Foggy and Whit ride again!

On the eve of the World Superbikes at Silverstone and with the mouthwatering, all-new Ducati 1199 in prospect, we reckoned there was no better time to look back at the benchmark bikes that gave the Bologna factory such huge success over the years on both road and track.

And who better to re-appraise the family tree of Duke superbikes than ‘Mr Ducati’ himself Carl Fogarty and the only other Briton to race the very first Ducati 916 in 1994, James Whitham.

Ducati’s last three superbikes have dominated WSB, starting with the poster bike of the mid-90’s, the original 916, which was an immeadiate winner both on the road and track.

The next big step came in the shape of the dramatic 999, which also won first time out in the hands of Neil Hodgson. Finally, there’s the familiar shape we have today, the 1198 laden with electrical aids, now with 1198cc and 168bhp!

Read the full historic test and interview in this week’s issue (Wednesday 27 July) of MCN, with Foggy and Whit’s take on the 916, 999 and 1198 and their views on bikes, riders and racing.