Here is the First Ducati Panigale V4 R in Endurance Trim

A couple weeks ago, we talked about the prospects of seeing Ducati Corse going racing in the Endurance World Championship, and if the Ducati Panigale V4 R could make an appearance at the Suzuka 8-Hours.

It might be a while before we see the Italian manufacturer in the FIM EWC series in an official capacity, but the start of the 2019-2020 season is already giving us a glimpse of what we can expect from Ducati.

This is because the Hertrampf Racing Endurance Team from Germany is using the Ducati Panigale V4 R in the endurance series this season.

Already competing in last-weekend’s Bol d’Or 24-Hour race, the endurance-spec Ducati Panigale V4 R made its debut. However, it was a tough outing for the German team, as they had to retire part-way through the race because of mechanical issues.

It seems that the cold weather at Magny-Cours, coupled with the oversized radiators used on the WorldSBK-spec engine, caused the engine’s coolant to drop in temperature enough for the oil to go past its usable range.

This in turn caused the oil to breakdown and the bike to lose oil pressure. Not wanting to damage the engine or risk a failure, the team withdrew from the competition.

While not the first outing that Hertrampf hoped for, it shows the unknown challenges that develop when running a new superbike platform in racing.

As you can see from the video above, the Ducati Panigale V4 R has had to undergo some changes for use in the FIM EWC series, namely the addition of a (noticeably) larger gas tank.

The street bike LED lighting system remains though, and the electronics package is straight from the Italian factory, and developed by Chaz Davies and Alvaro Bautista.

The engine is straight from the factory Ducati WorldSBK team too, and the use of Pirelli tires should not be too surprising, considering the close ties between the two Italian brands.

The next outing for the Hertrampf endurance Ducati Panigale V4 R superbike is the Sepang 8-Hour race in December. It will be interesting to see how the team and bike develops over the course of the season.