Does the Ducati 1098R have an advantage over the inline 4 1000's? They're kicking butt in the BSB and the WSBK. Is the extra 200cc with better low end torque more suited to comming out of turns quicker? I know there's alot of other factors in the racing equation.

bikehappy1 - 08 October 2008 10:20 AM

Does the Ducati 1098R have an advantage over the inline 4 1000's? They're kicking butt in the BSB and the WSBK. Is the extra 200cc with better low end torque more suited to comming out of turns quicker? I know there's alot of other factors in the racing equation.

Take a look at Ducati's factory effort (the time, resources, money, people...) And take a look at the other WSBK efforts. That is why they win. HRC barely lift a finger, and the rest is up to a team based off a Honda dealer in Holland. Kawasaki are completely lost. Suzuki are all Alstare, as Yamaha is mostly Yamaha Italia. Yamaha Italia employes a small percentage of the people Ducati do, and they don't get the crossover help from MotoGP. Yamaha are limited in their interactions with the team.

That is why Ducati win in WSBK. And if you think they need a rules advantage, take a look over at MotoGP where he have a top bike with equal rules for everyone.

The Xerox Ducatis that race in FIM World Superbike are not 1098Rs, but rather full-honk factory 1098 F08s. There is also another model (1098RS) raced by the satellite teams. They are heavier and make less peak hp than the jap inline fours, and also are dealing with intake restrictors (50mm I think) as a part of the FIM equalization for allowing more displacment. Overall it appears the bikes are in general pretty much equal, especially if you remove the Bayliss Factor from the equation.

I don't know what modifications the BSB bikes have, but I do know they were assessed a huge weight penalty in mid-season and still won. These are probably not consumer 1098Rs either.

Maybe the DMG should take over that series, too. I bet they'd dream up a way to even things out.

That's wierd that the WSBK gives ducs a 200cc advantage only to put restrictors on them. With the effort put forth from Italy, I don't think they need any advantage at all. I guess there will always be discrepancies due to how much factory support is given.

It seems Ducati puts a major effort into their racing, much like Ferrari. The overall Ducati operation is much, much smaller than japan inc's massive facilites.

As for dmg running WSBK, I can see it all now - all 1200cc Ducatis must race with one Desmo tied behind their back and carry an additional 50 pound sandbag aboard. Fair enough?

As far as SBK (no idea about BSB), in my eyes Ducati's key advantage seems to be the guy twisting the throttle.

The racer has alot to do with it definately. Some riders like Troy and Casey work wonders with the duc. Others like Melandri can't do much with it. We'll see if anyone can pick up the slack after Troy next year in WSBK.

Troy Bayliss is impossible to replace. I expect Nitro Nori to shine on the Xerox 1098 F09, but there is only one Troy Bayliss.

The perception exists that Ducati dominate both BSB & WSBK, but actually other than Bayliss & Shakey, the other riders on the Ducs haven't proven the superiority of the twins over the inline fours. Before the season began, a lot of discussion centered around the concern of the extra capacity allowed the twins & of WSBK turning into a Ducati Cup but mercifully those dire predictions never came to fruition.

Those two aforementioned riders are in another class from the competition in their respective series. Once both took a stranglehold of the WSBK & BSB championships, you began to see other riders start to win races towards the end of the season.

Certainly as a rider on a satellite team, the Duc offers the best package to win races as exemplified by wins by Lanzi & Xaus in WSBK and Rutter in BSB.

The 1098R has no advantage over the I-4's except for torque which makes it feel like a bucking bronco.The yamahas have horse power + all the trick electronic gizmos including the ohlins elec-Trick forks <which have already been outlawed in moto-gp> the Ducs have standard parts bin ttx36 shocks and the ohlins fgr 800 forks which even you can buy from Dan Kyles E-bay shop. Further the Ducs have been saddled with a weight penalty. The Ducs advantage has been the riders Bayliss and Biagi. Next summer go out to WSBK at miller motorsports park and look at the bikes.