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Carlos Checa Tests Superbike-Spec 2013 Ducati 1199 Panigale at World Ducati Week

Revellers at 2012 World Ducati Week got a surprise treat with defending World Superbike Champion Carlos Checa completing an unscheduled test of the WSBK-spec Ducati 1199 Panigale. The Althea Ducati racer has ridden the production version of the Panigale but this marked his first test of the WSBK-spec version. His maiden ride of the WSBK Panigale was supposed to take place at Mugello but instead Checa and Ducati decided to give the Ducatisti a treat at the Misano circuit for WDW.

Ducati Diavel AMG Special Edition Live at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show

Your trusty Motorcycle.com news monkey is knee deep in four-wheeled madness helping out with our sister site Autoguide.com‘s coverage of the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, but thankfully there are some two-wheeled goodies on display here in Germany as well. One of the highlights is the special edition Ducati Diavel AMG, the latest product of the partnership between the Italian motorcycle maker and Mercedes-Benz’ performance arm. Look for a full gallery of pictures after the jump.

Rainy BSB tests are nothing new

THE combination of bad weather in the UK and a European testing ban means that most BSB teams will now start the season with very little track time. This sounds like a disaster for the top teams but history has proved this isn’t necessarily true and it sometimes doesn’t matter how much pre season preparation has taken place.  Back in 2002 Sean Emmett won on the IFC Ducati at the opening Silverstone round after first riding it in unofficial practice the same weekend. Steve Hislop took the other win on Pauls Bird’s well sorted Ducati. More recently in 2009, Leon Camier took an untested new model R1 Yamaha to victory at the Brands Hatch opener after GSE took delivery of the bike just the week before. Sylvain Guintoli won the other race on a well developed, well tested Crescent Suzuki. You could argue if no one has had testing then it is a level playing field but you have to feel for riders moving up to the superbike class in the world’s toughest national series.  Tyco Suzuki’s PJ Jacobson is one such rider but having spent some time with him over the past few weeks he seems to be taking it all in his stride. It may be the confidence of youth or maybe the fact he has won in every other class he has entered in his short BSB career, but I suspect he fancies at least standing on the Superbike podium at Brands (He also does a bit of ice racing which is not dissimilar to the this year’s UK testing).  The testing ban was implemented with all the best cost cutting intentions and if it had been any other year in the past decade all would be well. The teams may be feeling frustrated but the fans should be excited. With so many unknowns, the 2013 BSB opener at Brands Hatch could be the best ever!