Well, the fun is over. Talking to MCN, Claudio Domenicali has laid to rest any rumors about the Ducati building a four-cylinder superbike to replace the Panigale.
The news confirms what everyone already expected to be the case, as it is hard to imagine a Ducati superbike model being anything other than a v-twin, World Superbike rules be damned.
“I can confirm there is no officially confirmed project at Ducati for a four-cylinder engine to replace the Panigale V-twin,” Domenicali confirmed to MCN. “There is no Ducati four-cylinder superbike planned.”
Domenicali would go on to speak about knowing every approved project that is currently underway at Ducati, and that no such four-cylinder project is in the works, though the company certain explores every idea before going forward.
That being said, a Panigale replacement is surely already in-works at its namesake, Borgo Panigale.
We will likely have to wait at least another year before we see this new superbike break cover, as the Ducati 1299 Panigale is too fresh in its product cycle to be replaced at this year’s EICMA show.
We will have to wait and see how the Italian brand follows up that machine, though we can expect it to be with a v-twin engine.
With the current WSBK regulations being very restrictive, we can expect the Panigale R replacement to be quite the bike, as teams will be forced to work low-volume homologation specials to circumvent the rules restrictions.
Source: MCN
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