ROAD TEST

34 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS SEPTEMBER 17, 2003
ROAD TEST
The best superbi
MCN exclusively tests Neil Hodgson’s WSB title-winning factory
999 back-to-back with the firm’s ultimate road bike – the 999R
DUCATI 999R
RACE BIKE
Brembo race-spec front brake master
cylinder with remote cable adjustment
(mounted on left clip-on) for finger span.
COST: £19,250
TOP SPEED: 165.7mph
WEIGHT: 193kg
POWER: 130bhp @ 10,100rpm
TORQUE: 73.5ftlb @ 7900rpm
ROAD BIKE
Brembo brake master cylinder (moulded
round the clip-on), adjustable for finger span.
RACE BIKE
Carbon-fibre race fairing is supremely
aerodynamic following extensive wind tunnel
testing with British F1 car aerodynamics guru
Alan Jenkins.
ROAD BIKE
Road fairing is carbon-fibre but with wider
belly pan and lower standard screen.
RACE BIKE
Marchesini 3.5/3.75in x 16.5in magnesium
front wheel.
Marchesini 5.75/6.00/6.25in x 17in
magnesium rear wheel.
ROAD BIKE
Marchesini 3.5in x 17in forged aluminium
front wheel.
Marchesini 5.5in x 17in forged aluminium
rear wheel.
RACE BIKE
Ohlins 42mm nitrogen-charged race forks,
adjustable for pre-load, rebound and high
and low speed compression damping.
ROAD BIKE
Ohlins 43mm road/track forks adjustable for
pre-load, rebound and compression damping.
RACE BIKE
Track-use-only Michelin Pilot slicks/wets,
ranging from super sticky to almost super
glue-like.
ROAD BIKE
Sticky Michelin Pilot Race tyres.
I
EVEN in the rain – albeit shod with
full race wet tyres – Hodgson’s 999 is
miles apart from the 999R road bike
T’S not even 24 hours since Neil
Hodgson won the 2003 World
Superbike championship, but
already his history-making Ducati
is being fettled for more action at
Holland’s legendary Assen circuit.
MCN’s Trevor Franklin is about to get
the chance to ride the factory 999 F03
around the track less than a day after
30,000 fans cheered Hodgson to glory in
Holland. Franklin had been shadowing
the champion throughout his titlewinning weekend. He stood with him on
the grid before the races (see page 37).
And you can read his interview with
Hodgson on page 38.
RACE BIKE
Brembo 2 x 290/305mm fully-floating
vented front discs.
ROAD BIKE
Brembo 2 x 320mm semi-floating
front discs.
But right now the crowds are gone and
Hodgson’s all-conquering Ducati is being
meticulously prepared for its world
exclusive ride by MCN. We’re going to
ride it back-to-back with the factory’s
flagship road bike – the 999R – to find
out how the ultimate Ducati road bike
measures up to its ultimate racer.
As the rain hammers down, two Fila
Ducati team technicians slot the
Marchesini front wheel– shod with
heavily grooved Michelin wets – between
the Ohlins fork legs. The Brembo vented
discs are generously offset from the
wheel’s hub so the rim is allowed to pass
between the Brembo radially-mounted
calipers, which remain bolted in position.
If this was the 999R – the road bike on
which the F03 is based – it would take
20 minutes to unbolt the calipers,
change the tyre and fix everything back
in place. So far it has taken the
technicians three minutes on the race
bike. Isn’t it about time quick-release
wheels appeared on road bikes?
Firing up the 999R is a simple matter
of turning the left clip-on mounted
quick-idle lever (used to be called a
choke lever on carburated bikes) to on,
switching the ignition to on, and
thumbing the starter button. The bike’s
Magneti Marelli engine management
SEPTEMBER 17, 2003 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS 35
ike on the planet
BY TREVOR FRANKLIN PICTURES PETER FOX
FILA 999 F03
COST: £100,000
TOP SPEED: 189.4mph
WEIGHT: 163kg (end of race weight)
POWER: 186bhp @ 12,500rpm
TORQUE: 85ftlb (est)
RACE BIKE
Big-bore 64mm (external diameter), 102dB
titanium race exhaust, no catalyser.
ROAD BIKE
Road legal 88dB stainless steel exhaust with
catalysers.
RACE BIKE
Carbon-fibre fuel tank, 23.9 litre
(5.25 gallon) capacity.
ROAD BIKE
Steel tank, 15.5 litre (3.41 gallon) capacity.
RACE BIKE
Ohlins TT44 rear shock, adjustable for ride
height, pre-load, rebound and high and low
speed compression damping.
ROAD BIKE
Ohlins rear shock, adjustable for ride height,
pre-load, rebound and compression
damping.
RACE BIKE
Brembo Gold race series radially-mounted,
four-piston front brake calipers with two
heavily sintered race pads per caliper.
ROAD BIKE
Brembo radially-mounted calipers with four
sintered pads per caliper.
system automatically keeps the starter
motor turning until the engine catches
and fires up. Simple.
Starting the race bike is not simple. A
remote starter in the shape of a petrol
engine driving a wheel is needed. It is
pushed against the bike’s rear tyre, revved
flat out and when the 999’s wheel is
spinning fast enough the clutch is dropped.
It’s a labour-saving version of bumpstarting. Just as well, too, because bumpstarting a V-twin with compression as high
as the F03 is bloody near impossible.
As the race bike’s titanium Termignoni
race can barks into life, the 999R’s ‘doffdoff-doff’ tickover note is drowned out.
The race bike’s engine has to blipped to
ensure all moving parts get up to
working temperature quickly without
undue stress. The 999R’s temperature
gauge will gradually creep up to 78°C. In
ideal conditions the race bike will run
close to 90°C. But the rain-filled
atmosphere outside is also bloody cold,
so the massive water radiator has to be
partially blocked-off with a liberal
application of duct-tape. A cold running
engine runs the risk of a cold seizure if
motor internals like valve and piston-tobore clearances aren’t achieved.
Riding the 999R around an unknown
track in the wet isn’t as daunting as it
RACE BIKE
Dry multi-plate slipper clutch.
RACE BIKE
Press-formed aluminium, deep-walled
double-sided swingarm with quick release
wheel system. Swingarm pivot point
adjustable for height.
ROAD BIKE
Dry multi-plate clutch.
ROAD BIKE
Cast aluminium double-sided swingarm.
seems. Its Michelin Pilot Race tyres are
virtually slick and that means there’s no
grip and no way the bike can be given its
head. But the race bike is equipped with
tyres to allow a harder ride.
With a push from behind to preserve
the dry slipper clutch against the tall first
gear ratio, the race bike burbles along
pit-lane at its 4000rpm tickover. The
999R needs no assistance – just
releasing the clutch lever and dialling in
some revs does it.
Second gear comes by dipping the
clutch lever and toeing the 999R’s gear
lever upwards. It’s the same for the race
bike, as I’ve chosen not to use the lever
movement-activated quick-shifter that
momentarily kills the sparks to the
sparkplugs. An on/off button on the dash
offers the option.
The gearshift pattern is reversed on the
race bike. It’s easier to toe down for an
upper gear when leant over – when
Hodgson and Co are at full tilt there’s no
room to get a boot under the lever.
The £19,250 cost of the 999R when it
was new and available (only 800 have
been made) gets you the most powerful Vtwin road bike Ducati has ever produced.
Not surprisingly it is no slouch when its
throttle is worked hard and 130bhp
causes the chain to tighten like an
archer’s bowstring. It’s certainly grunty
enough between 4000 and 6000rpm to
spin the rear tyre in the first two gears
along the short, sodden straights that
link Assen’s fast curves and twists. It’s a
recipe for disaster if the throttle is
abused. But at the same time it’s also fun
because the engine is very responsive to
throttle input, and power output can be
finely balanced.
Ducati claims the race bike’s motor
makes 186bhp – 186 horses from an
engine that just wants to rev and rev.
Open the throttle an eighth at 5000rpm
and the rear Michelin wet tyre digs into
Assen’s grip-laden surface to kick the
CONTINUES OVER
36 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS SEPTEMBER 17, 2003
ROAD TEST
ON Assen’s straights the fettled
factory 999 makes the ‘standard’
999R’s power delivery feel limp as
a week-old lettuce
‘
The LCD tacho display zips
across the dash so quickly
it’s easy to miss the red
gearshift indicator flashing
and hitting the rev limiter
From previous page
bike forward. I deliberately open the
throttle in 1000rpm increments until the
rev limiter cuts in at 12,600rpm, some
2100rpm more than the road bike. And
at every point the bike takes off like a
greyhound after a rabbit. But that’s the
nature of a V-twin – bottom and
midrange stomp make it very tractable
– and one important reason why Ducati’s
V-twins have been so successful in WSB.
Wrench the throttle wide open and
the F03 leaps forward with a crispness
you would expect of a bike built for one
purpose – to win a world championship.
The LCD tacho display zips across the
dash so quickly it’s easy to miss the red
gearshift indicator flashing on and
hitting the rev limiter. The lightened
components like crankshaft and conrods
allow it to rev and keep going – perhaps
further than the 12,600rpm limit. The
technicians are all secret smiles when it
comes to disclosing a true rev ceiling. At
the same time the bike is revving
towards the never-never zone it is being
propelled with violent force.
While all this is going on electric
shock-like vibrations make their way
through the clip-ons and into my hands.
The more revs the faster the small
stabbing sensations. The 999R’s power
delivery seems dull, lifeless, and
insignificant – but only by comparison.
Both bikes have gearboxes that Ducati
can be proud of. In the case of the 999R
the gears are widely spaced and I could
probably make it round in just five of
the six gears available. In the wet
conditions the gearbox is as effective as
the front brakes at slowing the bike.
Each downchange needs a hearty blip
’
of throttle to prevent the rear wheel
locking up but it does slow the bike.
The race bike’s close ratio gearbox
means top gear is snuck home in a short
distance. With the wet racing tyres it’s
still possible to leave braking and
downshifts to the last moment. I say
downshifts but in reality it’s really only
one. Pull the clutch, flick up the lever
several times with half hearted throttle
blips – to keep the gear clusters
spinning – and then dump the clutch.
The slipper clutch works to perfection
by allowing the clutch to slip until the
engine revs match rear wheel speed. No
wheel lock up, and no unsettled chassis
when the bike barrels into a turn.
Through the infamous last chicane
leading on to Assen’s start/finish
straight, the 999R is a breeze. The bars
can be pulled and pushed so the front
wheel steers the bike through the
chicane. Not on the race bike, though. It
has to be heaved from one side to
another by weighting the bars and the
stubby pegs. It’s the same for every
corner. But when the bike is pitched
over it stays there, rigid, bang on line
OHLINS shock with datalogging sensor
FIERCE radially-mounted Brembos
HANDMADE 62mm titanium downpipe
DUCT channels cool air to rear cylinder
CLOSE UP ON THE 999 FO3
WHEN stripped-down the Fila Ducati 999 reveals its £100,000 secrets
SEPTEMBER 17, 2003 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS 37
DUCATI’S WSB HERITAGE
BIG V-twin has phenomenal
traction – very useful when
it’s wet and you’ve 186bhp
to play with
DUCATI 851 1988
1988 saw the first year of
WSB and Donington Park
hosted the inaugural round.
Marco Lucchinelli rode a
Ducati 851 to second and
first places.
The 851’s bore and stroke
was 92mm x 64mm, and
power output was a claimed
122bhp.
DUCATI 851 1990
The 851’s bore was upped
to 2mm and the new
94mm x 64mm bore and
stroke meant the capacity
was increased to 888cc.
Power was increased to
128bhp, weight was a
claimed 158kg and
Raymond Roche gave
Ducati its first WSB title.
DUCATI 888 1992
Power was up to 135bhp and
extensive use of carbon-fibre
dropped weight to 143kg.
Final 1993 model 888s
were bored out a further
2mm (capacity now up to
926cc) and output was a
claimed 143bhp.
Doug Polen took Ducati’s
third WSB championship.
DUCATI 916 1994
ON the grid for the first race at Assen wasn’t the right
time for Franklin (centre) to ask Hodgson if he was nervous
and injecting enough feedback
through the chassis to tempt me into
increasing entry and mid-corner
speed, meaning big lean angles. All
this on supposedly softer, wet riding
suspension settings. In the dry the level
of feedback would be outrageous.
Even though the 999R’s Ohlins
suspension is firm on the road,
occasionally pitching the rider off the
seat, the demands of the track make it
lose some of the feel that makes it
great for charging along A and B-roads.
The rain is falling harder now and any
DUCATI team crew clean up the FO3’s rear end. Hodgson
caked it with rubber with a massive burnout at Assen
chance of running riot round an empty
track is literally slipping by. There’s no
chance of getting any decent
straightline speeds let alone cornering
mayhem. Even if it were possible it
certainly wouldn’t be in the WSB
‘madness zone’. Not even close to
noticing the wobbling front-end
problem that Hodgson and team-mate
Ruben Xaus had at certain tracks.
What is surprising is how easy it is to
ride Hodgy’s bike. The race bike’s
seating position is almost identical to
the road bike. Where the 999R seats
the rider just behind the motor, I’m
pitched over and slightly forward of
the motor. Considering how gangly
Hodgson is, the bars are set wide but
very close to the rider. It’s a good
stance to tuck under the double bubble
screen with room to move around in.
As I return smiles abound again in
the pit garage. The championshipwinning bike is still in one piece! Then
comes the inevitable question: What
do I think of it? The answer is short.
The 999R is a brilliant road bike; the
race bike is the ultimate superbike.
First unveiled in 1993
Massimo Tamburini’s 916
took to the track in ’94.
The 916 road bike had a
bore and stroke of 94mm x
66mm. The bikes fielded in
WSB actually had a
capacity of 955cc.
A youthful Carl Fogarty
gave Ducati its fourth WSB
title.
DUCATI 996 1996
The 916’s bore and stroke
was increased to 98mm x
66mm for an increased
capacity of 996cc, and
power was a claimed 154bhp.
Troy Corser took Ducati’s
sixth title.
At the end of 1998 the
996 was making a claimed
160bhp thanks to a larger
airbox.
DUCATI 996
TESTASTRETTA
2000
SIMPLE display for ease of reading
Ducati’s ‘narrow head’
Testastretta engine appears.
Bore and stroke is
100mm x 63.5mm.
Capacity is now 998cc and
power is pushed beyond
180bhp.
Ducati narrowly loses title
number nine to Honda.
DUCATI 999 F03
THE 90° V-twin makes a claimed 186bhp. Adjustable swingarm pivot on the right
FLIP-UP lever and span adjuster
Ducati and 999 designer
Pierre Terblanche’s baby
appears on track. Power is
189bhp
Neil Hodgson wins both
races at the first round of
2003 WSB at Valencia
Hodgson goes on to give
Ducati its tenth WSB
championship title.
WHAT HODGSON THINKS OF HIS 999
38 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS SEPTEMBER 17, 2003
ROAD TEST
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37
Champ’s eye view
How Neil really rates his 999...
MCN’S TREVOR FRANKLIN made
the most of his time in Assen to
grill Neil Hodgson on his feelings
about the bike that took him to the
WSB title.
HODGSON: To be honest it’s so long
since I rode the old bike I’m not sure
just how much better the new motor
is but It’s got a bit extra up top and
picks up quicker from low down.
FRANKLIN:12 wins out of 20 starts
so far is good going. Is that you or the
bike?
HODGSON: Ha-ha, um, yeah. Maybe
both. I’ve worked my socks off getting
fit mentally and physically, and Ducati
keep coming up with the goods. Put
the two together and…
FRANKLIN: So has the 999 more to
offer?
HODGSON: Ducati have been at this
game for a long time and know how
to make a bike work. So yes, there’s a
lot more to come.
FRANKLIN: Is the 999 the best
Ducati yet?
HODGSON: In WSB it is. But results
don’t tell the whole story. It hasn’t
been all plain sailing
HODGSON says it wasn’t as easy
as it sometimes looked
our Mobile @
TTune-Up
une-Up YYour
www.mobilebikers.com
.mobilebikers.com
www
FOR THOUSANDS OF MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT
ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTS - ONLY
ONLY A FEW LISTED HERE
Y Ringtones
MONO & POL
POLY
CHART MUSIC
Black Eyed Peas- Where is the Love
Dido - White Flag
Elton John - Ready For Love
Big Brovaz - Baby Boy
Blu Cantrell - Breathe
Iron maiden - Wildest Dreams
Ultrabeat - Pretty Green Eyes
Sean Paul - Like Glue
Starsailor - Silence Is Easy
Kelly Clarkson - Miss Independent
Lemar - Dance
Abs ft Nodesha - Miss Perfect
White Stripes - Do With Myself
Rolling Stones - For the Devil
Lumidee - Never Leave You
Girls Aloud - Life Got Cold
Jaimeson - Complete
Stacie Orrico - Stuck
Cooper Temple Clause - Promises
Mark Owen - 4 Minute Warning
BEST SELLERS
Breathe - Blu Cantrell
Xtm & Dj Chucky -On The Wings
Crazy In Love - Beyonce
Pretty Green Eyes - Ultrabeat
Only Fools & Horses
Ready For Love - Elton John
Never Leave You - Lumidee
Bring Me To Life - Evanescence
Hollywood - Madonna
MONO
120393
124530
121732
110272
120539
124535
122445
121678
124537
116223
123529
122603
124534
124532
120369
122614
122569
116921
124533
122441
MONO
120539
116215
120398
122445
101226
121732
120369
110559
117377
POLY
121454
124529
121707
110293
120508
124528
121713
121677
124527
120016
123291
124326
124323
124538
120905
123072
121872
121463
124526
121876
POLY
120508
118500
120012
121713
109069
121707
120905
111603
121448
ORDER MONO OR POLY CODE FOR YOUR PHONE TYPE (see below)
MONO POLY
FOOTBALL
MONO POLY ROCK
112714 116463
Arsenal - Vi-erra
122960 122961 Loneliness - Tomcraft
Arsenal - Amazing Reds
122962 122963 Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple 100084 108369
110075 110093
Aston Villa - Holteenders In The Sky 122964 122965 True - Jaimeson
Chelsea - Blue Is The Colour
122984 122985 House of the Rising Sun - Animals 100833 108366
110559 111603
Chelsea - Super Franky Lampard 122986 122987 Bring Me To Life - Evanescence
- 107009
Chelsea - We are the famous CFC 122988 122989 How Remind Me- Nickelback
100795 109755
Everton - You Are My Everton
122992 122993 I Want To Break Free - Queen
- 108790
Leeds - We Had Joy
122998 122999 Foo Fighters- All My Life
Liverpool - You'll Never Walk Alone 123006 123007 Living On A Prayer - Guns N Roses 101084 107012
101543 112307
Liverpool - We All Live In A Red.. 123008 123009 Final Countdown - Bon Jovi
116375 116376
Man City - Blue Moon
123012 123013 Highway To Hell - Ac Dc
116435 109060
Man United - Our Trophy Back
123016 123017 Come As You Are - Nirvana
100837 112663
Middlesborough - Boro Till I Die
123024 123025 Summer of 69 – Brian Adams
100795 109755
Newcastle Utd - Blaydon Races
123026 123027 Want to Break Free – Queen
MONO POLY
Newcastle Utd - 1 Alan Shearer
123028 123029 TV & FILM
Only
Fools
&
Horses
101226
109069
Southampton - When The Saints 123036 123037
100048 109159
Spurs - We Are Tottenham
123040 123041 Halloween
100689 108621
Wolves - King Kenny Miller
123042 123043 Good, Bad, Ugly
100142 107896
Wolves -Hey Jones 'E'
123044 123045 Mission Impossible
100160 109022
We've Got That Double Feeling
123052 123053 X Files
102191 107052
Match Of The Day
123058 123059 Simpsons
101308 109117
OLDIES
MONO POLY Miami Vice
100016 107023
Boogie Wondrland - Earth Wind Fire 101855 108822 James Bond
101086 109255
Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
102434 109401 Terminator
100691 107026
Hard Days Nite - Beatles
100800 108806 Italian Job
100621 108213
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis
100762 109509 Airwolf
100682 107898
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
100128 108799 A Team
Braveheart
101154
108470
Addicted to Love – RPalmer
111616 111514
Eye
Of
The
Tiger
100687
108299
If You Don’t – Simply Red
111625 111625
102708 117260
Labelled with Love - Squeeze
111627 111528 Jackass
Por Polyphonics, phone must be WAP activated before you call. You will be charged for the call plus the normal cost of a download from your WAP provider.
Pic Messages
for compatibility, see below.
106105
106118
106317
106313
106325
106449
106451
106533
106531
106119
106315
106316
106342
106450
106446
119384
106532
106534
106120
106318
106341
106351
106343
106418
119368
106356
106551
TEXT CHAT
CHAT
TEXT
For some great
text fun send
X7 to 81234
To unsubscribe send U X7 to
81234 Messages cost £1.50
on Vodafone, Orange,
T-Mobile and 02
Order by Phone
USING A LANDLINE CALL
0907 787 9496
and listen to prompts.
On The Web
Web
GO TO
www.mobilebikers.com
Order by Text
Text
YOU CAN ORDER BY TEXT
ON THESE NETWORKS
For Tones text MCNTONE + Order Code
+ Phone Make + Phone Model to 81618
For Polys text MCNPOLY + Order Code
+ Phone Make + Phone Model to 81618
For Logos text MCNLOGO + Order Code
+ Phone Make + Phone Model to 81618
LEAVE SPACES BETWEEN WORDS & CODES
PHONE COMPATIBILITY MONO TONES • Nokia: 3210 3310 3320 3330 3410 5210 6110 6150 6210 6250 6310i 7110 8210 8250 8310 8850 8110i 9000i 9110i 9210
• Motorola: V50 V66 •Talkabout: 191 192 •Siemens: ME45 M50 S45 SL45i C45 A50 •Ericsson: T29 T39 T65 T66 T68i • POLYPHONICS •Nokia 7650 7210 7250 6100
6800 5100 3510 3510i 3650 •Samsung: T100 S100 N600 V200 N620 A400 A800 •Panasonic GD87 GD87E GD96 •Sharp: GX10 GX1 •Sony Ericsson: T300 P800
•Motorola: T720 C330 C330+ C350 •Siemens: S55 C55 Pic messages work on all EMS phones except Nokia 3210, 8210 & 9310.
Calls cost £1.50 per min. Calls from mobiles may cost more. Text ring tones & graphics cost £4.50 Vodafone, Orange, £5.00 on O2, T-Mobile. Callers must get
permission from the bill payer. Under 16s must get pwermission from Parent/guardian to use this service. Customer support - 0871-872-9899 or write to PO Box 9107,
Birmingham B7. Operator charges may vary. Calls may be monitored for training purposes.
WHAT OTHER
TEAMS THINK
COLIN WRIGHT is
team manager of GSE
Racing which runs
James Toseland and
Chris Walker on ’02
Ducati 998 F02s.
Here’s his view on the 999 F03
“There’s no doubt the 999 is good,
but how much better it is over our
bikes is difficult to assess. If the F03
engine was in our chassis I think the
title race would have been closer.
“It’s not easy to be sure as
Hodgson is a smooth rider, but he
has had a hard time riding that bike.
There are some tracks where he
gets it out of shape. More
development is needed on the
chassis. Obviously Ducati know this
and will set about correcting it soon.
“But considering the bike is new,
still in its infancy, Ducati have done
very well. I like to think GSE had
something to do with it as we put
Neil on the road to success. Good
on him…”
PIER-FRANCESCO
CHILI, long-time WSB
racer, currently riding
a 998RS for team
PSG-1 – and the man
who set the fastest lap
in Superpole at Assen.
“FOR sure it is a pretty bike, like all
Ducatis. It is quick but so is my bike.
And my bike it handles like it should.
I think I would be just as quick if not
quicker on the 999 because I ride
around most problems.
“There will have to be changes to
the bike, as with any change of rider,
and I’m sure the bike will go very
quick with time spent riding.”
FRANKLIN: In what sense?
HODGSON: It doesn’t handle like it
should. The front end shakes its head
and this then moves through the
whole of the bike. On most bikes you
can power through it, but on this it
doesn’t stop until I shut off.
FRANKLIN: What starts it?
HODGSON: Not enough testing!
Seriously, we haven’t done enough on
what is effectively a new bike.
FRANKLIN: So the 999 is revolution
where the old bikes were evolution?
HODGSON: Yes. Look at it – it’s
thinner, more aerodynamic, has a
double-sided swingarm and a
different riding position. Sure it’s done
wind tunnel tests but they can’t
replicate the track. Sometimes a good
bump will set it off, other times it can
be passing someone and getting hit by
a sidewind.
FRANKLIN: What would you do for
next year?
HODGSON: Nothing drastic. The F03
is basically very good and I’m suited
to it already. But more pre-season
testing at different circuits would help.
FRANKLIN: And the engine?
‘
FRANKLIN: Not to take anything
away from you, but it’s been said you
and Ducati had an easy time this year
with the lack of factory involvement.
HODGSON: It might seem like that,
what with there not being many lap
records being broken. But the bike is
new so it wasn’t easy. If there had
been other factory teams out there
pushing hard, Ducati would have
worked harder. More time spent on
development means more money
being spent – don’t forget Ducati is
still a business.
FRANKLIN: Colin Wright of GSE
believes his F02 bikes would’ve given
you a closer run with your engine (see
left). What do you think?
HODGSON: Blimey, that’s the million
dollar question. Who knows? What
you must remember is more power
will make a bike faster in a straight
line, but also affects handling. The old
chassis is good for the amount of
power the F02 engine gives, but who
can say what effect more power will
have? Every setting will have to be
revised – and at worst it could tie the
chassis in knots.
FRANKLIN: If you go into MotoGP,
would your replacement, or any other
teams be able to deal with the 999?
HODGSON: I see no reason why not.
Ruben’s (Xaus) done well on the bike.
It just depends if the rider gets backup from the rest of the team. Team
Ducati Fila is a very experienced one
and works well.
● Hodsgon as champion – page 55
Ducati have been at this game for a long
time and they know how to make a bike work
NEIL HODGSON, WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPION
’
HODGSON leads team-mate Xaus in Assen’s second race – to the finish