Zhuhai (China), 19 June 2018 – A few days before of the official launch of the Ducati Panigale V4 in Asia, the official Ducati test rider Alessandro Valia scores an outstanding result on the Chinese circuit of Zhuhai at the Pan Delta Series, the Chinese Superbike Championship.A production motorcycle accessorized with Ducati Performance parts, ridden on the track by Alessandro Valia, racing against internationally renowned WSBK-spec bikes and riders, achieving the pole position on Friday and the first place in both races on Saturday and Sunday.
Valia as part of the CER – Ducati Hong Kong racing team – felt immediately comfortable on the new Panigale V4 S powered by the new Desmosedici Stradale engine. Constantly improving his lap time and achieving pole position on the starting grid of Zhuhai International Circuit with a lap time of 1:34:53, 1:08 second faster than the second one. Thanks to two impeccable races, the Panigale V4 was able to cross the finish line in first place both on Saturday and Sunday.
The motorcycle entered in the Chinese Superbike competition – closely followed by the public and the media – is a stock Panigale V4 S accessorized with Ducati Performance parts, challenging motorcycles specially configured with the technical specifications allowed by WSBK regulations. The “Pan Delta Series” is divided into two classes of competition: the “Open A”, where there are no restrictions in terms of modifications and the “Open B” class, in which only stock bikes can participate. Ducati decided to enter the Panigale V4 S in the Open A class to prove its racing capability.
“Both races were very hard due to the extremely hot weather here in Zhuhai during this weekend, but the characteristics of the Panigale V4 enabled me to ride smoothly in first place from the beginning to the end of both race 1 and 2.” said Alessandro Valia official Ducati test rider. “ Being the main test rider for the Panigale V4 I have always been confident about its performance and I knew from the beginning that we would have been extremely competitive. It is also a huge satisfaction for me to be able to bring the Panigale V4 from its first stages of development to its very first international race victory. I want to thank the CER – Ducati Hong Kong racing team, Ducati China and Ducati Asia for the combined support as well as Pirelli for always providing us with the most performing tires on the market.”
“In preparation of the official launch of the new Ducati Panigale V4 in China I think there was no better way to show our market the incredible capabilities of this new bike.” said Fabrizio Cazzoli – Head of Ducati China. “ Such a successful weekend simply confirms that Ducati is always ready to raise the bar in terms performance, as well as style and sophistication, anytime we launch a new model. I am looking forward for the Panigale V4 to be available in China starting from October.” He added “I feel the need to thank our great rider and friend, Alessandro and the fantastic CER – Ducati Hong Kong racing team for their amazing support.”
The Panigale V4 represents an exciting new chapter in the Ducati story, a new “symphony” of all Italian performance and emotion. The Panigale V4 is the first mass-produced Ducati bike to mount a four cylinder engine, derived directly from the MotoGP Desmosedici. It’s a concentrate of Ducati technology, style and performance. The Panigale V4 has been developed in close collaboration with Ducati Corse, drawing directly on know-how and technology from the racing world to provide a road bike that is the closest thing possible to its MotoGP counterpart.
The philosophy followed by the Panigale V4 development team mirrors the approach taken by Ducati when developing a racing bike: total integration of engine, chassis and rider. Development has involved Ducati Corse technicians and riders, making the Panigale V4 a production sports bike that comes close to being a MotoGP prototype, built for both excellent on-track performance and outstanding on-road ridability.
The Panigale V4 engine is the only one to use technology such as the counter-rotating crankshaft and twin pulse ignition. These solutions have a positive impact on bike dynamics, making it more agile during changes of direction, fast and stable on the straight and ensuring easier out-of-the-corner torque handling.
This great result confirms once again the fruitfulness of Ducati’s integration between its racing and R&D departments that enables the Borgo Panigale-based company to always deliver most performing superbikes available in the market.
