At the outset of the 2022 racing season, Ducati hadn’t raised the Superbike World Championship (WSBK) since 2011. The Bologna brand’s title drought in MotoGP spanned even more years, dating back to Casey Stoner’s imperious 2007 season. Both streaks abruptly ended by the close of the 2022 season, though, with Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia hoisting the Grand Prix trophy and Álvaro Bautista taking home the WSBK crown.
Capitalizing on the firm’s first-ever MotoGP/WSBK double championship, Ducati announced that it will introduce a limited, numbered series of race replica Panigale V4 S superbikes. The two models will take after Bagnaia’s Desmosedici GP 22 and Bautista’s Panigale V4 R machinery. From the winglets to the tail, each variant will remain faithful to the source material with the rider number, graphics, and sponsor decals differentiating the two liveries.
Under those pretty plastics, Ducatisti can expect the same 1,103cc V4 engine churning out 210 ponies (at 12,500 rpm) and 90.6 lb-ft of torque (at 11,000 rpm). Ducati also tosses in a nine-disc STM-EVO SBK dry clutch, street-legal Akrapovič exhaust can, Brembo Stylema R calipers and MCS master cylinder (with remote adjuster), adjustable billet aluminum Rizoma footpegs, and a racing windscreen.
If those bits aren’t trick enough, both trims also feature carbon fiber components such as an exhaust heat shield, alternator cover, front and rear fenders, and front brake ducts. Additional accessories including a carbon fiber open clutch cover, license plate and mirror removal kits, and a billet aluminum racing fuel cap adapt the race replicas to life on the circuit as well.
Ducati will produce 260 units of both Panigale V4 World Champion Replica models and each individual bike will come with its series number engraved in the top clamp and the rider’s signature adorning the tank. The package also includes a packing case with dedicated graphics, a certificate of authenticity, a custom bike cover, and a Ducati Data Analyzer+ data acquisition system.
At $63,000, Ducati prices the Panigale V4 World Champion Replicas as rare collector’s items. However, the brand tosses in enough goodies for fans hoping to ride like Ducati’s championship duo.