P114
FEATURE I THE ULTIMATE DUCATI RIDING EXPERIENCE
you have to lift the gear lever and
press the separate neutral lever.
I click down into first, squeeze
that almost-vertical clutch lever,
ease it out, feed in a few revs,
and the bike begins to roll.
upright. Then I notice a rear-brake
lever where the clutch would
normally be.
The 998cc Desmosedici Stra
-
dale V4 barks into life. It sounds
sharper and harsher than the
race-kitted V4 S. I run through
everything in my head one last
time. Race shift. First gear is
down. Second is down. Third,
fourth, fifth and sixth are all down
as well. To come back through
the gears, it's one lift after an
-
other. Once you're in first gear,
Finally, it's into leathers.
I head out onto the track for a
few familiarization laps aboard a
Panigale V4 S streetbike, complete
with a full race exhaust and Pirelli
racing slicks. With close to 230
horsepower and weighing just 400
pounds, it's blisteringly fast and
endlessly rewarding, but as I roll
back into the pitlane, one thought
keeps running through my mind:
this is only the starter course.
RIDING THE
ARUBA.IT
RACINGDUCATI
DESMOSEDICI V4 R
With the shadows lengthening,
an Aruba.it technician beckons
me toward Nicolo Bulega's V4
R. I paid full attention during the
briefing the night before, but as
I walk over to the bike, I can't
remember anyone mentioning
there would be two levers on the
left handlebar. The clutch lever
sits unusually high and almost
(Aboce) Ducati riding god, more
specifically known by his regular name,
Casey Stoner (left), tries to impart
some words to wisdom to Chad: "If you
crash it, and if you can, run." (Below)
After a run out on a stock Panigale V4
S, Chad is let loose on Bulega's world-
stomping Panigale V4 R.
