Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Tag

Ducati

Browsing
Racing

Photo of the Week: No Looking Back

By 20 Comments

Valentino Rossi is not happy. His tone had clearly changed in Catalunya when speaking to the media about the state of the Ducati GP11’s development. Though probably not expecting a repeat of his debut success on the Yamaha at Welkom, Rossi was also probably not expecting to be as far off the pace as he is five races into the season. Word around the paddock is that Ducati has until Mugello to sort the bike out, and change it to a machine that Rossi can win with. If the mysteries of a carbon fiber chassis can’t be solved in time for Rossi’s home Grand Prix, the 2011 season is likely to become very interesting indeed.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Clearer Photo of the 2012 Ducati Superbike

By 15 Comments

One of the great things about the online media format is that it allows our readers to provide instantaneous feedback to stories we publish (try doing that with your print magazine), so we’re eternally grateful to A&R reader zampetti for dropping off this capture of the new 2012 Ducati Superbike (seemingly shot out of an Italian magazine) into our comment section yesterday.

Clearly a photo of the street-going version of the Superquadrata (or will it be called the 1199?), this is a stark difference to the Supersport class bike we showed you yesterday. Other sites will probably try and pass this photo off as there own, but they saw it here first (it’s nice to know they read our comments though). Keep the tips coming guys!

Keep Reading
By
Rumors

Spy Shot: 2012 Ducati Superbike Superquadrata

By 12 Comments

It was only a matter of time until a photo of the new 2012 Ducati Superbike “Superquadrata” appeared online, as we knew the bike was testing last week at Mugello, alongside Valentino Rossi’s further testing of the Ducati Desmosedici GP12. Set to debut at the 2011 EICMA show, the new Ducati Superbike is a marked departure from the current Ducati Superbike 1198.

Up until now, we did not know fully what the bike would look like, but this photo featured by MotoSprint.it sheds some light on the new Ducati, and confirms earlier reports we’d been given. Featuring an over-square v-twin motor (hence the name Superquadrata that’s been milling about), the 2012 Ducati Superbike says goodbye to the iconic trellis frame, and features a chassis that takes a page from Ducati’s MotoGP project.

Keep Reading
By
News

Ducati Gearing Up for Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

By 1 Comment

There are a number of things this summer we’re pretty pumped about here at Asphalt & Rubber, two of which are are the upcoming Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and the release of the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak Edition. Part Formula 1, part World Rally Championship, there’s something about a race course where one wrong move in a priceless no-limits vehicle can send you over the edge of a 3,000 foot cliff that we find intriguing (yes, we have issues). So naturally this summer we had to put the PPIHC on our calendar, just one of the many bucket list items we’re attending to this year.

Another thing that gets us pumped is the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak Edition that the Italian brand built after last year’s PPIHC race. We rather enjoyed the Ducati Multistada 1200 when we tested one back in 2010 when the bike first came out. But when we saw the first photos of the MTS1200 that the Spider Grips Ducati Team built, we picked up the phone to the folks at Ducati North America, and said “you have to build this bike!” We doubt our insistence had anything to do with the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak Edition being released, but it warms out heart that Ducati is doing a limited edition run of the machine.

So it goes without saying that footage of both Pikes Peak and the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Pikes Peak Edition makes us happy, and eagerly await the run up the mountain later this June. Our product lust is in full-swing at this point, and that fact that this is really well done video spot doesn’t help matters further. Check it out after the jump, along with some photos of the racing replica MTS1200.

Keep Reading
By
Racing

Rossi Tests the Ducati Desmosedici GP12 at Mugello

By 7 Comments

Under normal circumstances, Valentino Rossi testing the Ducati Desmosedici GP12 at the Mugello circuit would be a big deal on the interwebs. But today with the combination of a “been there, done that” effect that setting in around the GP12, and the news that the new 2012 Ducati “Superquadrata” Superbike is also being tested at the fabled Italian track, Rossi’s latest outing on the 1,000cc class bike is taking a backseat. That’s not say we don’t want to show The Doctor some love, as Ducati Corse has eight more photos showing off details of the GP12.

Though not a big technical detail, one of the new things we spotted from the photos was the gravel guard on the exhaust pipe near the right foot, which matches the guard we’re accustomed to seeing on the GP11’s tail. The big question regarding the GP12 though is its cylinder dimensions, with Nicky Hayden recently quoted as saying he could talk about anything regarding the GP12, except its motor displacement. Interesting, no? Photos after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
Racing

2012 Ducati Superquadrata Superbike Testing at Mugello

By 9 Comments

According to the venerable GPone, Ducati will be doing a double dose of testing today at the Italian circuit of Mugello. Perhaps the only thing that can excite Ducatista more than Valentino Rossi on-board the Ducati Desmosedici GP12 (something that will be taking place today as well) is news that the 2012 Ducati “Superquadrata” Superbike will be making its track debut at the Italian circuit.

Reportedly Italian Danilo Petrucci, who currently campaigns a Ducati 1098R in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup for the Barni Racing team, will be at the helm of the new 2012 Ducati Superbike, testing the machine in both Superbike and Superstock trim, and in the bike’s first trials outside of the Borgo Panigale dyno room.

Keep Reading
By
Bikes

Radical Ducati RAD 02 Corsa EVO

By 11 Comments

Our affection for the work by Radical Ducati is getting to the point where we need seek professional help. Not only are we becoming a broken record for our praise of the Spanish firm’s work, but our love affair for their motorcycles is completely one-sided. They don’t return our calls, nor our late night texts. We suspect they’re talking to other weblogs, and we can’t stand the thought of them going around town with a print magazine. Like all schoolyard crushes, this is sure to end in tears, but until then we’ll continue our hardcore crush on their take of Italian motorcycle design.

For our latest infatuation, we show you the Radical Ducati RAD 02 Corsa EVO (2011). We’ve been pretty pumped over this build since we heard about it a couple weeks ago, and now that it’s blown it’s cover, well…we’re revamping our Christmas list. While we appreciate all forms of motorcycles, we’re sportbike folk at heart here at Asphalt & Rubber, so a Radicalized sportbike tickles the pink out of us in ways that café racers cannot. We think you’ll agree when you check out all the photos after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
Racing

AMA: Minimum Weights Changed to Rein in Fast Ducati(s)

By 14 Comments

AMA Pro Racing has  announced a change in  the minimum weight requirements for both the Daytona SportBike and SuperSport classes, biasing the weights to be more of a disadvantage for two-cylinder machines, i.e. Ducati 848 Superbikes. Decreasing both the four and three-cylinder minimum weights by 5 lbs (to 355 lbs & 365 lbs respectively), two-cylinder machines conversely get a 5 lbs increase (to 385 lbs), thus making the spread from four to two cylinders now a total of 30 lbs (it was a 20 lbs difference before this rule change).

The move is presumably to reel in the Ducati 848 race bikes that shocked the paddock with their speed early-on in the season at the Dunlop Test, though in terms of race results, the change in rules seems to be due more because of the domination by Jason DiSalvo, than anything else. The Team Latus Motors Racing racer has won every race thus far this season, with a close finish at the Daytona 200, and a blow-out double at Infineon Raceway.

Confounding though, Ducati’s results in the SuperSport class have been less impressive, with the 8th and 13th being the finishes for the Italian brand at Infineon.

Keep Reading
By
News

Behind the Scenes at a Ducati Diavel Commercial

By 7 Comments

We hear the Ducati Diavel is doing quite well in sales, with many dealers reportedly out of stock with the units. Though some dealers still have bikes in stock, namely the ones that jumped on the Diavel bandwagon early-on, it’s clear now that more people than just us here at Asphalt & Rubber were impressed with Ducati’s take on the performance cruiser category. While Ducati’s deal with the Devil got our overall seal of approval, some of this success surely has to be owed to the heavy media blitz from the Italian brand.

Like with the Multistrada 1200 release, Ducati has put the Diavel front-and-center in its marketing machine. Helping win the hearts and minds of the skeptics, Ducati has put together a short video advertisement of the Diavel, and for extra measure, a behind the scenes making of the clip. If you ever wanted to see how much effort goes into a one minute video spot, here’s your chance. Be sure to keep an eye out for the Mercedes-Benz cameo as well. Original advertisement and the behind the scenes footage after the jump.

Keep Reading
By
Banter

Light Painting the Ducati Streetfighter with Scott Jones

By 5 Comments

Wanting to play a bit with a photography technique called light painting, Scott Jones stopped by the Asphalt & Rubber office yesterday with camera and penlight in-hand. We moved some tables out of the work room, and threw some tarps over our skylights, only to realize that achieving a perfectly dark studio is a task much easier said than done. Maning the light switch, I got to play “photo bitch” while Scott shot a couple dozen or so exposures.

Luckily we have some photogenic subjects here in the office, as Scott spent the next two hours shooting my Ducati Streetfighter in the dark with long shutter speeds (I’m really surprised one of us didn’t trip over something in the process). There are various ways to play with the light in this setting, but Scott focused on exposing individual parts of the motorcycle with a pen light, which created a more dramatic effect. Check out after the jump some of the fruits of Scott’s labor.

Keep Reading
By