The Borgo Panigale bikes have never done well in the Japanese classic, despite the riders and technical staff sent to Japan
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19.12.2022 ( Aggiornata il 19.12.2022 15:18 )
While Ducati has been doing well in World Endurance (dominating the Bol d’Or until it had a technical problem) after a couple of years’ experience with the ERC Endurance team, the Borgo Panigale bikes have never had a good relationship with the Suzuka 8 Hours, neither officially nor with privateer outfits.
During the Ducati celebrations in Piazza Maggiore, Bologna, Pecco Bagnaia launched an appeal, asking if he might compete in the Suzuka 8 Hours together with Alvaro Bautista. A more than worthy line-up with which to tackle a race that is increasingly dominated by the Japanese constructors.
Official entry and results
Ducati has participated in the Suzuka 8 Hours in an official capacity only twice. In 1984, it entered with two teams comprising Oliviero Cruciani/Mario Sakamoto and Walter Villa/Carlo Perugini. Only the first team completed the race, finishing thirteenth. In 1991 two more pairings took part, managed by Sagawa Kyubin and with Marco Lucchinelli as team manager. The Tardozzi/Mertens duo retired after 26 laps, Falappa/Roche after 36 laps.
The TOHO Racing team scores the best result
To date, the best result by a Ducati on Japanese soil was in 2011, when the TOHO Racing team’s 1098R placed tenth with an all-Japanese line-up comprising Tatsuya Yamaguchi, Hiromichi Kunikawa and Ken Eguchi. Appearances by the Banner and De’Light teams proved decidedly less fortunate. Both should have competed in the 2019 Suzuka 8 Hours, as privateer outfits with the new V4R, but the EWC regulation at that time blocked the project due to the bike’s price cap. The De’Light team was eventually able to compete in this year’s edition but its V4R never reached the finish line, forced to retire after 155 laps.
No ERC team
The 2022 edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours featured just five EWC teams among the total of 45 teams. The most notable absence was that of the ERC Endurance Ducati squad, the team of reference for Borgo Panigale in the EWC. Why did they decide against competing in such an important race? For two reasons it seems – a waning championship and transportation costs that have tripled since 2019.
A new chapter?
Following Bagnaia’s request made on Thursday in Bologna, might Ducati seize the moment and create a dream team for the Japanese classic? Bearing in mind that, in 2023, the race will clash with the British MotoGP round…
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