Stark reading....there is nout funny about it anywhere. Where does the fault lie, the rider or the bike ? From Moto Station WSBK: Ducati gets wet, Carlos Checa goes
Well at least reading the translation is fuckin hilarious . But what a sorry state , some twat somewhere in that factory is a double agent .
Google translation sometimes isn't perfect. However, it's not as bad as what's happening at Ducati. Something needs to change, this is a sad, sorry state of affairs.
This is it, Checca is out. cant see him back to Ducati, ever ! From twitter below. Carlos Checa Carrera@CarlosCheca748m So thats motogp & WSBK.....both down the pan. Ducati will come back but how long will it take ?
I think they will run with the pani as a model till they have exhausted every avenue of stiffness ,flex, power delivery possible , until it works or is finally binned by Audi. So what then ? is the trellis consigned to history for the likes of us to marvel in ownership , along with bikers of the future generation ,things to own that are cool from a bygone era. Or do they return to it , dropping the L twin in favour of a V4 , if they carry on like this they are on course to become another MV Augusta .
MV Agusta are rumoured to be returning to WSBK next season with the Althea racing....could be embarrassing!
i dont follow wsbk coz i cant watch for free...having said that, this is disastrous for Ducati.... somethings got to give..perhaps the end of the twin engine and a move to V4's, the end of the trellis, or just the usual technique of applying pressure on DORNA/FIM to bend the rules to their advantage...?
it seems they are heading in the wrong direction somehow. checca comes in for a lot of flack. hes not everyones 1st choice - but he is a proven rider and a proven winner. 3 riders down at one meeting - it does seem that the panigale is unpredictable when at the limit and doesnt talk to the rider like other bikes. similar in BSB. the 1 panigale there is at the back end with the also rans / privateers
I put money they will throw a double sided swinger on the panigale at some stage.....otherwise.....motgp syndrome.
Yeah, and look what stunning success MV have had with Superbike racing in the past?..... Another Disaster. MV should just concentrate on trying to get some bikes in dealer showrooms. I think the Ducati is just a victim of having lost the thing that gave it an advantage last year, low down driveability. While all the IL4's were using super computers to try and manage the torque curve, Ducati had a really tractable engine even if it was quick at the end of the straight. This one seems to need just as much electronic management as the IL4's and then still isn't quick at the end of the straight? The Engine re-design that some have mentioned may well happen, this could be what the Panigale RR is all about, if it exists.
Why dont they just make a 4 cylinder bike and be done with it, all these rule changes to make a twin competitive against a 4 cylinder machine and vise versa. One year a twin will walk it, the next year a 4 cylinder bike. All seems to depend on how the rules are set to which configuration works best, bite the bullet and make a V4 ducati purley for racing. Surely its all about developing a fast bike for racing and you dont need to be a rocket scientist to see that the twin has had its day in racing. Then the rules suit everyone and theres no complaining we cant do this and you can and so on, 1000cc will be same as well.
Making a 4 just to win WSBK races is entirely missing the point. Ducati's DNA is bound up in twins. Apart from the Desmo, they are all twins - and that's what we like about them. It's the way the twin delivers the performance that is so addictive. If Ducati binned the twin then their whole DNA would disappear, in my view. In Moto GP it doesn't really matter as it is obvious that a twin can't compete at that level. But Moto GP is all about prototypes so it doesn't really matter. But WSBK is about racing "street derived" bikes. Abandoning the twin would imply Ducati's admission that their twins don't cut it and that would have serious implications for the prestige of all the brand's bikes. Is it a motor thing in any case? Or is it a handling thing (which it is in Moto GP)? Whilst Ducati can afford to lose in Moto GP because it is a state of the art class where big bucks do the talking, they can't afford to remain also-rans in WSBK because it implies that their flagship road bike just isn't very good. WSBK is the real problem for them. People know that the Superbike is heavily modified, but you can't have it both ways. If WSBK success sells bikes, then WSBK failure will probably prevent bikes being sold, over time.
in the same token bmw's history was always with straight 6 in the touring car m3. but they went v8 and broke the mould. now they are doing it again with a smaller block but for the 1st time ever throwing a twin turbo on it.. times do change, wether thats important to them is up to be decided..im not bothered either way but I will say that on the law of averages that for every person who buys a duvati for its v twin - there are probably 10 who wouldnt for the same reason.. so a new configuration could reap dividends. whilst still retaining the twin for some bikes... so time for a change - maybe it didnt do aprilia any harm with their best selling sports bike ever
