Ducati 1299 Panigale S in the HP driving report

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Ducati 1299 Panigale S in the HP driving report

Faster, stronger, more efficient?

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The Ducati 1299 Panigale S should provide 15 percent more torque than its predecessor. And it’s easier to drive than the 1199 at the same time. Whether that’s the truth or not, HP will clarify on the racetrack. And lists the most important changes.

The weather gods don’t mean it well to us. Drizzle in the south of Portugal – and thus also in the paddock of the gigantic racetrack in Portimao. The gray clouds hang low and depress the mind. So we made the first contact with the D.ucati 1299 Panigale S not presented. While there is sadness in front of the pit, the Ducati officials spread euphoria inside the press lounge. Above all, what Marketing Manager Paul Ventura says immediately after the official "Hello" turns on: "Torque is the size Ducati is known for." 

Ducati 1299 Panigale S in the HP driving report

Faster, stronger, more efficient?

Ducati 1299 Panigale now has 15 percent more torque available than on the 1199. “Great, but these words call for confirmation.

Ducati

Hit the racetrack and see if the Ducati 1299 Panigale S can keep its promises.

An hour later the time has come, we can get out onto the drying, but still quite slippery stretch. 205 HP, 145 Newton meters of torque and super sports racing tires on slippery asphalt – is that fun? With the Ducati 1299 Panigale S yes! Because you sit on it alone, but you are never alone. The constant companions are traction control, engine brake control, wheelie control and ABS. And each of these helpers is of inspiring quality. Controls when it has to, and always so sensitively that it is hardly noticeable. 

The first three right-hand curves of the Portuguese mountain and valley railway are dry, as is the first left, which leads steeply upwards. The Ducati 1299 Panigale S shoots powerfully along the first short straight, towards the slightly downhill braking point. The ABS does not regulate the road even though the road is still slightly damp. That makes us confident, because in the following, outwardly hanging 160-degree left, Noriyuki Haga threw away his 1098 R and with it the Superbike World Championship that was believed to be safe. Not a Ducati lucky corner. But that’s history, just like the morning rain. The route improves lap by lap. Soon it will be completely dry and the second turn is due.

The tires have started, the sun is shining. All signs point to attack and we will not be asked twice. Since the suspension setup in sport mode was already too soft on the first turn, I hit race mode right away and activate a tighter basic set-up. Finally the 1299-Twin can be let off the chain, and it will return the favor with merciless thrust from 4000 tours, cracks like a berserk and turns jaggedly to the limiter. 

With 230 the Ducati 1299 Panigale S shoots over the top

Long arms with the pilot? Sure, of course! This is sure to result in sore muscles in the thighs and abdominal wall! This red dervish doesn’t give you a second to relax on a demanding route like Portimao. If you pull into the blindly approached, downhill right-hand curve to the start / finish straight, it catapults you onto the straight at over 230 km / h on the TFT display – thanks to the crest, of course, in a wheelie. And that in fifth gear and with the shower fully open. The electronically controlled steering damper reliably calms the touching front wheel, and thanks to the automatic gearshift, sixth gear engages reliably in a few milliseconds. A few seconds later – in this one "enjoys" the better wind protection of the now higher windshield – it goes downhill again at 288 km / h on the clock towards the right bend towards the start and finish. Stand up, put your weight backwards and warm up the wonderful Brembo 330 brake discs on the front wheel. These stoppers are simply sensational! Quickly knock in third gear – even without the clutch, as the automatic gearshift of the Ducati 1299 Panigale S works with both upshifts and downshifts – and off through the wide arc. The Duc burns stable and precise in an inclined position around the corner, with no trace of stress.

The ergonomics of the new Panigale are still racing-oriented. You sit high, but well integrated into the overall system, hands on the low handlebars, feet on – attention! – no longer so slippery notches. Seven laps later, the Ducati 1299 Panigale S is standing next to a sweaty driver with a crackling engine. What was that? Press kit, marketing man Ventura, project manager Gasparri and the technical data are right: the Ducati 1299 Panigale S is so much faster, stronger and more efficient than a 1199 S. This new red branding iron is madness on two wheels!

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Easier to drive than its predecessor

And actually a paradox. Because despite the increased performance, this force and violence, the Ducati 1299 Panigale S is easier to drive than its predecessor. The plus in torque makes it powerful, but easier to control. The new ABS is a poem, as is the newly tuned traction control and the wheelie control. And the electronic, semi-active Ohlins chassis works just as well. On the TFT instrument, not only can it be individually adjusted in compression and rebound damping via buttons, as on the 1199 S, but it now even offers the pilot prefabricated maps. In detail: If you dowel over a stretch and the chassis seems too soft, you no longer have to adjust every click yourself. It is sufficient to activate the preconfigured level “harder” or “hardest” in the DES (Ducati Electronic Suspension) menu. If you do this, the system automatically adjusts the damping. In addition, the chassis also reacts to the current driving condition. It receives the information about this directly from the ECU and thus reacts, for example, when accelerating hard by changing the shock absorber damping. It works in a similar way on the new BMW S 1000 RR, except that the Ducati 1299 Panigale S also takes the steering damper into account in addition to the fork and shock absorber.

So is the Ducati 1299 Panigale S the high-flyer of the 2015 season? That still has to be shown. Without a direct comparison, I cannot conclude here. Because after only one really dry turn, the weather god darkened the sky again. Life is just mean sometimes!

Important changes

Ducati

What has changed compared to the 1199 in the Ducati 1299 Panigale?

ENGINE

– Displacement increased to 1285 cubic centimeters
– power increased to 205 hp
– torque increased to 145 Nm
– new exhaust system with manifolds (60 mm diameter)
– Auto deco for easier engine start
– Injection body with 67 mm diameter and double injection nozzles
– 15 percent more torque between 5000 and 8000 rpm

happiness

For the first time, huge 116 pistons are working in a super sports engine. With such large combustion chambers, filling and combustion are a real challenge. The connecting rods are cracked for a better fit.

ELECTRONICS

– fully electronic throttle
– reprogrammed engine control
– new ABS system
– new cockpit
– revised traction control (TC)
– Gyro sensor for TC, ABS and wheelie control (toilet)
– revised driving modes
– Wheelie control
– Pit lane limit
– different tires and final ratios compatible with new electronics
– Automatic switch with blipper function
– Handlebar switch to change TC or WC

LANDING GEAR

– 0.5 degree steeper steering head angle
– 4mm lower pivot point
– electronic chassis with new modes, new controls and new damping maps
– better aerodynamics due to the new, somewhat wider front fairing with about 20 mm higher windshield
– modified stern

PS judgment

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Pictures: Ducati 1299 Panigale S in the HP driving report

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Technical data Ducati Panigale 1299

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