Last month, we wrote about the Diavel Drag Race at World Ducati Week 2012 starring Ducati’s current MotoGP and World Superbike racers and the one and only Troy Bayliss. If you missed it, the retired three-time WSBK Champion Bayliss defeated nine-time Grand Prix Champion Valentino Rossi in the drag race competition on Ducati Diavel Carbons.

Our initial post featured a video of highlights from the drag race competition shot by Italian website Motociclismo.it but it was filmed by a single camera from an awkward vantage point. Thankfully, Ducati has since uploaded a video of the entire competition with live commentary and various camera angles from its official WDW TV coverage.

Unfortunately the commentary is in Italian, but it’s pretty easy to figure out what is going on if you don’t speak the language. It isn’t difficult to make out the names of Bayliss, Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Carlos Checa, Jakub Smrz, Sylvain Guintoli, Niccolò Canepa, and Lorenzo Zanetti. Continue Reading »

Former World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss out-dueled MotoGP star Valentino Rossi in a highly-anticipated showdown to win the Diavel drag race on the Misano Circuit‘s starting straight as part of World Ducati Week 2012 celebrations.

Bayliss and Rossi faced off in the final round after getting through the preliminary rounds which also featured Rossi’s MotoGP teammate Nicky Hayden, reigning WSBK Champion Carlos Checa, Jakub Smrz, Sylvain Guintoli, Niccolò Canepa and Lorenzo Zanetti. Continue Reading »

Valentino Rossi vs. Troy Bayliss is going to happen. One of the best MotoGP racers of all time and one of the best World Superbike racers of all time head a list of racing stars tabbed to take part in a drag race on Ducati Diavels as part of the World Ducati Week 2012 festivities.

Ducati MotoGP racers Rossi and Nicky Hayden, reigning WSBK Champion Carlos Checa, Effenbert-Liberty Racing’s Jakub Smrz and Sylvain Guintoli, former Superstock 1000 Champion Niccolò Canepa, WSBK racer Lorenzo Zanetti and three-time WSBK Champion Bayliss fill the star-studded roster for the Ducati Diavel drag race.

A similar event was held with Ducati Streetfighters during World Ducati Week 2010 with Noriyuki Haga declared the winner (check out the highlight video after the jump). This year’s event will feature the Ducati Diavel Carbon which claims a 0-60 time of 2.6 seconds. Continue Reading »