The prototype that annihilated the competition in the 2023 MotoGP World Championship is also the inspiration for all the super sports bikes from the Bolognese company. The differences remain important, but not in terms of lap times
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Adriano600RR
The fresh triumph Of Francesco Bagnaia in the World Cup MotoGP he sealed a 2023 simply memorable for Ducati. This year the Bolognese prototypes have in fact literally dominated the Premier Class of the MotoGP and the proof lies in the numbers: in the 20 round seasonal, the Desmosedici GP they conceded victory to their opponents in only 3 GPs and 3 Sprint Races, alternating 7 of their 8 drivers on the top step of the podium. The success of Bagnaia, the official rider, came only in the last race and after a bitter dispute with the Spaniard Jorge Martinstandard bearer of the Pramac satellite team, but the final ranking of the season also sees Marco Bezzecchi of the Vr46 team in third place and the other Pramac rider Johann Zarco to the fifth. Ducati has thus completed the treble of MotoGP crowns with the constructors’ title confiscated some time ago and the teams title won by the Pramac team. And to complete the string of world titles there are also those won in Superbike by Alvaro Bautista with the Panigale V4 and in Supersport since Nicolò Bulega with the Panigale V2. Bagnaia’s Desmosedici GP prototype and the production Panigale V4s have a certain degree of kinship with each other, but also important differences that define their respective identities.
The “brother” V4 engines
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Obviously, the Desmosedici GP of the MotoGP is a motorcycle created exclusively to excel in MotoGP and its very high technological level must not be bowed to any production or road approval requirement. Several of its particularities are jealously kept a mystery by Ducati which in fact has always remained rather generic in communicating its specifications. His motor for example it is a 1,000 cc 90° V4 with liquid cooling, twin-cam desmodromic distribution and 4 valves per cylinder, a unit for which the company vaguely declares “beyond 250 HP” of power and “over 350 km/h” of maximum speed without formalizing, for years now, a torque value. The engine of the Panigale V4 which can be purchased at the dealership, subject to legislation Euro5reflects this configuration and in fact underlines its lineage right from the name: Desmosedici Stradale. For the Panigale V4 and V4 S it has 1,103 cc of displacement to develop 215.5 HP at 13,000 rpm and 123.6 Nm of torque at 9,500 rpm. For the V4 R version from which the world-class Superbike racing car derives, therefore with a displacement reduced to 998 cc, it produces 218 HP at 15,500 rpm and 113 Nm of torque at 12,000 rpm in its basic configuration, but leaving the Euro 5 standards and entering the track, thanks to exhaust and racing oil, it can reach up to 240.5 HP with 118 Nm of torque.
design and aerodynamics
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The performance gap between MotoGP and Superbike has shrunk significantly over the last few years and Ducati has always been a master in transferring the innovations developed in the MotoGP to its series products. An example in this sense are the wingletsor the aerodynamic fins, initially spotted on the Desmosedici and subsequently appeared on the Panigale. The manufacturer from Borgo Panigale was a precursor in this field, but it is already clear from sight how the aerodynamics of the MotoGP prototype are much more complex and elaborate than the production bikes, with an abundance of protuberances that have not yet been seen in production. The Desmosedici GP appears more massive, especially due to the voluminous tail, but sports numerous carbon parts that allow it to contain the dry weight in 157 kg. The Panigale V4 S, also weighed down by headlights, mirrors, license plate holders, mirrors and so on, instead stops the balance on 174kg while the dry weight of the V4 R with exhaust racing can go down to 167kg.
differences in cycling
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The fact that they are both equipped with a V4 leads to several similarities, but in terms of chassis there are important differences. The chassis of the MotoGP prototype is a classic double beam in aluminum alloy, but the solution of the engine with load-bearing function set aside in the World Championship continued to be used for the Panigale taking advantage of a front frame of the same material. Moving on to suspensionsthe Desmosedici GP features an upside down fork with carbon stays and a rear shock absorber of the highest quality Öhlinsthe same brand that signs the 43 fork and the mono that equips the Panigale V4 S and R. Marked difference in terms of braking system given that the Desmosedici uses two 340 mm carbon front discs with four-piston calipers and a single rear steel disc with two-piston calipers, while the Panigale V4 S and R only use 330 mm steel discs mm front with radial piston calipers. In any case, the supplier is always Brembo. THE circles 17″ branded Marchesini instead, they are made of magnesium alloy for MotoGP and aluminum alloy for Superbike.
equipment
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There electronic equipment of the Desmosedici GP, although governed by the Marelli control unit programmed with the software unique of Dorna, is the pinnacle of complexity and evolution currently available and the systems that compose it cost tens of thousands of euros. Historically, Ducati has always paid great attention to this aspect and in fact, from this perspective, its production motorcycles always rank at the top of their respective segments. The most valuable ones are no exception Panigale V4 that in their respective packages, as well as more conventional systems such as riding modes, cornering Abs, quick shift and traction control, they show off others derived directly from the MotoGP experience such as the PowerLaunchthe anti-surge, the slide control and so on. Other more modern “goodies” such as thelowerer and the discussed table spoon aerodynamics for the rear wheel remain the prerogative of the premier class prototypes for now, but no one would be surprised to see them appear soon on some new version of the Panigale V4.
The guide, the observations of Michele Pirro
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Net of the differences on the purely technical side, Desmosedici GP and Panigale V4 still require driving styles different to exploit their maximum potential. And it is worth immediately underlining that only professional drivers are able to achieve this with the first one. The amateur ones, however, have more chances of approaching the limit of the second. He gave us an explanation in this sense Michele Pirrofor years now test rider flagship of Ducati who worked on the development of and competed with both: “The MotoGPs are prototypes, 10 are made per year to perform at maximum. The production bike was created to give everyone the opportunity to be fast with a certain amount of confidence right from the start. We riders who train with standard bikes manage to set very fast times and performances, in braking as in acceleration and includingelectronics, they don’t have that much to envy from MotoGP. Now they can try it driving sensations similar to MotoGP even when riding a Panigale V4 S and credit must be given to Ducati for transferring the racing experience into the final product.”
designed for competitions
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“It’s clear that the Desmosedici GP has some particularity – continued the Apulian driver – and only by taking it to the limit can you receive the right amount feeling. This is not the case on standard bikes. Let’s take for example in carbon brakes: they are only effective if you use them in a certain way, in certain conditions, otherwise you almost have the impression that they brake less than steel discs. These are details that still give you that 3-4” difference on a track like Misano. In recent years there has been an incredible evolution and I, who have been part of it, can say that Ducati has always paid a lot of attention to the ‘racing’ aspect, but at the same time has not neglected the driveability“. For Pirro, the similarities between the two bikes were however very useful for him to adapt alternately to one and the other: “Both bikes have a V4 and this helps a lot because inertia, position and overall dimensions are similar and the two bikes are more aligned with each other. There main difference is that the MotoGP prepares it curve by curve down to the last detail while the production bike has a standard calibration, which works well but is less refined. On the other hand, it’s a production bike, it’s not possible to bring a team of engineers with you every time, but basically it’s a really high-level bike.”
the differences on the stopwatch
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Until a few years ago, Ducatis had the reputation of being both powerful and grumpy bikes, but today, as Pirro confirms, the situation has objectively changed: “This is what happened in MotoGP, where we tried to make a versatile bike and then transfer that experience to the production bike. And the result is this”. As for the “cold numbers”, Pirro made a comparison on the times in Misano: “Let’s say around 1’36” with the standard bike, 1’31-32″ with the MotoGP, while with the Superbike it is at an intermediate level, around 1’34”. In fact, analyzing this year’s Misano times, the comparison is accurate: Martin’s 2023 pole in MotoGP was 1:30.390, Bautista’s in Superbike was 1:33.017. Luca Marinia MotoGP rider who has just moved to Honda, but who competed with the team’s Desmosedici GP until the season just ended Mooney Vr46however using a Panigale V4 S for training, declared: “Road motorbikes have now reached incredible levels of technology – he confided to us – and the same can be said of the tireswhich today have much more grip compared to the past. In my opinion, the gap on a lap in the same conditions it can be 3-4 seconds, so they’re not far off at all.”
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