Between the Ducati factory and the regulations, it is a passionate relationship combined on the theme of “I love you neither” since the beginning of the WSBK category. The competition was strong in the face of those eager to balance the game between the Italian twin and the Japanese 4-cylinder artillery. Then the Italians presented themselves as victims after the same competition found itself in a better position. It is this period which is currently being experienced with the feeling of a castration of the Panigale V4R felt as an injustice. A frustration that still exists if we judge by the comments of Marco Zambenedetti, director of Ducati Superbike technology…
To understand the situation, we have to go back to the 2019 season. After a boring series of victories achieved by the beginners Alvaro Bautista et Ducati Panigale V4 R at the start of the WSBK campaign, regulatory provisions intervened to calm the Italian missile. After three events, the Ducati's engine speed was reduced by 250 rpm. A decision against which people are still fuming Marco Zambenedetti, Ducati technical director for WSBK.
The strategist Ducati explains that those responsible did not achieve the desired effect. In a straight line, the Ducati was clearly the faster bike even after tuning. Sometimes Ducati riders were going 10 or 15 km/h faster than the others: “ In my opinion, the reduction in speed had a greater impact on the handling of the machine than on the maximum power. When switching from the V2 engine to the V4 engine, the wider operating range of the engine was one of the most significant improvements. Reducing speed had reduced effect "Comments Zambenedetti in an interview with “ Motorsport-Total.com"
With new mapping, Ducati has prevented the engine from losing power. But the smaller usage range impacted performance. “ In the Superbike World Championship, you cannot change the gearbox and primary drive ratio. This is why it impacts us when you reduce the engine operating window ", Explain Zambenedetti.
The spearhead of Ducati, Alvaro Bautista, continued to win races after the adjustment. The other Ducati riders had to struggle more with the rule change. “ This change hit some drivers harder than others. In this case, Chaz Davies was the victim. It depends on the riding style. Customer team drivers have also been hit hard ", remember Zambenedetti.
For the 2020 season, Ducati will start with the value with which the season ended. “ If there is no new homologated machine, we will start the season in the same arrangements as we finished the previous campaign. In our case we stay at 16 rpm », confirms the Ducati engineer.
« The rules say you can reset the engine speed limit if you submit a new homologation model and sell 500 copies ", Explain Zambenedetti. Due to the great demand for the Panigale V4 R, Ducati would only have to modify a few details in order to create a new homologation model. “ I don't want to say that we sold twice as many motorcycles as expected, but we were still surprised by the numbers. Demand is high and continues. We are very happy. So it wouldn't be a problem to add another 500 units "Comments Zambenedetti.
For the 2020 season, Ducati will remain at the 2019 level. This also applies to Kawasaki and BMW, who have not presented any new homologation models. Yamaha has revised the R1 for 2020 and Honda has also developed a new Superbike for the upcoming WSBK season.
