Ducati 1200 Superbike in demand

Ducati’s WSB boss Davide Tardozzi has revealed that they won’t be able to build enough of their 1200cc Superbikes to meet demand. Tardozzi claims that there is massive interest from teams to run the new bike but the factory will only be able to produce ten to 14 motorcycles for 2008.

The official factory team will get four motorcycles with Airwaves Ducati set to take delivery of another four regardless of whether they race in BSB or WSB. Ruben Xaus’ Sterilgarda squad will be in line for two motorcycles leaving other teams hanging on to see how many motorcycles Ducati can build and their availability.

Speaking to MCN, Tardozzi said:

“There has been too much interest and we will not be able to supply bikes to all the teams that have asked us. We are still discussing how many we can build but I think it will be between 10 and 14 including the factory team. That means there will be between five and seven riders on our bikes. 

We are happy because we can give out riders a bike that can challenge for the championship and it will be the same situation for our customers who will get exactly the same bike as the factory team.”

The Ducati boss also revealed to MCN that the new 1200cc 1098 will cost around the same as the current 999 (approximately £120,000 per bike) although over a full season it will be cheaper to run due to reduced maintenance costs.

He said:

“The final price is still being discussed but I don’t think it will be any cheaper to buy than the 999. The cost will be really close because when you buy a front fork or rear shock or electronics it is the same for both bikes. The engine internals will be less and for sure the biggest difference will be the maintenance costs and engine rebuilds and over a complete season the 1200 will be cheaper. The maintenance of the bike will be cheaper and that is one of the reasons why we asked for the new rules. Running this bike for a full year will cost less.”