Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

So would you accept, for example, a rey limit imposed by the FIM for each kind of bike? Donencoli: Of course, yes. How about an extra fuel-tank restriction, so twins get less gas to play with than fours? Domencoli No, we think that the base platform for the category should be an equivalent horsepower figure on the road translated to the same relative horsepower on the racetrack. So there's no reason to have two separate fuel-tank-size limits for the different numbers of cylinders. How about a diferential minimum weight, as it was up until l0 years ago! Domencolir A,8ain, we see no reason for this, because if you have equivalent engine performance obtained through different capacit/ sizes depending on the num- ber of cylinders, you should have the same weight. So there should be no lower weight limit for twins, as in the past - nor for smaller capaciry l000cc fours. How about intake restrictors - would you accept these for a big twin? Domencoli: We know that FGSport. as World Superbike promoters, are quite opposed to the use of restrictors. But if the whole world, meaning the AMA, BSB [British Superbike Series] and Japanese National Superbike series, will accept this solution as a unified rule, I think that it could be a possible solution. So are you also seeking to establish one common set of technical rules governing Superbike racing around the world at ever/ level? Domencoli: Yes. that would be the best solution for all manufacturers, and teams - and organizers, too - because then you'd have ,ust one common category of Superbike racing, meaning a machine could be raced in any one of the different championships worldwide. This way, the value of the bike itself remains higher for longer, and the development of a Superbike will be less costly for all manufacturers, because it would not be for four different specalications around the world, but for just one. So it would really be the best solution for everyone. For at least the short term, would Ducati be pre- pared to haye a split twin-cylinder rule, in the same way as there is right now in World Superbike for three cylindersl At present, the Foggy Petronas FP-l isn't allowed to measure more than 900cc because it's a race enSine, whereas if Triumph, or Benelli, wanted to come Superbike racing, they'd be allowed to have a l000cr triple, but with the same tuning restrictions, such as stock cranks as the l000cc fours, Would you be prepared to consid- er a l000cc twin-cylinder rule with the prEent engine specification, and a l200cc twins category with greater engine-tuning rest.ictionsl Oobottii \r'r'hile it's certainly true that the simpler the rule, the better, we can see that for privateers this could be important, so they won't have to throw away their existing bikes if the rules allow l200cc twins. lf anyone wants to stay with a l000cc twin, but with higher engine tuning, I think it's fine walh us. This will be needed to safe- guard the investment of the privateers who have bought and paid for their existing V-twins, for whom the bikes and the engines represent a big slice of their budget. 5o I don't think that we want something that will put them out of racinS jn the lirst two or three years of any new rule. 8ut viewed from a practical standpoint, then, would a 1200c<-twins formula really be likely to reduce costs for privateers as well as for a factory team, such as Ducati or anygne else? Oobottir There's no question that at the current level with the existing rules, the cost of running a I 000cc twin at a competitive level is very expensive. And this goes not just for the factoq/ team challenging for victory which usually has greater financial means, but for private teams further down the fleld, too. We know that Ducari cus- tomer teams find it harder and harder ro keep racing with our bikes. because the cost of maintenance has become so hjgh. So what we believe Superbike racing as a class needs is a rule where a customer could buy a V-twin streetbike, then a iace kir, tune the engine by themselves, and be as competitive as they are today with a l000cc four And that requires a l200cc twin-cylinder limit. ls it correct that the factory Ducati Superbike has produced the same peak power of around 194 hp for the last three yea.s? Domen.oli: Maybe even longer than that - but while the four-cylinder performance level has increased so much over this period, an important way in which we've managed to keep the V-twin competitive has been with the use of electronics, and this is an extremely expensive solution which increases costs very much. We're looking for an overall reduction in costs. for all participanB, ar every level - but this comes firstly from the market, where we have a maior problem now: we simpty cannot make a l000cc V-tvvin streetbike with the same perform- ance as a l 000cc four, which many of our ra ls offer. We want to be able to race what we sell to the customer. Has Ducati already built and tested a big twin up to l200cc in Superbike race spec? Domencoli: No. So you don't, in fact, know for sure what the dif. ference in pertorman

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