Racing is one of the most extreme and adrenaline-filled sports on the planet. And when you’re talking about Ducati, “extreme” is a word that should be in your vocabulary from the very beginning.
However, by bringing in the new Panigale V4 R, this is a story about how Ducati lets racers of all levels share highly evolved machinery with more people than ever.
Track build weapon
The new Panigale V4 R is Ducati’s latest weapon in its game to offer models that are as close as possible to bikes built for track/road racing. The most powerful and agile Ducati road bike, it adopts technological solutions hitherto reserved for MotoGP and Superbike.
The new 2023 Ducati Panigale V4 R fills the gap between track and street. Based on the road-legal V4 S, Ducati’s latest race bike is not only serious fun on the twisty backroads but also lethal in world-class competition.
998cc Desmosedici Stradale R
The 998cc Desmosedici Stradale R engine makes the power of 218hp at 15,500rpm and 111.3Nm at 12,000rpm and is capable of revving up to 16,000rpm in the initial five gears.
In the sixth it can rev up to 16,500 rpm in the sixth gear, while this horsepower is plenty for even the most skilled track rider. Still, only a professional racer can truly tap into it.
Ducati knows this, so the 2023 Panigale V4 R (Racing Sport) in ‘Race Configuration’ comes with a full titanium Akrapovič racing exhaust, which unlocks the bike’s total 237 horsepower. Now, this puts the Red Duc squarely in hyperbike territory.
The oil market is constantly evolving, and customers are busy looking for the newest innovations and partnerships. Ducati Corse is proud to partner with Shell to develop the best oil possible.
Shell Oil
The new oil allows you to take the new Panigale V4 R to the next performance level, whether on a track or commuting daily, by achieving an astonishing 240.5 horsepower. This oil blend includes a proprietary mixture of ‘racing additives’, which, according to Ducati, give another 10 percent reduction in mechanical friction over the standard-grade oil.
Electronics
The most effective use of the new Panigale V4 R on the circuit is obtained with the expansion and evolution of the Power Modes, the new Track Evo display on the dashboard, the engine maps with calibration dedicated to every single gear, the refinements to the DTC and the Ride By Wire system, but also the adoption of the Engine Brake Control EVO 2 strategy, the new strategy for the DQS and the update of the cooling fan control.
Chassis
The chassis is designed to increase agility, rider feeling and grip. The Panigale V4 R confirms the chassis based on a “Front Frame” and a single-sided aluminium swingarm.
At the front, the Öhlins NPX25 / 30 pressurized fork increases its travel by 5 mm compared to the previous “R”. This technical choice, combined with an Öhlins TTX36 shock absorber whose wheelbase goes from 312 to 316 mm. In this way, a higher centre of gravity is obtained and, therefore, greater agility in insertion and direction changes.
Aerodynamics
On the Panigale V4 R 2023, the aerodynamic package has also been revised with a view to greater efficiency: the new two-element wings (main + flap), more efficient, guarantee the same aerodynamic load, however, becoming more compact and thinner (respectively by 40 % and 50%).
Price and Availability
Currently, we are unsure how many V4 R’s Ducati is planning to produce. However, each model will arrive with a number on its triple clamp. The sticker price in the U.S. is $44,995, which is close to INR 37 Lakhs if it comes to India. Regarding availability, the model arrives at dealerships in the U.S. in spring 2023.
