Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

The paoven suacess of Ducati's mechaniaal solution to posi- tive valve conlrol via the company's established desmod- romic principles - exemplified by the race-winning perform- ance of the ltalian company's Desmoiedici GP racer - has aroused the attention of Formula One enSine designers now that the capacit, limit for car racing's most prestigious cate- gory has dropped this season to 2400cc, with V-eitht entine layouts de rigueur- A 990cc VJour rewing to 17.500 rpm reliably with mechanical valve control and no springs isn't so dif{erent from half a pneumatic-valved 2.4 liter V-eitht .unning to 19,000 rpm, and quite unsurprisinSly Ducati Corse boss Claudio Domenicali confirms that the ltalian factory's suc- cess in the MotoGP class has attracted interest from out- side the bike world - though he denies that the 18,000- rpm-plus enSine speeds dictated by the move to an 800cc formula in 2007 will lead to a Ducati MotoGP engine with pneumatic valve geac like their Ferrari neighbors' Formula One motors. "Of course that won't happen!" aflirms Domenicali. "we're quite sure about the performance of olr mechanical desmo system - and anfway, there are now several Formula One teams that are testinS desmodromic .ylind€r herd designs riSht at this moment. Let's just say we've had some very interestint contacts recently." It's hard to imagine that one of those wouldn't be Ferrari - esp€cially considerinS that Ducati's Maranello neighbors went so far as to build an abortive V- l2 Formula One desmo enSine (complete with a total or 96 opening and closing rock- ers!), which Ferrari built but never raced in the late-'8os. Those dmwings were supewised by ll Cavallino's desi8n engi- neer ofthe tlme, Angiolino Marchetti. He later was responsi- ble for drawing up the compact cylinder heads of the current Ducati Testast efta Superbike engne belore sadly passing away soon after completing his work. As the former head of the Maranello drawinS office, Marchetti's experience in helpinS de6i8n the Ferrari desmo engine surely played a key role in the deli8n of the Testastretta cylinder heads, so now what Soes around may well cofie around- Apparently, Eenelli isnt the only ltalian bike company plan- ninS a forthcominS blitz of20 new mod€ls - thouSh its Aprilla rivals, owned sin.e Decemb$ 2004 by Piattio. aren't plan- ning to introduce theirs all in one go, like their Chinese- backed ri\rals. Aprilia CEO Leo Mercanti revealed the company's plant on stage durinS the preseason launch of the Ap.ilia GP team that is currently leading both I25 and 250cc GP Wodd Championships. "Between now and the end of 2008." he declared, "we will invest 100 million Euro in developing new products. The first eitht will arrive this year, while a funher l2 new models will aPPear in the coming two years. Together with revised versions of existing models, Aprilia will launch around 40 new two-wheeled prod- ucts, both motorcycles and scoot- ers, in the next three yea6." l'4ost excitement surrounds the forthcominS all-new 72-de8ree V- four l000cc Superbike that the Italian firm is committed to launch- ing in time to rac€ in tfie 2008 World Superbike Championship, but sources inside Aprilia also insist that a new range of RSV 60-degree V-lwin models ranging in capacity from 800cc to l200cc is also under development - doubtlesr as a counter to Ducati's forthcominS I l88cc V-twin desmo range. Looks like customers for tlvin- q/linder bikes of any kind are going to be spoiled for choice in the cominS years. l'tercanti's revelation of Aprilia's horde of new models is doubtless part of a prearranted campartn to talk up the com- pany's future prospects as part of the run-up to a flotation of its parent PiaSgio Group on the ltalian stock market this sum- mer- As previously declared to be his intention in th€ minutes of the company's Dec€mber 2005 board meeting, Pia8Sio president Roberto Colaninno - the l.4antova-bas€d flnancier whose IMMSI holding compen, owns 40 perc€nt of PiaSgio stock - has taken the first steps toward launchinS the IPO by formally applying on March l0 to the ltalian Stock Exchange for a listing, and assemblinS a squad oftop bankers to coordi- nate the llotation. "There's no hurry to complete this operation, but we can ,oresee it being concluded by the end of the summei" said Colaflinno in an interyiew with an ltalian financial ioumal, before declaring that he intends to increase IMMSI's share of \:-l. t Piaggio stock to a s4-percent ma,ority holding in the compa- ny, which would thus confer long-term stabilily on the future viabilit), of the Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Derbi and PiaSgioly'espa marques gathered underthe firm's umbrella. This declaration implies that Colaninno - renowned as one ofthe sharpest cur- rent business opeiators in ltaly - sees the two-wheeled indus- tr), as a profitable future activity he wants to stay a part of, rather than bail out ahd take a profit from his irwestment in PiaSgio via the lPO. And that positive take is tood news for the future ofthe motorg/c{e world, Ndn Colthcofi Michelin CEO Edouard Michelin was ! I killed in a boaring accident on May 26 in western France. Manatint partner Michel Rollier assumed leadership of the world's largest tire manufacturcr Aacordint to Michelin. an investigation has been started in regards to the acaident. 'A! the head of a company which has a Michelin I special place for French people, Edouard l4achelin had considerably modernized his company and made it into a universally renowned French indusrrial champion.' French president lacques Chirac said in a statement, AccordinS to CNN. l'llchelan was resard- ed as one of France's leadiog business exec- utives, and his death casts a particular shad- ow at a lime when France has been toing through a crisis oI conlidence amid polilical scandals and disagreement over economi< refor"m. F'lichelin and a local fisherman failed to return from a fishing trip, and has body was later found. The fisherman's body, however, has yet to be found. Edouard Michelin was the great grandson of the founder of l4ichelin. Edouard Flichelin started workin8 for the family business in 1985 after earning an enSineerinS deSree from the Ecole Centrale de Paris. He suc- ceeded his father, Frencois, who had run l'{ichelin for more than 40 years, as head of the company in 1999. Edouard Michelin presided over the com- pany's anhual sharehold€r meetinS just two we€ks before, warning shareholders that it would be hard for the companyto achieve its financial fartets for rhe year due to hither commodity pdces that s€nt Michelin shares sliding earlier this month. He is survi\ ed by a wife and six children. On Monday, May 29, HRC president Suguru Kanazawa sent the followinS e-mail: I "The direc-tors and staff of Honda Racint Corporation join the world of motorsport in offerinS our sad condolences to the Michelin family and the entire staff of the company at the sad loss of Mr. Edouard f4ichelin in such traSic circumstances, f4r, I'4ichelin was a great rupporler of motor- sport and will be sadly missed by all who had the pleasure of working with him." lltichelin CEO Edouord Michelin

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