959 Panigale test: Site takes on the 2018 Ducati Challenge
Which motorcycle to choose to start competing? Le Journal moto du Net had never asked itself the question … And did not think more when Ducati asked him to participate in his first race, riding a 959 Panigale and facing Panigale V2 and V4 , S1000RR or RSV4. Challenge met !
959 Panigale test – page 4: The race, the real one
Le Journal moto du Net comes to the timed practice on Saturday morning with a double objective: to qualify for the afternoon race and to validate the modifications made to the braking system the day before! MNC therefore plans to go on rounds without stopping … And the method is bearing fruit !
On the one hand, the n ° 959 passes high the hand the glove its endurance test: admittedly, the lever tends to soften slightly after several laps and you have to pull it more to take advantage of the – demonic – braking power, but MNC loops 24 laps without being bothered. Phew !
On the other hand, it was in his final lap that Site posted his best time: 1’05.805 which earned him 18th place on the grid. It just goes to show that when you start competing, the most important thing is to ride as much as possible in order to improve your driving skills, get used to speed and be inspired by others. Motorcycle settings? We see that – well – after !
By way of comparison, the best driver of the Challenge 959, Alexis Hugueville, qualifies with a remarkable fourth place on the grid (1’03.226). On his S1000RR, Jonathan Germany took pole by turning a good 4 seconds faster than MNC … At this rate, the blue flags we will be presented from the 15th lap !
Two other points also gently increase the pressure for the race to come … The first is the concentration that must never be released: while trying to increase its pace, Site crashed on braking while passing the 5 (selector down, oops!) instead of entering the 3. As what, the automatisms are not acquired in 24 hours…
Another difficulty to overcome: the departure! The test at the end of "Q1" was not conclusive: surprised by the short gear ratio and the great shape of the engine, MNC took too long to pass the first three gears, each time running up against the switch. This will have to be corrected so as not to risk being stamped by the few comrades placed behind us on the grid !
Despite these small concerns, the Journal moto du Net is eager to get back to the Panigale. What a contrast between "our" white 959, drunk on the road after only half an hour, and this red n ° 959 which is terribly intoxicating on the track! We don’t want to leave it anymore … Roll on the next half hour of driving, we can’t wait for our first race !
This time, there it is! The mechanics and relatives of the pilots leave the grid. More than a warm-up lap and it’s the big departure … towards the unknown for Site which sets off, in addition, with brand new tires. If the training lap allowed to quietly break in the tires, the warm-up lap bears its name very well. !
What a crowd! Motorcycles sometimes brush against each other because of messy trajectories, you have to brake a few times, hoping not to surprise the guy behind, to move quickly to avoid a friend on the left, but without hindering the one on the right, and vice versa ! So this is the race? Strained !
Site goes into the unknown !
Back on the grid, the bikes are in place. The commissioner steps aside. The race director turns on the red lights. They go out: let’s go! We went ! Rather well besides, but with the first braking the more experimented pilots – thus confident – pass again in front.
In the first two laps, MNC struggles to find his rhythm and does his best to ride cleanly so as not to interfere with the other competitors. Ranked 23rd at the end of the 2nd lap, Site posted its best time two laps later: 1’06.6.
The tempo is fair, but not fast enough to match our predecessors. So follows a solo race – which is not to displease us – until the blue flags come out, about ten laps from the end of the race.
The Panigale is obviously devoid of retro. Suddenly, we watch out of the corner of our eyes, we strain our ears, we tighten our buttocks! The leading men wait patiently in the winding section and attack on the descent to Echo. Ten, twenty, thirty kilometers per hour better in the parabolic? One thing is certain: it is impossible to stay in their wake !
Without putting the brakes on anyone, MNC slowly climbed back up the rankings: a few withdrawals and all rights allowed us to regain "our" 18th place in the end. Le Journal moto du Net delivered a flawless and spark-free race, both figuratively and literally. No feat, no fall: not so bad for a start !
The next day, Le Journal moto du Net arrives at the Carole circuit with the firm intention of improving its lap times and places. To save time, MNC tries to shorten its braking, by catching its lever later and more on the outside: the rear wheel sometimes leaves the ground, but the rubber pads stuck on the end of the tank ensure a perfect grip of the machine..
These thigh grips have only one small drawback: it is very difficult to change your posture around the tank once the leather suit is in contact with the rubber. Site admits to having messed up a few turns because of this. What do you want, it’s the job that comes in…
Another small detail that could have had serious consequences on the first day: our left boot regularly got stuck in the footrest plate, which prevented us from engaging 3rd gear in the parabolic! With a stroke of pliers, our chief mechanic very slightly folded the part inwards. Problem solved, thanks Ju !
On the track, Site also tries to accelerate a little earlier, but it is far from obvious: by dint of delaying its braking, MNC often misses the point of rope and finds itself too outside at the exit of turn, therefore unable to open the throttle at the same time as these little comrades more in phase with the track.
As in free practice 2, MNC ended up momentarily leaving the track in Qualif 2 at the first corner: small straight ahead, crossing chicanes then returning to the track, guided by a helpful track marshal. It’s only a lap for nothing in testing, but it is to be avoided in the race !
The second race, precisely, will be launched. Same procedure as the day before, we now know. Except that the red lights refuse to work! So orange light. Waiting and incomprehension among the pilots, tension and agitation among the officials … Finally, the start is given immediately with the French flag !
Well started, as in the first round, the Journal moto du Net defends itself much better under braking and finds itself in the middle of the pack! Framed by S1000RRs, our 959 Panigale pulls out of the game in the first winding, single-path portion of the circuit. In the stretches, however, you have to bow.
Contracts almost completed for MNC and the 959 Panigale
14th at the end of the first loop, 15th a lap later then 17th and even 19th: Site logically falls back in the ranking of European Bikes. The fall of the leader Thierry Mulot (Panigale V4) in the 8th lap allows us to recover "our" 18th place..
Overtaken – therefore inspired – by many pilots, MNC manages to beat his lap record in the race: a satisfactory 1’06.155 in the 15th loop, which however does not prevent Alexis Hugueville (wide leader of the Challenge 959 Panigale Ducati 2018!) to easily overtake us on the next lap.
Forced to make a fantastic comeback following a technical glitch at the start of the race, the n ° 51 proves to us that the little Panigale can turn extremely quickly in Carole (best lap in 1’03.778!). On the small Parisian circuit, the reduced number of horses makes the bike more usable. Beginners will also appreciate !
Seeing the blue flags waving, Site remembers Mr. Mulot’s advice during the lunch break: "above all, do not cut the gas! You keep your pace, you stay focused and you place yourself slightly outside the trajectory. . We manage the rest! "
Warned in the last bend that the furious are coming, MNC tries to apply scrupulously the instructions of the winner of the first race … But on the following braking, too late and too much on the outside, Site projects his gaze then his Panigale in the ‘escape! Disappointed, we are still on the attack…
Decidedly too greedy, Site repeats its blunder on the last lap and crosses the finish line in 21st and last place! The lap of honor is an opportunity to bow down to the marshals and greet the public, as sparse as it is warm..
Site can finally tick the most important box of its "contract": return the Panigale n ° 959 in its original condition to Ducati West Europe! The separation is not done without a twinge of heart since MNC must recognize it: very beautiful, not excessively powerful, precise and permissive, this Ducati charmed us on the Carole circuit..
Unfortunately, the crush for the 959 Panigale "of race" is equaled only by the blow of blues when it is time to go up on the 959 Panigale "of road": as beautiful as its twin certainly, it is uncomfortable and uncomfortable. deafening in everyday life. And it’s not much cheaper than a standard RSV4 or S1000RR…
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