It was 12 years ago that Ruben Xaus became internet-famous for a photo that depicted him sliding a Ducati Hypermotard 1100 into a turn, thumb up in the air triumphantly…like a boss. It was an unbelievable sight, both figuratively and literally.
Back in the day, I would often see comments on the photo that speculated what the next shot looked like. Bike tumbling through the gravel, a yard sale of parts? The rider in a stretcher on the way to the hospital, after it all went horribly wrong?
Not many riders can give a thumbs up while dragging a knee, and even fewer can comfortably slide a motorcycle though a turn. Adding those two together? Well, that is a true test of rider skill.
Just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, Xaus was on-hand at the Ducati Hypermotard 950 launch to prove that the new street-supermoto still has links to its roots, and also that the Spanish rider can still ride circles around us mere mortals.
The rear-wheel slide ABS feature on the Ducati Hypermotard 950 may not have been a crowd favorite at the international press launch, but it is pretty hard to argue with Ruben that you can’t make it work when you want to go slideways.
As an homage, we have 66 high-resolution photos of Ruben Xaus doing the deed on the new Ducati Hypermotard 950…and a video for good measure, as well. Enjoy!
Photos: Milagro
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