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/1546141
P122 FEATURE I THE ULTIMATE DUCATI RIDING EXPERIENCE GP26 almost upright and twist the throttle fully open. There's a shift light! Third gear. Another shift light! This is some- thing completely different, even to the factory V4 R, which until 30 minutes ago was the most explosively quick motorcycle in my universe. Now, there is no gap between the gears; no break in acceleration. Instead, there's an enormous wave of indescribable force and traction that picks you up and dumps you into the next braking zone. The acceleration in fourth gear feels as savage as it does in first. There's so much efficiency, and so much force and torque and traction, I don't know what to do with it. Pirro is ahead of me on the V4 R, and the GP26 carries so much speed onto the straight that I feel like I could pass him on either side of the track. Just as we're about to swallow a MotoGP star whole, he brakes later, be - cause he knows exactly what he's doing, and I very clearly do not. But the point is made. Bikes with up to 300 horse- power and weighing less than 350 pounds should be hellishly difficult to ride, but, amazingly, the GP26 doesn't feel nervous or wild at my pace. The front-brake lever is incredibly light—a one-finger operation with forensic feel—and even under heavy braking the bike doesn't dive dramatically onto the forks or lift the rear wheel and be- come unstable. I can feel what the Michelin tires are doing. The mo- torcycle is communicating with me in a way few can, even though I'm riding nowhere near the level for which it was designed. I can't, however, overstate its relentless thrust. Bulega's V4 R staggered me with its drive, but on the straights, there was still time to process what was happening. The GP26 cuts those straights in half. It's second gear, third gear, fourth gear, end-of-the-straight—brake! That's how quickly it happens. After five laps, I'm finally start- ing to adapt and recalibrate. The first three or four laps were about survival, a blend of panic and concentration, but now I can finally look around and take it all in. At my pace, it's about focusing on keep- ing heat in the brakes and tires, brushing a knee on the historic track, then standing the bike up and unleashing all manner of carnage. Back in the pits, I'm emotional (again) and full of new respect for MotoGP riders. Riding the GP26 gave a glimpse of what it must feel like to race one of these ma- chines. The power, drive and sheer volume of information coming through the bike are unlike any- thing I've experienced before. To do what these riders do for 20 or 30 laps around Mugello or Jerez in 100-degree heat is impossible for me to comprehend. But what said it all was watch - ing Ducati customers Mark and Ben come into the pits after completing their laps on the GP26. Both are successful and articulate human beings who've experienced great things in their lives. But here in Misano they were near speechless—a mix of exhaustion, sweat and head- shaking wonderment. Me too. Thank you. I feel incredibly privileged to have been given this opportunity, and I'm hugely grateful to Ducati Corse, the Ducati Lenovo and DRE teams, and all at Ducati for their support and for trusting me with such special machines. CN Chad (center) is flanked by lead Ducati test and development rider Alessandro Valia (left) and MotoGP and WorldSBK test rider Michele Pirro (right). Chad kept both bikes upright; that's why everyone is smiling.