DUCATI are set to go electric, partnering with the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup to be the official supplier of motorcycles from the start of the 2023 season. The category is the electric class of the MotoGP World Championship.
The agreement, signed with Dorna Sports, lasts until 2026 and will therefore cover four editions of the MotoE World Cup. This is a historic step for Ducati and follows its custom of using racing competition as a laboratory for technologies and solutions.
For the Borgo Panigale company, this tradition began with the Ducati 851, with its innovative two-cylinder water-cooled engine, electronic fuel injection and twin-shaft, four-valve heads, deriving from the Ducati 748 IE that debuted in races at Le Castellet in 1986.
Since then, this endless transfer of expertise between racing and road bikes has always taken place from the Superbike World Championships, in which Ducati has participated since the first edition in 1988, and from MotoGP.
The crossover is also evident in Ducati’s most recent and prestigious products; the V4 engine of the Panigale for example, is entirely derived from the engine that debuted at the Desmosedici GP in 2015.
The V4 Granturismo that equips the new Multistrada V4 was then derived from the Panigale engine. All the vehicle control software is also directly sourced from those developed in the racing world, as are much of the aerodynamics.
The technological solutions developed in the world of racing, transferred to the products that make up the range, allow Ducati to offer its enthusiasts extremely high-performance and fun-to-ride motorcycles.
The FIM Enel MotoE Championship will be no exception in this regard and will allow the company to develop the best technologies and test methodologies applied to sporty, light and powerful electric motorcycles.
At the same time, the fact that Ducati forms part of the Volkswagen Group, which has made electric mobility an essential element of its 2030 New Auto strategy, represents the best prerequisite for an exchange of expertise in the field of electric powertrains.
The announcement of the agreement was made during a joint press conference at the Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’ on the eve of the Made in Italy and Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, the third last round of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship.
Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding:
“Ducati is always projected towards the future and every time it enters a new world, it does so to create the best performing product possible,” Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali said.
“This agreement comes at the right time for Ducati, which has been studying the situation of electric powertrains for years, because it will allow us to experiment in a well-known and controlled field like that of racing competition.”
For Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, the partnership represents an opportunity to work together with Ducati to step into the e-racing space.
“We are eager to see what the future has in store and continue to watch this technology develop and grow, with the MotoGP paddock and MotoE continuing to drive innovation and evolution in the motorcycling industry – at the same time as creating an incredible on-track spectacle.”
Ducati’s experience in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup is expected to be a key component of its research and development into creating a future Ducati electric motorcycle that is sporty, light, thrilling and able to satisfy all enthusiasts.
