For 2023, Ducati have taken their rocketship up a notch with a whole host of updates...

Ever since the Superbike World Championship came into being in 1988, Ducati have always been in the business of creating homologation specials; crafting a machine to edge as close to the racing rulebook as possible, in all order to gain the maximum advantage on track. Over the years we’ve seen some incredibly special machines, but in terms of performance, the new Panigale V4R is the most extreme model to date, with more power, better aero, and a few other tweaks as well.

Unlike the other Panigales in the range, the 1103cc V4 and V4S, the V4R comes equipped with a smaller, 998cc V4 engine (in order to meet the rules and regulations in racing series around the globe). It will see some internal changes for 2023, with everything from new titanium con-rods to tweaking the internal gears, which all adds up to creating the ultimate racing weapon. This now means that the V4R produces a massive 215bhp as standard, or a mind-blowing 240.5bhp when equipped with the lighter Akrapovič aftermarket exhaust and filled with Shell’s special engine oil. This is assisted by the fact the new Panigale revs to a blistering 16,500rpm in top gear, with a 16,000rpm limit from first to fifth.

Although much of the chassis remains the same, Ducati have made a few more tweaks to the R. The top-spec Öhlins suspension now has slightly with more travel on the front and a softer spring in the rear, while the fuel tank has increased in size to 17 litres, the seat has been altered and the winglets are now the same as on the other V4 models, offering the same degree of downforce while remaining slightly smaller in stature.

All these modifications will allow the Ducati Corse WorldSBK to upgrade their superbike racers, giving the already dominant Alvaro Bautista an even more potent weapon for 2023. Gulp!