Ducati Supersport Motorcycles in Palm Desert, page #8

Moto blog

Cal Crutchlow Leaves Ducati for LCR Honda

Cal Crutchlow has signed on to race for the LCR Honda team for the 2015 MotoGP season. To make the jump, Crutchlow secured an early termination to his contract with Ducati. The switch comes as a bit of a surprise after Crutchlow had confirmed he would honor the final year of his contract at World Ducati Week.

A Peek Inside The Ducati World Superbike 1199 Panigale + Video

When Ducati introduced the 1199 Panigale, it announced it would take an entire racing season to develop its World Superbike challenger before entering it into competition. Being a new design for Ducati, where the Superquadro engine is the main stressed member of the chassis, meant a significant amount of testing was required to prepare the bike for battle. In this video, former racer, and now TV commentator, Steve Martin, explains a few nuances of the 1199.

2014 WSBK – Laguna Seca Results

Marco Melandri rebounded from last week’s disappointing Portimao round to win Race One at Laguna Seca while Tom Sykes extended his championship lead with a win in a red-flagged Race Two. Melandri got taken out of the second Portimao race after his Aprilia teammate Sylvain Guintoli slid into his RSV4. Melandri looked eager to make up for that DNF, leading every lap of Race One on his way to his third win of the season.

2014 WSBK – Portimao Results

Kawasaki‘s Tom Sykes extended his championship lead while a Race Two collision between Aprilia teammates Sylvain Guintoli and Marco Melandri provided drama in the World Superbike Championship round at Portugal’s Portimao track. Sykes qualified on the pole in a sun-draped Superpole session but the clouds rolled in on race day, forcing teams to plan for mixed weather. An overcast sky presided over a dry Race One, leading to a mix of tire choices but all of the racers switched to wet tires for Race Two that saw the scheduled 20-lap length reduced to 18 laps.

Ducati Fills Top Positions At Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Ducati riders achieved the Middleweight Division victory and four of the five top motorcycle times of the day at the 92nd running of the historic Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, held last Sunday, June 29. This year’s introduction of new rules and new motorcycle racing divisions, including the “Motorcycle Middleweight Division” and “Motorcycle Open Division,” brought with it a field of strong competitors challenging for top times. The introduction of the “Motorcycle Open Division” – which allowed fully faired liter bikes to compete in the same class as the defending champion Multistrada 1200 – made it the most competitive motorcycle class and the one in which the top five times of the day were posted.

Jeremy Toye Wins 92nd Running Of Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

On his first attempt at the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, road racer Jeremy Toye set a record in the premiere Open Class to win the category aboard a 2015 Kawasaki ZX-10R, celebrating the 30th year of the legendary Ninja brand. Prior to setting foot on the hill, Toye was confident he could get among the class leaders, aiming to beat the outright Pikes Peak motorcycle record, which was set by Carlin Dunne in 2012 with a time of 9:52.819. While that record remains intact, Toye was able to set a time of 9:58.687 to win the Open Class, finishing 6sec ahead of his closest rival, Fabrice Lambert aboard a Ducati.

2014 WSBK – Misano Results

Kawasaki‘s Tom Sykes won both races at Misano to stretch his championship lead to 39 points as we pass the halfway mark of the 2014 World Superbike Championship. The reigning champion scored his third double-win round of the season while his teammate Loris Baz added a pair of second-place finishes. David Salom on the Kawasaki’s factory EVO entry was also the top rider in the new sub-class for both races to top off a strong weekend for the Team Green.

Ducati Holding Private Viewings of New Scrambler at World Ducati Week

Ducati announced it will offer private preview viewings of its new Scrambler prototype at World Ducati Week, July 18-20. Visitors to the annual Ducatisti festival at Italy’s Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli will get an early look at the Scrambler. Not counting the spy photos that have leaked out, the Scrambler has only been seen in person by Ducati employees who were recently given a sneak peak.

2014 Hesketh 24 Officially Launched

British brand Hesketh has officially launched its limited edition tribute to its Formula 1 roots and the start of a new generation of motorcycles. The Hesketh 24 was originally supposed to be ready in February but after encountering some delays, the 1950cc V-Twin is ready to go. Hesketh is only producing 24 units, but the company says it has plans for a two-seat sport-touring model based on the same platform.

2015 EBR 1190SX Revealed

Erik Buell Racing launches its next salvo to the sportbike market with the 1190SX streetfighter. The 1190SX borrows heavily from EBR’s 1190RX superbike contender that MO’s Troy Siahaan is scheduled to test today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Although no specs have been released, the SX appears to use most of the RX’s hardware: 1190cc V-Twin engine; aluminum fuel-carrying frame; massive 386mm single-disc front brake.