1999 Ducati Cagiva Grand Canyonandamp;#039; on 2040-motos

Moto blog

2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale Launch This Week!

The normal life of a motorcycle journalist is actually kind of mundane, as 95% of my time is spent slouched over a computer. But then there are rare days in which we are hosted in lavish accommodations in a cool location to ride some new bike no one else in the world has yet ridden. For a motorcycle enthusiast it’s a charmed life.

Audi-Ducati Discussions No Longer Exclusive

Audi‘s window for exclusive negotiation rights with Ducati has closed, but the German automaker is still expected to announce the acquisition of the Italian motorcycle brand this week. Volkswagen-owned Audi had exclusive rights to discuss acquiring Ducati until April 15, and though other suitors may now begin negotiations, Audi remains the front-runner. Last week, Reuters reported a deal could be announced as soon as April 18, the day before the Volkswagen Group’s annual shareholder meeting.

Rainy BSB tests are nothing new

THE combination of bad weather in the UK and a European testing ban means that most BSB teams will now start the season with very little track time. This sounds like a disaster for the top teams but history has proved this isn’t necessarily true and it sometimes doesn’t matter how much pre season preparation has taken place.  Back in 2002 Sean Emmett won on the IFC Ducati at the opening Silverstone round after first riding it in unofficial practice the same weekend. Steve Hislop took the other win on Pauls Bird’s well sorted Ducati. More recently in 2009, Leon Camier took an untested new model R1 Yamaha to victory at the Brands Hatch opener after GSE took delivery of the bike just the week before. Sylvain Guintoli won the other race on a well developed, well tested Crescent Suzuki. You could argue if no one has had testing then it is a level playing field but you have to feel for riders moving up to the superbike class in the world’s toughest national series.  Tyco Suzuki’s PJ Jacobson is one such rider but having spent some time with him over the past few weeks he seems to be taking it all in his stride. It may be the confidence of youth or maybe the fact he has won in every other class he has entered in his short BSB career, but I suspect he fancies at least standing on the Superbike podium at Brands (He also does a bit of ice racing which is not dissimilar to the this year’s UK testing).  The testing ban was implemented with all the best cost cutting intentions and if it had been any other year in the past decade all would be well. The teams may be feeling frustrated but the fans should be excited. With so many unknowns, the 2013 BSB opener at Brands Hatch could be the best ever!