The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock descended on the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve last weekend and it was a weekend for Ducati to celebrate. The Italian brand wrapped up the Manufacturers’ Championship in both WorldSBK and WorldSSP on Saturday during the Pirelli Portuguese Round. Perhaps Twocati would be more appropriate given their double Manufacturers’ Championship celebrations at the weekend but, terrible puns and wordplay aside, it was a memorable achievement for Ducati especially given their WorldSSP crown came in only their second season back.
DEFENDING THEIR TITLE: a second successive crown in WorldSBK
After taking the 2022 title, when they claimed it from Yamaha, Ducati set out to retain it in 2023. A new Panigale V4 R was introduced and that bike, in the hands of Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi, has won 25 out of a possible 33 races this year with one round spare (although the Manufacturers’ Championship was won with their 23rd win of the season, in Race 1 at Portimao). Bautista has 24 of them as he goes in search of a second Riders’ Championship in two years. Rinaldi’s sole win came at MotorLand Aragon as he took advantage of his teammate’s crash to win the race. It means Ducati now have 19 titles to their name, 13 more than their nearest competitors.
THE OTHER CONTRIBUTORS: Ducati’s Independent stars shine
On the rare occasions where Ducati’s factory riders faltered, two Independent stars were there to pick up the baton for the manufacturer. Kawasaki-bound Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) both scored valuable Manufacturers’ Championship for the factory. Bassani was top Ducati on two occasions – when he finished fifth in the Tissot Superpole Race at Mandalika and second at Imola – while ‘Petrux’ was on one occasion, when he took third at Most in Race 1.
TWO SEASONS AND A RETURN TO THE TOP: WorldSSP title goes to Bologna
With the introduction of a new ruleset for 2022, Ducati returned to WorldSSP with their Panigale V2 machine. They finished second in the Manufacturers’ standings with no wins and 17 podiums, but with a year of experience under their belt, 2023 was a different story. 15 wins so far this year meant they secured the Manufacturers’ Championship – their first in WorldSSP – with three races to go, having won it in the same race Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) won his title. Bulega took 14 wins for Ducati with the other coming from Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team), who was top Ducati on three occasions: Mandalika in both races, including his Race 2 win, and Barcelona in Race 2 when he was sixth. Federico Fuligni (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) also contributed to the Manufacturers’ standings with his seventh in Race 2 at Most.
DUCATI SAYS: “a special thank you to our riders, who with their results, have allowed us to reach these goals”
Reflecting on Ducati’s 2023 success, Gigi Dall’Igna, Ducati Corse General Manager said: “Today is a really important day for us. For the second consecutive year, Ducati are the best manufacturer in WorldSBK with the Panigale V4 R, but not only that. The Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team rider Nicolo Bulega was crowned World Supersport Champion and for the first time we too are Champions in WorldSSP with the Panigale V2, which made its debut in the World Championship last year. We are extremely proud of these results, a sign of the great commitment we have always put into the production-based World Championship. I thank all the men and women at Ducati Corse who, with passion, did their job impeccably. Congratulations to Nicolo and his team for this incredible success and a special thank you to our WorldSBK and WorldSSP riders, who with their results, have allowed us to reach these goals. Now we just have to stay focussed: the WorldSBK riders’ title is still open, and we will do our utmost to defend the title obtained by Alvaro last year.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com