You would have to be living under a rock not to know about the upcoming Ducati Scrambler, Bologna has made certain of that. But as we surmised in our analysis of Scrambler’s marketing, Ducati is due to update the Panigale as well for the 2015 model year. That educated guess, it seems has been proven correct, at least in part.
While Borgo Panigale will continue to sell its namesake Ducati 1199 Panigale, the Panigale R model will be replaced for 2015 by the new 1299 superbike.
As such, the 1299 will be Ducati’s consumer-facing machine for its World Superbike program — a project that has been greatly affected by WSBK’s intake restrictions for v-twins — thus race teams can expect an upgraded RS15 as well to be coming forth.
From what we can gather at this time, the 1299 will be a stop-gap model that has been purpose-built from the ground up to take advantage of World Superbike rules.
As loyal readers will know, World Superbike’s rules set to change for 2015, and engine requirements will follow the “EVO” set of rules going forth, so obviously this engine overhaul found on the 1299 will be crucial in keeping Ducati competitive in the premier production racing class.
While the rest of the Panigale line will keep their 1199 designation for the time being, our spies suggest a ~10hp increase for the 1299 model because of its upgraded engine internals.
We expect the 1299 to debut at the EICMA show in November, though hopefully we will have more details for you, before then. Stay tuned.
Source: Bothan Spies
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