Denial is not good for anyone

We can say all we want that WSBK doesn't matter or have any bearing but that is total denial.The DNA is there and we are looking at a bike that is a winner on paper only.It's not trolling..it's reality. Their worst season ever....sad but true
Ducati ended its 2013 World Superbike season with a whimper after neither of its riders last race of the final round in Jerez. That meant Ayrton Badovini's 12th place in the title chase is the worst ever for Ducati since the series began.
From the inception of the series in 1988, when Marco Lucchinelli nearly won the title on debut but ended up 5th after the team decided not to contest the last two rounds, Ducati has been synonymous with World Superbike racing and victory in particular.

Ducati have won the title 14 times in the 26 years the series has run. Ducati had been so dominant the World Superbike Championship was given the pejorative "˜Ducati Cup' in the early 2000s such did the brand dominant the field and results. Even in the years that weren't a Ducati victory you didn't need to go far down the order to find a Bologna bullet. You have to go back to 2000 (when Troy Bayliss finished 6th) to find a time when the best Ducati didn't finish in the top 5.

By contrast this year has been a disaster for Ducati. Hopes were raised when Carlos Checa put the radical new Ducati 1199 Panigale on pole for the first race at Phillip Island but his crash in the first race combined with Badovini's ankle injury meant the team left Australia with nil points.

Things only got worse from there. The all new bike has proven to be no more a match (at least in Superbike form) for its formidable Japanese and European competitors than the Ducati 1098R it replaced. In fact, during the penultimate round, Lorenzo Lanzi finished 9th and first Ducati on the obsolete 1098R. The Panigale only made it to the podium once all year (Moscow Race 1 with Badovini at the controls).

With this background it was sad to see Carlos Checa call it quits, his disastrous season this year somewhat undermining his glorious resurgence in form late in his career that helped him earn the 2011 World Superbike title for Ducati. How long will it be before there's another one?

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I am sorry....But I don't see how this matters one iota to my enjoyment of my bike..... If I or anyone else is dreaming of WSBK when we are riding..be it track or street... then we better wake up....Personally I am much happier with the Panigale than I would have been with the 999/1098 or 1198....

Stw said:

I am sorry....But I don't see how this matters one iota to my enjoyment of my bike..... If I or anyone else is dreaming of WSBK when we are riding..be it track or street... then we better wake up....

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I would even venture to say that some of the very qualities that have contributed to its lackluster WSBK performance are the same qualities that make it an outstanding bike off the track. The visceral, almost unruly experience this bike provides makes for an outstanding recreational bike but it is in direct contrast to what you would want in a day in and day out professional race bike. This isn't to say Ducati can't get it dialed in for future seasons, but the bike will certainly need some significant adjustments. Nonetheless, as a Ducati fan I would like to see them turn it around in WSBK, but it really has no affect on my ownership experience and I am quite happy with the bike as sold to the public.

After reading that long post, I'm still not sure who is in denial and about what.

The Panigale made my arse hurt.
The End.

iamlance said:

The Panigale made my arse hurt.
The End.

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So did my boyfriend

Uh, In the 26 years I've been riding sports bikes, I've never followed motorcycle racing. They way I see it, since I'm risking my life riding a motorcycle, it makes the bikes I buy an easy choice.

Actually it was the non-race features that attracted me to the S model. LED headlights aren't helpful in winning WSBK, at least until they have night stages. I like the TFT display, variable maps and ABS. I never asked the salesman how many WSBK titles were won on the bike because it wasn't important, to me.

Until the Pani I didn't watch bike racing, except the odd IOM TT. Now I like to watch SBK and Motogp. It would be nice to see Ducati at the front but all I would like is to see a good close race.

I only read the first sentence of the first post and just now skimmed it again and saw the last sentence.

I think this is just and promo for Ducati News Today. I may be wrong because I really only read the first and last sentence of the first post.

"If you liked this post please consider becoming a Fan of Ducati News Today on Facebook and Following us on Twitter."

On the other hand in STK1000 the panigale did very well. In many cases beating BMW, Kawasaki, and the rest. I've seen the panigale consistently do well and make podium in the STK races and it seems to me this is much more relevant to us as non racers because this category runs models that most resemble what you can buy, SBK bikes highly modified are not within reach of most of us.
I dont know why people duel on how Ducati does in SBK or MotoGP as if it they where the same bikes we are riding, and we all raced for a living. Of course I like the brand and would like to see them win, but it has little to do with the way I perceive or enjoy my 1199.
These are very fast bikes that are truly unique in their character and aesthetic. Never had a bike that I've enjoyed more.

Tom Sykes won the world championship this year (and very nearly last year) on the Kawasaki ZX10. Speak to any Kawasaki dealers in the UK and most have not even sold one of those models!

The ZX10 is a really good bike, the only issue I have with it is the way it looks, just not my cup of tea.

When I hang around with my mates they keep on commenting on how bad the Panigale is doing in WSBK, how flawed the design is etc. I know they say it because they are simply jealous and would never be able to afford one, they never say how good it is doing in World Superstocks! All they ride is the usual bikes such as R1s and Gixxers, I find them boring as hell! Every one has got one to be honest.

One thing that winds me up is when they say is to get a S1000RR it is a lot faster than the Panigale However, it does not have any soul what so ever, you will be better of with a ZX10 instead! Cheaper, similar power, similar speed and it won the WSBK championship..

No denying it, this season sucks. I used to say that I do not care about Motogp(since Ducati's ..... is handed over to Honda and Yamaha , lubed and ready to use) but what matters is WSBK.

Now what can I say? I can not say that WSBK is not important because it is to me. these are the actual motorcycles that we can buy (with out the modifications). Should I drink the same KOOLAID and say "hey wsbk does not matter to me" and then should I just shoot down the other brands and say "I will not buy the yamahonsukiwasaki"

As a race fan it is hard to see Checa loose badly. to see the 1098r passing the 1199r in the wsbk. but what Can I do? should I say "the rules are unfair"? Should I visit a Kawasaki dealer because their bike won the wsbk this year?

I do not know if this helps but I love Ducati Bikes, I really do and the best I can do is buy one of their bikes every two years . I mean it is as if I can send them racing inputs or a new cylinder head design. I can just support their products in the hope that a part of my purchase will be used in R and D of their racing machines, should I say our racing machine. I can not help it. no matter how much Ducati looses in WSBK I still love their bikes. I am not swayed to go to the Aprilia or Kawasaki shop because even if they win races, I can not muster the guts to spend money in it.

I have been thinking, instead of rellying on Checa or other riders to bring glory to Ducati, why not improve my ridding skills and ensure that I overtake other riders in the track.

Anyone know what the teams are most in need of to win? More power, better handling? I don't really follow it, but there must be a common complaint among the team.

All bikes take a few years to develop for the track.

The Panigale is a radical design, and that means more setup time.

Let's see what happens moving forward.

time will tell...

Prince Albert said:

So did my boyfriend

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Your boyfriend hurt my arse???

Prince Albert said:

So did my boyfriend

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Agibbs996 said:

I only read the first sentence of the first post and just now skimmed it again and saw the last sentence.

I think this is just and promo for Ducati News Today. I may be wrong because I really only read the first and last sentence of the first post.

"If you liked this post please consider becoming a Fan of Ducati News Today on Facebook and Following us on Twitter."

Click to expand...

It's a cut-'n-paste from here -
Ducati?s Worst World Superbike Season Ever | Ducati News Today

Going out to the garage to give my Pani some love.

I've owned many, many bikes of years and this is one is the best handling one to date.

I have no idea how the race engineers setup the bikes, but ride a 1098R and 1199R back to back and you tell me which one you prefer on the track.

I've had that chance and the 1199R wins in my book hands down. The 1098R has much more grunt down low, but everything is fails in comparison to the 1199R (especially handling). Again I'm not some closet MotoGP champ, but I do a fair amount of track.

Dare we ever compare our bikes in any form to WSBK bike or MotoGP bike.

I wish I had a pit crew, and a sexy umbrella girl.