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Bikes

Here is the Ducati Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916 Superbike

By Jensen Beeler 07/13/2019 No Comments

Here it is, the Ducati Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916 superbike. A limited edition machine (only 500 will be made) that commemorates the most iconic motorcycle ever to come from the Borgo Panigale factory, which sees this year being its 25th anniversary of going into production.

The new Panigale V4 model debuted today at the Laguna Seca WorldSBK round in California, and helping make that unveiling extra special was Carl Fogarty, who took the Ducati 916 Superbike to victory twice in the World Superbike Championship.

To go with its limited production run, Ducati has equipped the Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916 (which is based off the Panigale V4 S) with a bevy of special parts, which includes an Akrapovic exhaust, a dry clutch conversion, Panigale V4 R front frame, forged magnesium wheels from Marchesini, and other bits and bobs from the Ducati Performance catalog.

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Podcast

Paddock Pass Podcast #108 – WorldSBK at Donington Park

By Jensen Beeler 07/12/2019 No Comments

Episode 108 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is a WorldSBK show. As such, this means that we see Steve English joined by Gordon Ritchie on the mics, as they are now our WorldSBK reporting duo for the 2019 season.

Recording straight from the United Kingdom, the guys talk about the on-track action at Donington Park, where we saw some big movement in the championship standings, after a miserable weekend of riding for Alvaro Bautista.

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Bikes

Ducati Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916 Confirmed

By Jensen Beeler 07/10/2019 No Comments

We broke the news two days ago that Ducati was working on a special edition of the Panigale V4, to help commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Ducati 916 Superbike. Now, we have some official details on that news to share with you.

Helping Ducati celebrate one of its most iconic bikes is one of the men who raced on them – quite successfully, we might add – Carl Fogarty.

As such, the Ducati Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916 model will come with some nods to Fogarty’s racing legacy, while also reminding two-wheeled fans of Ducati’s rich history in the WorldSBK paddock.

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WSBK

Marco Melandri Will Retire at the End of the WorldSBK Season

By Jensen Beeler 07/09/2019 No Comments

Confirming the news we reported yesterday, Marco Melandri has made his retirement announcement official. As such, the 36-year-old Italian will hang up his leathers for good, at the end of this year’s WorldSBK Championship season.

Melandri’s career spans three decades of racing, and includes some impressive feats, but his results this season have surely been the deciding factor on today’s announcement.

Currently ninth in the WorldSBK Championship standings, Melandri’s season has seen high points at Phillip Island and Jerez, but has otherwise been a forgettable affair. This surely has been the cause for Melandri’s lack of motivation to continue racing.

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Rumors

Is Marco Melandri Set to Retire from Motorcycle Racing?

By Jensen Beeler 07/08/2019 No Comments

I am not sure about this one, but the word out of Italy is that Marco Melandri is set this week to announce his retirement from motorcycle racing. Naturally, we are intrigued.

The rumor comes from La Gazzetta dello Sport (the same publication that’s also currently saying – quite dubiously, we might add – that this will be Jorge Lorenzo’s last season racing in MotoGP), and now the sports magazine suggests that Melandri is ready to hang up his leathers after a tough year back in WorldSBK.

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Rumors

Is The Ducati Panigale V4 About to Get Foggy?

By Jensen Beeler 07/08/2019 No Comments

When spy shots of a creatively painted Ducati Panigale V4 came out, we didn’t know what to make of it. The photos didn’t reveal too much beyond a unique paint job, which is why we quickly moved on from them, but our Bothan Spies have made sure that we are in the loop on what is afoot.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Ducati 916 Superbike, which is a milestone near and dear to the hearts of many Ducatisti. And thus, it doesn’t surprise us to see that the spy photos show a machine that gives homage to that era of Ducati’s history – the 916/996/998 are perhaps the most iconic motorcycles ever made.

Tie those pieces into the fact that we know that Ducati has a special event ahead of the Laguna Seca WorldSBK round, and things start to get interesting, which is where our headline comes into play.

Word on the street is that Ducati is about to release a Carl Fogarty edition of the Ducati Panigale V4.

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WSBK

WorldSBK Photos from Donington Park – Sunday Edition

By Stephen McClements 07/08/2019 No Comments

Jordi Torres on the brakes, headed into Goddards.

The battle through the esses.

Peter Hickman is all smiles after his ride at Donington Park.

A brake adjustment for Tom Sykes.

What a weekend it has been for Alvaro Bautista

A train of bikes and a freshly mowed lawn.

Tom Sykes giving the BMW S1000RR some gas.

Sykes in the pit.

Ana Carrasco reminds us to ride like a girl.

A very pleased Jonathan Rea fan.

Team Green battles it out.

Sykes leads through the Old Hairpin turn.

Marco Melandri shows what he can do on the Yamaha YZF-R1.

A well-earned victory for Jonathan Rea sees him in the championship lead once again.

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WSBK

WorldSBK Photos from Donington Park – Saturday Edition

By Stephen McClements 07/06/2019 No Comments

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WSBK

WorldSBK Photos from Donington Park – Friday Edition

By Stephen McClements 07/05/2019 No Comments

It is a busy weekend in the motorcycle racing world, with both WorldSBK and MotoGP on track. From Donington Park, we have Stephen McClements once again on the ground, bringing us photos from the World Superbike paddock.

While most of the WorldSBK season has been about the Ducati with Alvaro Bautista onboard, with some occasional surprises by Jonathan Rea and his Kawasaki, today at Donington Park the talk was all about Tom Sykes and the BMW S1000RR.

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Podcast

Paddock Pass Podcast #105 – WorldSBK at Jerez

By Jensen Beeler 06/11/2019 No Comments

Episode 105 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is a WorldSBK show. As such, this means that we see Steve English joined by Gordon Ritchie on the mics, as they are now our WorldSBK reporting duo for the 2019 season.

Recording straight from Spain, the guys talk about the on-track action at Jerez, where everyone is still talking about the coming together of Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes, in their final-lap incident in Race 1.

Before the guys get into that controversy though, they have a long discussion about Alvaro Bautista and how the Spaniard uses his Pirelli tires to his advantage.

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Podcast

Paddock Pass Podcast #102 – WorldSBK at Imola

By Jensen Beeler 05/20/2019 No Comments

Episode 102 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is a WorldSBK show. As such, this means that we see Steve English joined by Gordon Ritchie on the mics, as they are now our WorldSBK reporting duo for the 2019 season.

Recording straight from Italy, the guys talk about the on-track action at Imola, where we saw a surprising turn of events.

First there is the race result from Saturday to discuss, and unbeknownst to the fellas, racing for Sunday would be canceled (we remind our listeners that our WorldSBK shows are recorded mid-race weekend).

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