Special limited-edition Ducati Panigale V4s
A pair of special limited-edition Ducati Panigale V4s to celebrate winning MotoGP and WSBK have been released.
Fair play to Ducati – it won big in 2022, earning a stunning double victory in both MotoGP and WSBK, with Pecco Bagnaia and Álvaro Bautista scooping the glory respectively.
Now, it’s actually the second time that’s happened in two years of course: Yamaha won both titles last year with Toprak Razgatlıoğlu in WSBK and Fabio Quartararo in MotoGP. But it’s generally quite a rare event.
Ben Spies and Valentino Rossi won both titles in 2009 for Yamaha on an R1 and an M1, Colin Edwards and Rossi both won on Hondas (VTR1000 SP-2 and RC211V ) in 2002, then you’re going back to John Kocinski and Mick Doohan on Honda’s RC45 and NSR500 in 1997, and Fred Merkel and Eddie Lawson in 1989 on a Honda RC30 and an NSR500.
Bagnaia left and Bautista right on PanigaleV4
A very worthy historical achievement then from Ducati, and the firm deserves all the plaudits.
It’s celebrating with these two very special limited-edition Panigale V4 S superbikes, one marking Bagnaia’s win, and one for Bautista.
Each bike comes with the appropriate paint scheme to suit – the sweet Lenovo team design for the MotoGP replica bike and the near-classic Aruba.it team graphics for the WSBK rep, and they’ve both been signed by the respective world champions on the fuel tank, then lacquered over.
There will be 260 units built of each bike, with a natty laser-engraved numbered plaque on the top yoke, plus a certificate of authenticity to prove it’s a genuine limited edition replica.
The bike dedicated to Bagnaia
The bikes are fully kitted-out with authentic track add-ons, including a nine-disc STM-EVO SBK dry clutch, Akrapovič street-legal silencer (2 kg lighter than the Panigale V4’s stock unit), Brembo braking system enhanced by Stylema R calipers and MCS master cylinder with remote adjuster, Rizoma billet aluminium adjustable footpegs and a racing windscreen.
You also get posh carbon fibre parts replacing the rear exhaust manifold heat shield, alternator cover, front and rear fenders, and front brake ducts. Also made of carbon fibre, combined with titanium, is the cover protecting the single-sided swingarm.
The bike dedicated to Álvaro Bautista
Finally, the bikes dedicated to Álvaro Bautista #19 feature the brushed aluminium tank found on the Panigale V4 R WSBK homologation model, which means that, bizarrely, the MotoGP bike is slightly *less* trick than the rubbish old superbike…
Each bike will be delivered in a packing case with dedicated graphics and will come with a certificate of authenticity, a custom bike cover and the Ducati Data Analyser+ data acquisition system.
Under all the bolt-on goodies is the 2023 version of the Panigale V4 S – a total weapon of a superbike, with around 216bhp from the 1,103cc V-four engine, shoving just 174kg dry mass around.
The chassis features full Öhlins semi-active suspension front and rear, those Brembo Stylema R brakes and new, redesigned bodywork, complete with the latest aerodynamic front winglets.
The electronics package has also been upgraded with a new engine braking drift package and, overall, it’s a total weapon of a superbike machine.
The lovely people at Bologna haven’t soiled the situation with anything as unseemly as details on price or availability as yet, but we imagine your local Ducati dealer would be ecstatic to provide more information. Or click yourself over to www.ducati.com post haste.
