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We have a rash of special edition Panigale V4s on our hands, and each of them highlights a famed Ducati racer. Even as a stock bike, the V4 is a pretty unique machine, with over 210 horsepower from the factory and that fantastic V4 sound. These special editions take the bike to the next level with inspiration from three legends, because Ducati.
Carl Fogarty
The Ducati 916 is one of my favorite motorcycle designs of all time, especially in yellow. A man named Carl Fogarty had a red one 25 years ago, and together, they won the World Superbike championship. In a 916 retrospective article, Mark Gardiner wrote, “The idea that the 916 was a race bike for the street was supported by its results in the epic 1994 World Superbike season. Carl Fogarty came into his own on the new bike, winning nearly half the races and coming out just ahead of Scott Russell (who had won the 1993 championship on a Kawasaki).” A quarter century later, it’s still a fondly remembered machine. To celebrate, Ducati’s debuted a Panigale V4 25th Anniversario 916 in full “Foggy” war paint. Just 500 will be built. The bike is based on the Panigale V4 S, plus an Akropovic exhaust, forged wheels, frame parts from a V4 R, and all the other trick parts. King Carl seems to like his Anniversario just fine.
Nicky Hayden
Nicky Hayden, a beloved and talented racer, was killed in a collision while training on a bicycle in 2017. Hayden won the MotoGP World Championship in 2006 on a Honda, but moved to Ducati for 2009 to 2013. Hayden’s time with Ducati wasn’t full of success, and he eventually went back to Honda, but Ducati dealer MotoCorsa wants to honor the Kentucky Kid regardless with a special edition V4 in his racing colors. Another Mark Gardiner article covered MotoCorsa’s unusual path to success, and making a Hayden tribute bike to auction off for charity sounds about right for them. Bids open August 1, with proceeds benefiting the Nicky Hayden Foundation. If you’d like to skip the bid, it’ll also be available for purchase at $69,000 in tribute to Hayden’s race number.
Carlin Dunne
A second V4 benefit bike will be #5 of the 500 V4 25th Anniversario 916s, as 5 was the race number of Carlin Dunne. Dunne tragically died just two weeks ago at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb when he crashed within sight of the finish line while on a record-setting run. His prototype Ducati V4 Streetfighter was based on the Panigale V4. Dunne raced Baja, set records at Pikes Peak, worked as a stuntman, and competed in a variety of motorsport disciplines. In addition to creating the benefit bike, Ducati North America has joined up with Pikes Peak International Hill Climb to manage a GoFundMe page in Dunne’s memory. At the time of writing, the page has nearly raised $100,000 for his family.
I’m not a Ducati owner at this time, but I get it. Lots of passion in these machines.
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