Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128136
2002 Oucati 998 "Testastretta 11 (Right) The Testastretta wheelies a lot, and that's a good thing. and a whole lot to do with the efficiency of the new cylinder heads. The rest of the motorcycle has remained largely unchanged for 02 - I mean, at this point, why bother? The bikes have been dominating Superbike racing at the World Championship level for 10 years, and besides, they still look beautiful. RIDING IMPRESSION providing them with a bike that isn't available to any other riders in the championship. Of course, this is always the latest, greatest incarnation of their superbike range with the newest technology. Ducati has stuck to its routine and has made the previous season's technology available to the consumer and to the By BLAKE CONNER PHOTOS By TOM RILES ucati and its three official factory riders dominated last season's World Superbike Championship 01) the 2001 "Testastretta"-powered 996R (which is actually 998cc with 100 x 63.Smm bore/stroke dimensions) race bikes. By the end of the year, Troy Bayliss, Ben Bostrom and Ruben Xaus had amassed 14 wins out of 26 legs of the two-race-per-meeting format. The Testastretta-powered bikes were only available to these three riders, with others such as Neil Hodgson and James Toseland on the GSE team using the previous season's 996RS factory bikes. Bayliss ended up clinching the World Championship a round early at Assen by taking two race wins. It should be noted that his teammate Xaus got very hot at the end of the season and may have actually won the two Assen rounds if team orders hadn't been in place. Bostrom completely dominated the series midseason when he went on a five-race winning streak, including his massively popular double victory at his home race at Laguna Seca in July. Ducati also won their 10th Manufacturer's title - their fourth consecutive - since the series' inception in 1988. Ducati has a habit of giving their "factory" riders an advantage by D 40 JANUARY 9,2002' EO U EO I e nevwSi non-factory equipped race teams the following year. Hence the general release of the 998 "Testastretta" for the 2002 model year. So what's the big deal, you ask? Is two cubic centimeters really a big thing? No, not really, but the improvements to the motor have very little to do with the displacement increase I'll never forget the look on the face of the Ducati engineer - who had formally worked for a Formula One race team as an engineer - as we sat in the bar area of a roadside truck-stop diner on the side of the 1-5 in central California for our presentation. Taking motorsport royalty like this to a truckstop diner is like taking DonateJla Versace shopping for cloths at Kmart; the bluelight special just isn't going to cut it. I felt more embarrassed that the Italian Ducati representatives had to suffer through this slice of Americana than worrying about the place myself. I was told that the tri-tip was good, but the New York steak I had tasted like an old tire. So why were we trapped in central California, you ask? One of the other motorcycle publications recommended to Ducati that the Buttonwillow racetrack would be good for the introduction. The racetrack turned out to be good, and was a great track to test at, but the area doesn't really offer the type of accommodations that you would associate with the fine Italian marque. (Below) Simple, yet very effective: One of the 998's best attributes Is the chassis' balance - the epitome of mass centralization.