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It might still be the winter time, but things are beginning to thaw for the MotoGP Championship, as we have our first team reveal for the 2020 season.

Ducati Corse is the first factory to reveal its machine for this year, but of course we all know that what shows up in Qatar is likely to differ to what is seen here, making this more of a livery unveiling and a bit of hype for the upcoming season.

That being said, we are still suckers for some good MotoGP machinery, and the Ducati Desmosedici GP20 is arguably the best bike on the grid right now in grand prix racing.

Thanks to some intrepid and lucky individuals, more information about the upcoming Ducati Superleggera V4 is trickling out of Ducati’s special website, which shows the 234hp / 335 lbs (dry) motorcycle in all of its elemental detail.

Today’s data stream comes from a leaked video off of the Superleggera microsite, which shows in detail the different mechanical bits and bobs that will feature on this exclusive superbike.

What has four-cylinders, two sets of wings, and 234hp on tap? This bike, right here. Just leaking onto the internet a few hours ago (thanks for the tip, Dana!), here is what appears to be the first photo of the Ducati Superleggera V4.

The image seems to come from a leak at a private viewing event, which we can tell you is not the way to win the affections of Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, but with bikes arriving in May and production starting in April, a pre-production machine was surely going to end up on the internet before the Ducati Superleggera V4’s official debut.

While news of the Ducati Superleggera V4 is breaking the internet right now, other headlines are also coming out of Bologna, as Ducati has released its 2019 sales figures.

Tallying a total of 53,183 motorcycles delivered to customers worldwide, Ducati managed to beat the 53,004 units from 2018 – an increase of 0.34% in worldwide sales, for those who are counting.

Holding that figure back though was the brand’s progress in the United States, with the American market dropping close to 2% compared to last year, with 7,682 motorcycles sold last year.

We knew the time would come when Ducati would create a Superleggera version of its Panigale V4 superbike, and while it was premature to think that we would see that machine at EICMA last year, we are indeed closing in on that magical date.

The news starts with an email sent to very select Ducatisti, straight from Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, which teased the “Project 1708” superbike was coming soon.

Today, we get our first glimpse of the specs, which have been leaked onto the internet (shown at the end of this story). How does 234hp, 335 lbs dry (152kg), MotoGP-derived biplanes aerodynamic wings, and of course unobtanium at every detail, sound to you?.

A little something to get the week headed in the right direction, here is the “Braida” Ducati Monster concept by Paolo Tesio at Tex Motorbike.

The machine exists only as a digital render (for now), but it has some interesting ideas for a futuristic take on this classic motorcycle name.

We especially like the front fairing design, which just blends right into the front wheel and is fitted with a set of perimeter discs.

Usually, it is the Ducati Diavel family that has issues with its kickstands, but today’s recall focuses on the 2018 lineup of Ducati Multistrada 1260 motorcycles.

As such, Ducati North America is recalling certain 2018 Ducai Multistrada 1260, 1260S, and Pikes Peak motorcycles – 493 units in total – because the side stand may be improperly welded, and potentially could break.

That Ducati would make a “Superleggera” version of its popular Panigale V4 superbike is a clear given, as the Italian brand has made a run of these “super light” machines for each of its previous two superbikes.

While there was chatter that we would see the Ducati Superleggera V4 at EICMA this year, that rumor was clearly misguided, as the folks at Borgo Panigale prefer to use its Superleggera models as a sort of farewell, before its makes a model update.

This leaves next year though as a likely candidate as to when we will see the Ducati Superleggera V4, and documents found in the United Kingdom by the esteemed BikeSocial are giving us our first glimpse into what we can expect.

It has been four years since the Ducati 959 Panigale replaced the 899 as the Italian brand’s “middleweight” superbike, and 26 years since the Ducati 748 Superbike first hit the streets, and started this smaller Italian v-twin adventure.

In that two-decades-plus, we have seen this middleweight offering from Ducati outgrow the Supersport Championship rules, and it now approaches near liter-bike capacities – an inch-by-inch search for more power and performance.

Updated once again for the 2020 model year, it will be the Ducati Panigale V2 keeping those v-twin hopes alive for Ducatisti around the world, as the Italian brand continues to offer this curious motorcycle.

Of course, better minds will know that the Ducati Panigale V2 is not a middleweight, as Ducati so often calls it (though to be fair, the term “super-mid” is starting to be used), but the oddly displaced machine is an excellent track bike, especially for those who have grown tired of chasing absolute horsepower, and instead want to make their lap times with actual on-bike talent. 

Finding ourselves at the demanding Jerez circuit in Spain, this tight and technical track proved not only to be a good testing ground for the Ducati Panigale V2, but also a testament into how much fun a superbike like this v-twin can be for those who aren’t swept up in the industry marketing and who aren’t hand-bound by racing rules.