The 2013 MotoGP season kicks off this weekend at the Grand Prix of Qatar, and like many of you, we can’t wait to see how this season plays out. There are a number of plot twists this year, with Rossi, Marquez, Pedrosa and Lorenzo all grabbing headlines. Here, we’ll highlight the top 10 storylines to watch this year.
Ducati was absent at a recent MotoGP test at the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas, attended by Honda and Yamaha‘s riders. But that doesn’t mean Ducati‘s American riders Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies won’t get a chance to ride their newest home track. The Kentucky Kid, Hayden, and Texas’ own Spies recently hit the COTA track on the new Ducati 1199 Panigale R for the sportbike’s press launch.
Our very own Kevin Duke is attending the launch and he’ll provide his first-hand look at the R version of the Panigale, but here’s what we know about the World Superbike and Superstock-homologated racebike. Continue Reading »
Next week, I’ll be headed to the Ascari Circuit in Southern Spain, as Ducati is set to launch the all new 2013 Hypermotard to the world’s motorcycle press. To get everyone excited about the event, the boys from Bologna decided to have a little fun. Together with its factory MotoGP pilot, Nicky Hayden, and a cameo by Ruben Xaus, Ducati has filmed an exciting video to showcase what the bike can do. See it below. Continue Reading »
Ducati has revealed technical specifications on its Desmosedici GP13 MotoGP racer. The information is understandably vague in some areas, as manufacturers are hesitant in revealing too much information, and of course subject to change as the 2013 season progresses.
The GP13 specifications revealed aren’t too far off of the specifications revealed for the Desmosedici GP12 this time last year ahead of the 2012 MotoGP season. The GP13 is again powered by a 1000cc liquid-cooled 90-degree V4 four-stroke, desmodromic DOHC engine with four valves per cylinder. Ducati is vague in claiming the engine puts out “more than 235 hp”, but that’s at least a change from last year when Ducati claimed “more than 230 hp” out of the GP12. Continue Reading »
(Update: Ducati has clarified the Dolomites’ Peak Edition is just a one-off created for Wrooom.)
Ducati has revealed a one-off variant of its Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak Edition as part of the Wrooom 2013 celebrations at Italy’s Madonna di Campiglio ski resort. With the mountains of northeast Italy as the backdrop, MotoGP factory riders Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden pulled the covers of the new Multistrada 1200 S Dolomites’ Peak Edition.
The Dolomite’s Peak Edition is essentially the same as the Pikes Peak Edition, a replica of the Ducati Multistrada S that won the motorcycle class races at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb three years in a row. With the Ducati MotoGP team launch in the Dolomites, it made sense for Ducati to prepare special graphics for the occasion. The special edition models add with three-spoke Marchesini wheels, and carbon fiber racing screen, fenders, air scoops, side extractors and engine guards. Like the European-spec Pikes Peak Editions, the Dolomite’s Peak Edition is equipped with a carbon Termignoni exhaust. Continue Reading »
Bernhard Gobmeier sounded cautiously optimistic about Ducati‘s MotoGP program, speaking at the Wrooom 2013 event following the unveiling of the Desmsedici GP13 racebike.
Taking over as general manager of Ducati Corse, Gobmeier acknowledged his team had a lot of ground to make up if it hopes to pose a serious threat to Honda and Yamaha. Ducati got an early start on developing its 2013 program halfway through the 2012 season when it became apparent the Desmosedici GP12 was not competitive enough against the RC213V and the M1. That also means the GP13 as it is now isn’t that much different from the one that ended last season.
“The challenge that lies ahead is a big one and everybody is curious as to what we are going to do to close the gap to our rivals,” says Gobmeier. “We must work in a lot of different areas where we can make the difference. We have already made some positive changes to the team structure, and we have some ideas for the development of the bike. I prefer to speak about evolution rather than revolution and with this in mind first we want to evaluate the material developed in the second half of last year. I think that with this approach we can improve the performance of the bike in the short term but we are also working on new solutions which down the road in 2013 will be implemented into the race bike.” Continue Reading »
(Updated with high-resolution studio photos of the factory Desmosedici GP13 racebikes.)
Ducati factory riders Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso along with the junior Ducati Pramac team of Ben Spies and Andrea Iannone pulled the covers of the Desmosedici GP13, revealing the race bikes they will ride for the 2013 MotoGP Championship.
The four riders revealed their Desmosedicis on a snow-covered mountain in the Dolomites in Italy as part of Wrooom 2013, an annual ski event held jointly by Ducati Corse and Ferrari‘s Formula One racing program.
The 2013 season marks a number of changes for the Ducati MotoGP program. The biggest change is Ducati’s new owners Audi and the newly-appointed Bernhard Gobmeier who replaces Filippo Preziosi as general manager of Ducati Corse. The popular and charismatic Valentino Rossi is gone after two disappointing seasons, replaced by another Italian in Dovizioso. Another big change is the Pramac satellite team which will receive factory support. Continue Reading »
Ducati has named Bernhard Gobmeier the new general manager of Ducati Corse, handing the former BMW Superbike racing director the reins to the company’s racing program. Gobmeier replaces Filippo Preziosi (pictured above) who will be reassigned to the post of director of research and development for Ducati, shifting his focus from racing to developing new products.
The personnel change carries two storylines. On the one hand, Preziosi’s tenure as GM of Ducati Corse was a disappointing period for the factory MotoGP program, highlighted by the two disastrous seasons with Valentino Rossi and the continuing struggle to make the Desmosedici race bike competitive.
The other plot thread is the appointment of a German to lead the Italian manufacturer’s racing program. Ducati is now, of course, owned by Audi, and the appointment of Gobmeier has the German automaker’s fingerprints all over it. As the official announcement reads, Gobmeier’s role is to “to enter the new phase of development for Ducati’s racing activities and to achieve the targets set during the recent acquisition by the Audi Group.” Continue Reading »
In a pair of carefully-timed press releases, Ducati announced it will part ways with MotoGP star Valentino Rossi at the end of the season and Yamaha announced it has signed Rossi to a two-year contract.
The arrangement had been in the works for some time now and the two manufacturers had reportedly wanted to wait until Aug. 15 to make their announcements. But it’s very hard to stop the rumor mill from churning, especially when it involves the highest-profile Grand Prix motorcycle racer of this generation. After word leaked of Rossi’s impending return to Yamaha, the two manufacturers moved up the announcement date.
Rossi raced the last two seasons for Ducati‘s factory MotoGP team after a seven-year stint with Yamaha. His time with Ducati however was far less successful. In 27 races with Ducati, Rossi has finished on the podium just two times, finishing seventh in the 2011 season and currently sitting in eighth place in the championship. Continue Reading »
Ducati has signed Nicky Hayden to a one-year contract extension, retaining the Kentucky native for the 2013 MotoGP season.
Hayden, who turns 31 on July 31, has raced for Ducati‘s factory team since 2009. During this period, Hayden has been somewhat overshadowed by his teammates, first by Casey Stoner and now Valentino Rossi. Nevertheless, Hayden retains a lot of support from fans, including those in the U.S. which has become Ducati’s largest market.
The Kentucky Kid currently sits eighth overall in the championship heading into the U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Continue Reading »
