IN
THE
WIND
P34
BIMOTA RAMPS
UP FOR 2016
B
imota will be bringing to market a kit
version of the much maligned but
undoubtedly beautiful BB3—albeit without
the BMW electronics or S 1000 RR en-
gine the model was originally sold with.
Bimota's relationship with the German
giant has soured to the point where BMW
won't supply engines for production ma-
chines to Bimota, leaving the customer to
buy a BMW powerplant and all the elec-
tronics required to run it.
Bimota has also broken news that it intends to
produce a new super-naked bike for 2016 called
the Impeto.
The new machine will utilize Ducati's latest Diav-
el engine housed in a composite light alloy frame,
with your choice of carbon or aluminum swingarm.
But that's only part of it, because Bimota is also
making an aftermarket supercharger kit available
for the Impeto, which should bump power well
north of 190 horsepower at the tire!
There will also be a café racer version of the
Tesi 3D. CN
You can still have a BB3, but you have to
buy the engine separately.
STONER COULD BE BACK IN RED!
F
ormer double MotoGP World Champion Casey
Stoner could be set for a return to Ducati as a
test rider in 2016.
At the recent Valencia MotoGP, Ducati Sporting
Director Paolo Ciabatti would not confirm or deny
the possibility of Ducati welcoming back its so far
only MotoGP World Champion, saying, "Casey
is a hero of Ducati fans. He obviously moved to
Honda but is still in the heart of Ducati fans and
the people at Ducati. We will see what the future
brings but if there's a chance to do something
together we would love to do it."
Stoner is said to be unhappy with Honda's
treatment of him as a test rider, ignoring his feed-
back for the Repsol Honda team. The Australian
was apparently also aggrieved at being passed
over for the Austin and Argentina MotoGP events
in place of the injured Dani Pedrosa, a spot
handed instead to fellow HRC test rider Hiroshi
Aoyama.
Should Casey re-sign with Ducati, there is a
strong possibility he could participate in selected
wildcard events, much like current factory tester
Michelle Pirro, although a full-time return to the
series appears unlikely. CN
Phillip Island, 2010—the last time a Ducati won a
MotoGP race. Now Ducati wants Casey Stoner back.
