Ducati Panigale to make international racing début

The 1199 Panigale superbike, unveiled by Ducati recently, will be seen scorching racetracks around the world and will also do the legendary mountain course of the Isle of Man TT.

The Panigale will be ridden in the Superstock category of the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) this year to develop the bike’s racing capabilities for a Superbike category assault next year. The project will be a privateer effort, handled by the Effenbert-Liberty Racing outfit, who are going to field two 1199 Panigale S bikes, ridden by Brett McCormick and Federico Sandi.

In the Isle of Man TT, the bike will be ridden by the British rider, Steve Mercer, for the JMF Millsport Ducati team. Mercer will be racing the Panigale in three categories of the event: the Superbike, Senior TT and Superstock races. Apart from the TT, Mercer will also ride the bike in other domestic events in the UK for Millsport this year.