Ducati unveils new Panigale
Added on Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
Ducati unveils new Panigale
Ducati has unveiled the long-awaited 1199 Panigale superbike alongside its entire 2012 range in a stylish Press Conference at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, Italy, ahead of this week’s EICMA 2011 show in Milan.
Ducati’s new flagship model was unveiled at a press launch in Milan yesterday, where the company also hailed strong financial performance.
Gabriele Del Torchio, President of Ducati Motor Holding, announced that sales of 42,000 motorcycles in the past year, generating revenues of €480m, a 20% increase over the previous year, had allowed the company to launch the new Panigale superbike – which he claimed was the company’s most ambitious project to date.
“Without doubt, this has been the most ambitious project in Ducati’s history and underlines our engineering excellence and ‘product emotion’, an aspect of our brand which, in such a competitive market place, has become more important than ever,” said Del Torchio. “This motorcycle represents pure Italian style, the reference point for performance and a safety-enhanced, confidence-inspiring experience for our customers on road and track.
“We are particularly proud to have created a special ‘Tricolore’ version of this new motorcycle, in the red, white and green of Italy. What better occasion to celebrate the 150th anniversary of our national flag and underline our role and responsibility as ambassadors of the title ‘made in Italy’, than with a product of such style and technical excellence.”
Following Mr.Del Torchio’s announcement, Ducati Motor Holding General Manager, Claudio Domenicali, proceeded to release the details of the 2012 models with particular focus on the 1199 Panigale.
“Throughout our long and successful twin-cylinder history of racing, Ducati has never built a sportbike as advanced as the 1199 Panigale,” said Claudio Domenicali during his presentation. “We are moving into a new generation with a ‘revolution’ of the species that establishes new limits for the category. Its Desmodromic heart, the new Superquadro engine, is the most powerful twin-cylinder ever produced and represents the base of a new concept of frame and engine integration. This concept enables the 1199 Panigale a dry weight of just 164kg and gives it a riding sensation that is closer than ever to a full race bike. With revised ergonomics, full Ride-by-Wire engine management and enhanced systems of ABS and traction control, we have controlled the beast within the 1199 Panigale so that the full emotion of this motorcycle can be enjoyed easily and safely.”
Available early in 2012, Ducati claims that their new generation Superbike goes beyond the barriers of motorcycle design and engineering to set the most extreme benchmark ever and the direction for future sport bikes. Developed in a racing environment and designed to raise the performance bar to its highest, the 1199 Panigale uses innovative Ducati Corse-derived solutions to make World Championship level technology available to everyone.
The most high tech, most powerful twin-cylinder production engine on the planet is now an integral part of an innovative monocoque chassis that combine to deliver an astonishing 195hp from 164kg (361.5lb) of futuristic Italian thoroughbred – the highest production motorcycle power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios in the world.
With the click of a button, Ducati’s Riding Mode concept delivers performance with enhanced rider confidence by combining seven class-leading technologies. The latest-generation sports ABS system, Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES), Ducati Quick-Shift (DQS), Ducati’s new race-derived Engine Brake Control (EBC) and Ride-by-Wire (RbW) are now all programmed into seamless, electronic rider assistance. Even the full colour Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display changes to suit the rider’s environment.
The Panigale is on show at the International Motorcycle Show in Milan from November 10-13 and will also be on show at Motorcycle Live, 19-27 Nov.
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