just watching le man 24 hr no paniuseless in the top 50 ,,,too fragile gixxers 1st and second R1 third remember my blade was 2006 pani is 2013 technolgy and speed move on few tweeks on your bike and it gives enharnsed performance for the real world like riding the roads of England ..but no one over took it around isle of man in 2008 including K5 and K6's i will book a test ride on the 899 give it a go
There hasn't been a serious Ducati contender in a 24 hour race for as long as I can remember. There were a few at the Bol in the 90s, but they always crashed or blew up. One year they couldn't get the lights to work. I've always thought that victory in a 24 hour even would be a huge marketing coup - because it's all about speed AND reliability. The fact that Ducati has never been able to compete says rather a lot, unfortunately. Putting out the same power as a 4 in a twin format involves higher stresses and piston speeds. TBH, Ducati are pushing water uphill with that. Maybe the Panigale will never win more than a handful of races in SBK, not because it's a bad bike, but because a twin just can't really be as fast at equal capacity as a 4.
