Karel Abraham Releases Ducati Desmosedici GP12 Details: 999cc, 250hp, & 360 km/h Top Speed

After testing for three days at Jerez with Carlos Checa and Franco Battaini, Ducati Corse may not be saying much about the new Ducati Desmosedici GP12, but that hasn’t stop Karel Abraham from releasing some details about the new Italian steed today. The “official” technical specifications of MotoGP race bikes are always a bit vague, and Ducati Corse has unsurprisingly stuck to that trend with the GP12. Stating horsepower in the 250hp range, 15hp more than what was quoted for the GP11, Ducati also lists a top speed of over 360 km/h, up from the GP11’s 340+ km/h quoted figure.

Perhaps more interesting than the power and top speed figures is the quoted displacement for Abraham’s GP12. With fuel restrictions not increasing with the maximum displacement allotment for 2012, and the maximum bore size set at 81mm for the new MotoGP era, Ducati in particular was rumored to be exploring a displacement figure in the 900cc range, but interestingly enough appears to be taking the GP12 up to the maximum cylinder volume. There is also of course some speculation that Ducati Corse could use a narrower V° angle, a change from the standard 90° V4 we’ve seen from the Italian brand.

Fortunately for Abraham, the return of the 1,000cc format means that his satellite team will start 2012 with more up-to-date equipment. Using the winged-Desmo last season, it was rumored that aside from Ducati’s persistence that all the bikes on the 2011 grid were designated as GP11 machines, the young Czech rider was in fact racing on a leftover GP10 (the GP10 had winglets attached to the fairings that most members in the paddock agree were used for aiding engine cooling, and not for extra downforce to prevent wheelies).

With MotoGP changing its format this season, most of the satellite teams will start the Championship with bikes that are closer in spec to the factory units, though factory teams will surely be updating their designs throughout the season, while the satellite teams will not. However, there is reason to believe that the satellite Ducatis will run bikes similar in spec to the GP0 that was ridden in the post-season test at Valencia. If this is the case, the information we’re seeing here from Abraham could very well apply only to the satellite Ducati teams, while the factory GP12 could be an entirely new creature.

“I tried the new bike during the post-season test in Valencia, but the first real test will be held at Sepang in Malaysia at the end of January,” Karel Abraham. “We need to be well prepared for the first test because we want to try a lot of things. We also must work on the set-up of the bike because the 2012 MotoGP season kicks off in Qatar on April 8th.”

Photos of Karel Abraham Testing the Ducati Desmosedici GP0 at the Valencia Test:

Comparison of Ducati Desmosedici GP12 and GP11:

Technical data of Ducati Desmosedici GP12

Source: Cardion AB