with his friends Giorgio Nepoti and Franco Farne, for over 30 years influenced Ducati racing history. Ducati didn’t compete officially in racing in the 1970’s so they entrusted the program to the NCR race shop, just 10 minutes away. When Paul Smart won at Imola in 1972, Rino, Giorgio and Franco were there. Mike Hailwood at the Isle of Man, they were there. They believed that everything could always be lighter, faster, better. And they always seemed to find a way to do it. First race use of the quick-change wheel? Team NCR.
NCR was the satellite team that often was the only team. The partnership between Ducati and NCR was an important part of the company that Ducati is today - a company that builds bikes better because it races.
Of the three men, Rino was the last one still at his work bench. Yesterday, the light turned off for good in Rino’s garage. Team NCR is back together again. Heaven just got itself a hell of a tuner….
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MotoGP: Casey has undergone surgery on the rotator cuff of his right shoulder, injured years ago, and faces a lengthy recovery
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
If you are in or near Miami this wonderful exhibit is open and free to attend until April 22nd.
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Japanese craftsman Masaharu-san takes the Italian-made street bike to a new, luxurious realm.
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Laguna Seca has undergone improvements ahead of the 2018 season including fan amenity updates and a new bridge over the start/finish straight.
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Esoteric arguments about a custom bike’s relative merits are all good and well, but as we all know it always comes down to the same old fact that there’s no accounting for taste. I like red. You like blue. The rest is mere conjecture. But all bets are off when you own a bike signed by Jorg
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
As the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams knows a thing or two about deadlines and the pressure they bring. “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Jorge Lorenzo reckons Ducati's 2018 bike can still be significantly improved, despite the Spaniard topping the Sepang MotoGP pre-season test with a fastest ever lap of the Malaysian circuit
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
We wheeled out Chris Northover for the launch of the new Ducati Panigale V4 in Valencia. Don't forget to like and subscribe and hit that bell icon to be th
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Words and photos by Vicki Smith
Last night the Ducati North America “More Than Red” Tour made a stop at Ducati Miami in the Wynwood Art District. Wynwood has been known to throw some pretty good parties and this was no exception. Ducati North America CEO Jason Chinnock was on hand to unveil the new Scrambler 1100 Sport as well as the show stopping Panigale V4 and V4 Speciale to a capacity crowd. If there was anybody that wondered if that special Ducati sound was part of the new package all worries were set aside once the crazy sound system cranked up to accompany the video of a Panigale V4 owning an Italian racetrack. Honestly, if you are a person who appreciates a great sounding machine this would have counted you in a large crowd of really smiling faces when that sound was blasting.
Once the bikes were unveiled and people had some time to look them over the question of the night from all sides seemed to be “what did I think of the V4?” Truthfully, this surprised me because, while I do realize not everybody needs an over 200 horsepower Superbike (and for them Ducati has a full range of other offerings) this bike just screams badass. (Not convinced? Take a look at the dyno chart I shared yesterday). We were shown a side by side image of the racing GP motor and the one the Panigale V4 uses and the similarity is immense. Right now, the world’s top journalists are at the Panigale V4 press launch in Valencia. I’ll be surprised if they are anything short of blown away.
Here’s a link to some photos from last night:
https://www.facebook.com/ducnet/posts/10155829239700985
Vicki Smith
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Now that they’re making their way into dealerships, somebody had to do it. Moto Rapido Ducati, in Winchester, UK, is the first we’ve seen to strap a Panigale V4S to a Dynojet 250i – the same type MO uses to wring out our bikes.
For the Dyno Chart click HERE
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
“Can we buy one of your bikes?” If we had a dollar for every time we've been asked that, we'd be richer than Donald Trump’s hairdresser. Of course, it highlights the fact that many casual Pipeburn readers assume all the bikes we feature are built by us. As if we aren't busy enough already.
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
On the volcanic roads of Gran Canaria, the bike revealed why Ducati may be king of the sport-touring mountain.
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Miguel Galluzzi, head of the Piaggio Group's Advanced Design Center, discusses why two wheels are better than one and why motorbikes won't become autonomous anytime soon.
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Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
1st PART - The manager on 2018: "Yamaha will not be making more mistakes, Dovizioso will be in the mix for the entire season. The surprise? I say Miller"