2018 Ducati 959 Panigale Corse Is A Trackday Dream

On the heels of Sunday's unveiling of the 2018 Panigale V4 in Milan, Ducati has retired the Panigale 1199/1299. Fear not, though, the V-twin remains a strategic part of the Italian manufacturer's superb sporting tradition in the form of the 959 Panigale. For the 959—the first Panigale to meet Euro 4 emissions—to evolve into its new spearhead role, Ducati upgraded the bike to Corse spec with top-quality components from Akrapovic, Brembo, Öhlins, and Pirelli.

Öhlins is used across the board: a NIX30 43mm inverted fork, a TTX36 shock, and an adjustable steering damper. Front brakes are from the standard model, with 320mm Brembo discs and four-piston M4.32 calipers. Akrapovic produces the Ti exhaust, which trims a claimed 5.5 pounds from the overall weight of the bike, and a lithium-ion battery replaces the lead-acid unit. Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tires are standard in 120/70-17 front and 180/60-17 rear sizes.

These upgrades are relevant in terms of ride quality and trackday performance. Don’t let the Corse moniker deceive you: The 959 Panigale doesn’t qualify for major national Superbike or Supersport racing classes, though it may meet some regional club regulations. But producing a claimed 150 hp at 10,500 rpm and 79.2 pound-feet of peak torque with a claimed wet weight of 430 pounds, the bike has immense performance potential.

On a personal note, I know the twin-cylinder Panigale project down to its very last detail. I have disassembled every displacement version, and I rate this as the best V-twin ever manufactured—simple as that. It is, of course, more expensive to produce than the previous 1198 Testastretta, but nothing else even comes close. Its engineering quality, reliability, and, yes, potential are truly impressive.

Given Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali's strong drive to give life to a V-4, the Panigale V-twin had to step down from its current role as a World Superbike race winner, but I still believe there remains more to be extracted from the 1,299cc version of this engine. In fact, I cannot stop thinking of a cylinder-head transplant from the 899/959. Smaller valves would create a more compact combustion chamber and vast squish area.

Probably a small bowl would need to be carved into the piston top to keep compression from skyrocketing past 14:1. By my calculations, this would be the ultimate super-torque engine, producing around 170 hp at no more than 8,000 rpm, with peak torque coming in below 3,000 rpm with immense reliability (forget what they say about short-stroke engines being peaky; it all goes with the speed of the air rushing down the intake runners and distribution diagrams).

Now fit this visionary twin in an upgraded Multistrada chassis in place of the revered 1198 Testastretta or even in a Panigale Corse. If Ducati would allow me, I would even do it myself. In fact, I would shove in the 57.2mm 899 crankshaft for a super-short-stroke/long-rod 1,200cc package, wrap my latest Eagle-Ducati chassis around it, and enter the bike in the Bol d'Or and Suzuka 8 Hours endurance races. But I digress...

Check out the rest of our coverage of all the new motorcycles released at EICMA this year.