Ducati's Motogp 800

DUCATI'S MOTOGP 800

ROUNDUP

WHY DROP THE Displacement of MotoGP to 800cc? The series is successful, and despite recent ominous grid attrition, there remain enough participants to make a show. Or should we begin with the question, “Why 990 in the first place?” In my opinion, that was chosen to make sure that even hastily prepared four-strokes could prevail over the previous 500cc two-strokes. Are 990s so fast that they must be reined in? Not at all. Modem torque-smoothing techniques have made the new four-strokes so rideable that fresh graduates from 125 and 250cc classes have taken their MotoGP 990s straight to the podium. Then why? It’s one of those sanctioningbody mysteries.

Ducati recently tested its 2007 800cc Desmosedici for use next season, providing none-too-revealing photos and an info-free “we’ve got the passion” press release. Let’s guess: If the engine remains a V-Four and has a bore/stroke ratio a bit shy of full Formula One car treatment, and if peak piston acceleration is limited to F-1 ’s 10,000 g, expect 19,000 rpm and up to 215 horsepower initially. In the meantime, F-l pushes on toward even higher piston accelerations, so there could be more to come. Some pundits propose that higher tuning applied to the new 800s will “make racing exciting again” by putting an end to the smooth, highside-free off-corner acceleration of the best 990s. In its place, they suggest, will come violent, twostroke-like torque delivery, bringing back the bronc-riding challenge of the worst 500s of the late 1980s.

Nonsense. Having learned the power of speed-fromsmoothness, constructors will reject unrideable engines and continue to protect their expensive riders from the extreme risks of an earlier era. Anti-progress mies banning torque controls will fail as in F-l; clever engineers retired from 40 years of U.S. vs. Soviet electronic warfare will see to that.

The Ducati at this stage is but the first fleeting glimpse of what is to come. Who will be next? -Kevin Cameron