Ducati has announced its factory team for the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), and the Italian company has secured the services of last-year’s winner and Rookie of the Year Carlin Dunne as well as six-time PPIHC winner Greg Tracy. Ducati has also partnered with the Spider Grips team, who will help prepare the teams Ducati Multistrada 1200 for the “Race to the Clouds” on July 8th. For 2012, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will be fully-paved to the top of the mountain, which will surely see the speeds of competitors increase, and lap times drop on the 12.42 mile long course that ends at 14,110 feet.
I was flipping through some photos from the 2011 EICMA show, and found these shots of the Ducati 1199 Panigale’s Superquadro engine. Unfortunately at the show, Ducati had its 1199cc v-twin motor behind a Lexan case, which created a bit of a glare, reflections, and of course had smudges from the touchy-feely Italian crowd. But still, the photos give a good idea of what’s going on in Ducati’s most-advanced production engine to date, and are better than just looking at the CAD renders. If you look at the shots very closely, you can almost see where the 195hp and 98 lbs•ft of torque is lurking inside.
In addition to testing the factory Ducati Desmosedici GP12 “Phoenix” this week at Sepang, Valentino Rossi is also trying out a new lid from AGV. Aside from the carbon fiber goodness, and of course the Rossi stickers (which add 5hp & $200), AGV’s prototype helmet sports a noticably pronounced rear spoiler. Tucked in behind the windscreen, it is obvious why the Italian helmet manufacturer designed such a large protrusion off the back of the prototype helmet, as it looks to be clearly helping the flow off the back of the helmet, across the rider’s hump, and down his backside.
While Ducati Corse is busy playing hide-the-Desmosedici at Sepang, HRC is all business in Malaysia this week, and has debuted its 2012 Honda RC213V MotoGP-contender. Honda isn’t saying too much about the RC213V, simply stating that the race bike is all new, but is also a continuation of the company’s design with the 800cc Honda RC212V. Testing the Honda RC213V over the course of last season, reigning-World Champion Casey rode the new 1,000cc machine three times in 2011, while teammate Dani Pedrosa swung a leg over the RC213V twice (missing one test because of injury).
You may have been misled by some eager journalists today and yesterday, if you saw a Ducati Corse livery-clad Ducati Desmosedici GP12 that some sites were passing off as the first shots of the “90% new” GP12. With the alleged new GP12 looking surprisingly similar to the aluminum-framed “GP0″ that was tested at Valencia, Valentino Rossi’s mechanic has now Alex Briggs confirmed that the photos taken were not of the all new “GP12 Phoenix” that the factory team will race this season. While the Ducati lords can taketh away, they can also giveth, and Valentino Rossi himself has posted the first photo of the factory Desmosedici GP12, and the bike is clearly different.
Zero Motorcycles has announced the full-commencement of production for its 2012 model line, which is expected to hit dealers in February & March of this year. First off the line was the 2012 Zero DS back in December, though the electric motorcycle company has recently started building the Zero S, Zero XU, Zero X, and Zero MX at its Scotts Valley facility as well. A story we broke back in November, Zero Motorcycles debuted its important 2012 electric motorcycle line up at the 2011 EICMA show in Milan, with the 2012 range being a substantial improvement upon the company’s previous offerings.
Getting a look at Dainese & AGV’s 2012 collection, Asphalt & Rubber was down in Orange County earlier this week to see the highly anticipated Dainese D-Air Racing leather suit, which has a four liter airbag system that helps reduce the risk of injury during a motorcycle crash. Dainese has been working on the D-Air Racing system for 10 years now, and after soft-launching the airbag suit in Europe, the Italian company is ready to bring the game-changing technology to American soil.
Us Danes, we’re a strange breed. From the culture that taught you how to rape and pillage, Scandinavia is making yet another contribution to the motorcycling world with this latest video. Featuring Danish Supermoto Champion Andreas Mikkelsen, we get a RoToR camera-esque perspective (this rig is actually home made) on the Dane’s practice session at the Als Supermotard Club in Denmark. It’s videos like this that are slowly eroding my will-power to resist getting into supermotard riding. Also, I don’t know who was in charge of the music selection on this thing, but my hat is off to him/her. I love the nightlife. I’ve come to boogie.
Our friends over at IndianCarsBikes.in were in attendance at the KTM 200 Duke launch in India this week, as the Austrian brand launched its somewhat bigger-displacement version of the popular KTM Duke 125. During the press event, KTM talked about the future of the mini-Duke line and its product roadmap for the emerging country, as well as abroad. With the Austrian brand confirming/clarifying that KTM would release a KTM 350 Duke for India in 2013, zie Austrians also confirmed that the KTM 350 Duke would be built locally in India by Bajaj, but would be exported worldwide — allaying fears that the KTM 350 Duke would be an India-only model.
Now that the first Ducati 1199 Panigale has rolled out of the door in Bologna, the die is cast, the chips are in play, and our course is set to see if Ducati has created a “massive breach of brand trust and honesty.” The realization of course should be that Ducati’s brand was never in danger with bikes like the Hypermotard, Multistrada 1200, or Diavel. Instead, the danger of serious brand dilution has always rested on how Ducati handled its Superbike line. A failure to produce a two-wheeled machine that is both as striking visually as it is kinetically, could permanently alienate a loyal fan base that has endured a great deal in the past half-decade.
Ducati Desmosedici Gets Wings for Sachsenring – http://aspha.lt/16f #motorcycle
Sure as hell didn;t slow them down, or stop the wheelies! It was an amazing race to watch and the Red Flag came out on lap 9 for an RdP, Bautista and Espargaro crash. RdP broke his left Tib and Fib, and his bike lit up with flames.
Rossi and Casey rode like there was a demon chasing them the way they were over taking one another in the later stages of the restart and once Dani got past Lorenzo it was OVER!!!
Astonishing race, wonderful to watch, why can’t it be like that ALLL the time!
I didn’t think I was watching an F1 race; there was overtaking and excitement.
I wondered how long it would take before aerodynamic downforce starting playing a factor in GP
Aerodynamic downforce is not usefull on bikes because when you lean, the center of downforce would be next to the tyres adding even more pressure thus reducing grip.
Another issue would be: how to you “unstick” the bike from the downforce to straighten it out?
You would need movable aerodynamics to do that. And that’s against the rules.
G
While i agree on the excitement factor this week, it just sucks that it had to involve ppl breaking bones. i hate to see that but yeah, and awesome race over all
Wings only create noticeable downforce once you reach a fairly high speed. I would imagine wings of this size probably have little to no effect on the ride in curves because they’re not going fast enough for them to make a meaningful amount of downforce. Frankly, I can’t imagine those wings are anywhere near big enough to combat the wheelies created by the torque. Quieting the air going in/around the fairings though; that I can see.
I would have to argue, personally, that downforce is probably more or less worthless on a bike. First look at how big wings are on cars (like in F1). Then consider how far over a MotoGP rider leans going around a curve. Your wing then becomes very limited size wise on a bike; after all you can’t have that thing dragging the pavement. Where would even you put a wing on a bike to increase your speed around a curve if you were at full lean? Not to mention wings slow you down down the straight.
I like it!
Aerodynamic downforce is very useful on a bike, just like on a car. The trouble is keeping the downforce, DOWNforce because as noted the force vector changes with the bike’s lean angle.
I wonder if the racing regulations would allow for movable aerodynamic panels? If so, I think we will see before long deployable “wings” on the sides of the bikes that operate primarily when the bike is at a significant lean-angle.
As for the wings, they could easily generate a few lbs of downforce at speed and positioned out front like that even say 10lbs could make a significant difference in keeping the front end plated. At the speeds the bike will reach they may well generate quite a lot more force than that I’d guess.
The winglets on the Ducati are similar to what we’ve been using on the Fischer MRX
After looking a them and had a nice long coffee (black, strong, one sugar) this is my two cent worth:
It’s not a down force system… It’s a vortex splitter.
The air moving down with the wheel hits air going backwards on the lip of the mud guard, this creates a vortex that hits the bike where the wing is.
This vortex probably climbs into the low pressure zone behind the rider. This probably does no hinder the bike when going straight (even adds speed by lowering drag). But leaning over it probably has a moment of instability when compressed by the ground. The vortex probably switches going over then under the rider being first a “air cushion” then “ground effect” thus loading and unloading the front wheel = high speed unstability.
Actually, making a serrated edge on the front mud guard would be more effective…
In this age of super computers, modelling and calculated fluid dynamics, the punter sometimes forget that some aero problems cannot be modeled or the computer gets it plain wrong. Buffeting chief amongst them.
How do i post a 2 cent picture of what should be done to that mudguard?
G
It’s no good Jen… Jen talk to me.
haha
So much for Top Gun!
The Yamaha YZR 500cc bikes had wings too in ’99.
Didn’t help Gary McCoy btw. or was he traveling to much sideways?
The authority on motorcycle downforce is Tony Foale As a lot of people sugggested you need movable aerodynamics please take a look at the second half of this article http://www.tonyfoale.com/Articles/Aerodynamics/AERO.htm
RT @Asphalt_Rubber #Ducati Desmosedici Gets Wings for Sachsenring – http://aspha.lt/16f #motorcycle
I picked up on these winglets too, Toby Moody told me they were not for downforce simply to reduce lift on the straights.
I drew a quick pic to highlight the detail…
http://scarbsf1.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/motogp_ducati.jpg
and these pics to highlight the different approaches teams take to their fairings
http://scarbsf1.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/motogp_array.jpg
Thank you for the interesting story, even though it did take quite a long time to understand. (English is not my first tongue) Can I ask where you got your sources from? Many thanks!