"Stop!" Ducati Corse Press Officier Julain
Thomas forbids us to take pictures as he unlocks the entrance to the
top secret Corse Race Department secured deep within the confines of
the Ducati motorcycle factory. "Sure Julian, whatever you say...."
Neither Julian or Cycle World's Brian "Cat Man" Catterson
(left) knew about our consealed lipstick camera.
An
Exclusive visit to Ducati Corse's Top Secret Race Shop
Story and Photos
by Jim Gianatsis
With a little help from the Julain Thomas, Ducati CorsePress Office
- Click on
any Photo to Enlarge
Bologna,
Italy, May 18th 2004 - It was a trip fo a lifetime. I was off
to Italy on a 10 day paid dream vacation for any sportbike enthusiast,
hidden behind the guise of "work". We started our weekend
off at the nearby Monza World Superbike round on May 16th at the legendary
and beautiful 101 year old circuit, then drove our rent-a-racer some
150 miles down the Autostrada to the Adriatic seaside town of Rimini
for the Ducati produced World Ducati Week 2004 may 17-24th which proved
to be one of the world's biggest manufacturer produced enthusiast events
ever (only topped by Harley-Davidson with their anniversary gatherings
in Milwaukee), and certainly THE BIGGEST for sportbike enhusiasts!
Our ultimate sportbike
trip to Italy for a World Superbike race and World Ducati Week wouldn't
be complete without a visit Meca, or in this instance the Ducati Factory
and Museum in Bologna, situated on the Autostrada hald way between Monza/
Milan and Rimini. But we couldn't stop there. Could we get a visit to
the top secret Ducati Corse racing shop, home of the World Championship
winning Superbikes and race winning MotoGP machines? The Corse race
shop is normally closed to everyone from regular visitors on the factory
tour, to Ducati dealers, Ducati world wide distributors, employees and
the press.
But it was time
to call in a few favors to our buddies, Ducati Cose Team Manager Paolo
Ciabatti and Superbike Press Officier JulianThomas. The fact that FastDates.com
is the biggest sportbike website in the world helped us get our foot
in the door, but my providing our beautiful SBK World Superbike Fast
Dates calendar girls to be the offical Ducati Corse umbrella at Laguna
Seca each year probably had more to getting me in than anything else!
Desmosedici
engines are scattered everywhere in the engine asembly area inside Ducati
Corse. I was probably one of the first outsiders to see inside the exotic
V-4 MotoGP engine. I picked up a huge piston from one of the engine
s(complete with rings and wrist pin) that was only tall enought to hold
the rings -with no real side skirts. It felt like paper, probably weighing
about 4 ounces. I asked Julian if the piston wrist pin was make of titatium
(because the assembly was so light). He replied, "No. it's aluminum."
(!). That's how light a big 250cc displacement piston ßassembly
on a titanium connecting rod has to be to turn 16,500 rpm.
Below: This Corse
engine technician is suspicious - Is that a camera in our pocket or
are we just happy to see him?
He felt better when we told him we were just excited to see so many
exposed and naked Desmosedici.
Ducati
Corse Superbike Team moving to new facility
On our visit to
the Ducati Corse race team shop housed behind locked doors in Ducati's
Bologna motorcycle factory we only found the MotoGP team in residence.
The expanded growth of the race team into MotoGP, together with increased
motorcycle production in the factory, has forced the Corse Superbike
team to move to a new building across town. It is expected the MotoGP
team will move to the new building as well by the end of the 2004 season
as sales of new Ducati motorcycles continues to grow and more production
space is needed at the main factory.
On the particular
day of our visit to the Corse Race Shop the MotoGP race team mechanics,
bikes and the big 80-foot Corse race transporter were on their way back
from a Monday test session at LeMans, France, the day after the LeMans
MotoGP race weekend. Still, there was a fairly large crew of technicians
in the Corse race shop building new and rebuilding used Desmosedici
engines and MotoGP bikes.
Later in the week
both the Corse factory Superbike and MotoGP race teams and transorters
with the rides and bikes would be set up and on display at the Misanotrack
for WDW2004 where fans could meet the riders, mechanics and see the
race bikes in person. With the riders also firing up the bikes and taking
them to the track for demonstartion rides that had the fans cheering
in approval.
MotoGP bikes being
rebuilt and assembled for both the factory Corse Marlboro team of Loris
Capirossi and Troy Bayliss with the new Generation Two chassis and motor,
and the Breil satelite team of Ruben Xaus and Neil Hodgsen with last
year's Generation One bike and chassis. In 2 years these will be available
for the street....
The Corse Race
Shop area which is now devoted exclusively to MotoGP is about the size
of 2 large high school auditoriums or basket ball courts, and uses a
warehouse style modular steel upper floor level for additional parts
storage. There is an engine building area separated by parts shelving,
a bike building area, a large enclosed dyno room, and then a warehouse
parts area with four levels of additional parts.
What we didn't
get to see on this day due to the time constraints of also visiting
the Ducati Motorcycle Factory, the Museum, and having lunch in the factory
Cafeteria was the Corse Race Design Department which is all CadCam computer
design aided. Or the areas in the factory where main components like
the engine cases might be sand cast and CNC machined, and frames are
fabricated. As is typical in many racing operations, many main components
like carbon fibre bodywork, exhaust systems, swingarms and such are
farmed out to subcontractors outside the factory.
The dyno room is
behind the glass doors to the side of the bike assembly room. You can
see a second floor above with riders' leathers, wheels and body parts.
Ducati's
Race Team Budget
During our recent
exclusive tour of the Ducati Corse Race Shop in Bologna, Ducati Superbike
Press Manager Julina Thomas told us the Ducati Corse race team had a
budget this year of $32 million dollars shared between MotoGP and Superbike,
with some 120 employees working in the Corse deparment. Thats out of
a factory with just 1000 employees total who build around 40,000 motorcycle
per year.
"Obviously
we don't sell enough motorcycles to justify our huge expenditure for
racing," explained Julian. "Around 3/4s of our racing budget
comes from our major sponsors like Marlboro and Fila.
"Ducati will
always be involved in World Superbike because we believe first and foremost
in racing the bikes which we sell to the public and that means Superbike.
We are involved in MotoGP to elevate the name and image of Ducati in
the world motorcycle market as an industry leader. And I believe this
is what we are doing very well."
If 3/4s of Ducatis
$32 million dollar race budget comes from its sponsors, then the remaining
$8 million dollars comes from the 40,000 bikes per year sold to customers
which works out to just $200 per bike. A pretty good deal to own a pretty
cool bike with the latest technology from a World Championship winning
manufacturer.
At the
back of the race shop is a receiving area and more warehouse storage.
Note the unassembled engines on the middle shelf. The MotoGP bike in
the foreground is one of Loris Capirossi's 2003 season bikes now used
for shows and exhibitions.
Claudio
and Ruben get down to the real nitty gritty
Where else but at World Ducati Week at the Misano race track a few days
later could any sportbike enthusiast attend Ducati University and have
Team Ducati Corse Director Claudio Domenicali
(above left) explain the intimate design details of the Desmosedici
MotoGP bike, or have World Championship rider Ruben Xaus (above right)
explain the intricaticies of the Misano race track before you got to
go out and ride the track. Awesome..
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So Claudio, why
isn't the Ducati MotoGP bike a front runner this year, like last, we
asked.? "We designed an all new chassis and engine this season
which is much better then last year's bike. But we really didn't have
much time to test the new bike's setup before the racing season began,
and what threw everything off was the changes to smaller 16.5 inch tires
and wheels. Last week we tested all day with Loris and Troy at LeMans
and really got the bike dialed in where it should be. Troy matched the
track lap record easily and said 'I wish I had this bike setup for the
start of the season'. We expect to see much better results beginning
at the next race."
Go
To More...
WDW
page 1 • WDW
page 2 • WDW
page 3
Ducati
Factory Visit • Ducati
Museum • Ducati
Corse Race Shop • DRE
Riding School
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Ducati
Desmosedici Racing Replica
announced for production at World Ducati Week
Misano Adriatico (RN) 22 May 2004: Just
as we predicted here in Pit Lane News 2 weeks ago, Ducati used
the showcase of World Ducati Week 2004 (their the giant bi-annual
meeting of Ducati fans from around the world), in a fitting
culmination of a week of events, sport, entertainment and, above
all, motorcycles to announce: Ducati has launched the Desmosedici
Racing Replica development project! The red Borgo Panigale,
the Italian MotoGP bike which has fascinated fans from around
the world, will soon be available!
The
announcement gives the official go-ahead for the project, which
will make the motorcycle available within two years. This is
naturally a limited edition, as is right for a product conceived
as the first true MotoGP replica. The new frontier of Ducati's
technological evolution, embodies all the fundamental features
of the motorcycle competing in the MotoGP World Championship,
ridden by Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi. The Desmosedici
RR is another confirmation of Ducati's vision, as well as the
company's ability to transfer their experience of the world
of racing to a bike intended for the road.
Federico
Minoli (President and Managing Director, Ducati Motor Holding)
called Gianluigi Mengoli (Technical Director, DMH) and Claudio
Domenicali (Managing Director, Ducati Race Division) to the
stage to represent the two technological centres of the company.
Together they are the driving forces behind this exceptional
project. Together with Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi the
Desmosedici RR engine was presented to the public for the very
first time, as the heart of this jewel in the crown of Ducati
technology, which was received with unbridled enthusiasm by
the public.
"An important occasion, a historical announcement, yet
another dream come true. The Desmosedici RR is the maximum that
Ducati technology has to offer, in line with the tradition embodied
by every motorcycle we produce: from race to road bikes."
Federico Minoli said from the stage. " We are pleased to
face such a challenge which, even if only in a limited number
of bikes, will be the dream of all Ducati fans. An exclusive
motorcycle which stands for the passion and ingenuity which
are the heart of our company's identity. Naturally the two cylinder
engine is, and will always be, the Ducati engine par excellence,
destined to be the hallmark of all our products, our past and
our future.
"Today we are launching an ambitious, important project:
it will be two years before the Desmosedici RR will be available,
but we wanted to celebrate this historic occasion with all of
you. We look forward then to WDW 2006, where we will deliver
the very first Desmosedici RR right here, on this very stage,
at another great Ducati festival, an event we can all share
and enjoy together."
The
engine of the Desmosedici RR will feature Ducati's traditional
desmodromic timing ensures rigorous valve lift parameters up
to the highest engine speeds, and is the perfect match for the
modern architecture of the four cylinders in L-layout, resulting
in a masterpiece of precision mechanics; with 989 cc total displacement
and four valves per cylinder, the Desmosedici RR engine will
certainly be a new benchmark for the international motorcycle
industry.
The
technology used is at the cutting edge of modern production,
a methodology which up to the present time was only available
for race bikes. The cam shafts (two per cylinder bank) are driven
by gears: a sophisticated, reliable solution which ensures maximally
precise timing in all conditions.
The
fidelity of the replica does not finish here: the dimensions
are exactly the same as those of the MotoGP, as is the six-speed
gearbox, which maintains its racing design and can be removed
as a single unit.
The lightweight and durability targets have led not only to
optimisation of the design of the components, but also to the
use of the most prestigious and exclusive materials: sand-cast
aluminium alloy crankcase and cylinder heads, titanium con-rods
and valves, plus magnesium engine covers.
The engine is the heart of this fantastic motorcycle, but the
chassis components are of no less high quality and incorporate
the most advanced solutions, with the characteristic steel tubing
trellisframe and the most refined componentry, all covered with
an exceptional carbon fibre fairing whose aerodynamics were
designed by Alan Jenkins, who was also responsible for the design
of the Desmosedici MotoGP. The replica bike's final shapes has
not yet been decided, but it only natural to assume that it
will follow the lines, and technical and aerodynamic solutions
of the racing version.
The
production of this jewel of a bike will be equally exclusive:
Ducati intends to limit production to no more than one bike
per day, assembled with the fanatical attention to detail and
extraordinary skills of the race division. The project schedule
has been defined and the first bikes will be available from
Spring 2006. The Ducati Desmosedici RR will have a sale price
of around 50,000 Euro ($60,000 US). Owners of the 999R will
have priority in reserving the new bike. More information will
be available on the official Ducati.com website starting from
next July 1, 2004.
Frederico
told us the Desmosedici was being put into production because.
" Ducati always races what it sells." But production
of the Desmosedici would also homologate it for racing in World
Superbike in 2006 should Ducati need to counter attack any high
horsepower return to the class
by the Japanese manufacturers with a production MotoGP based
superbike of their own. But for the present Ducati intends to
stay with their proven V-Twin Testastretta engined 999 Superbike.
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