Ducati 999F 05 World Superbike
Feb 1st, 2005 - To face up to the renewed challenge in SBK World Superbike from all the major Japanese factory supported teams for the 2005 season, Ducati engineers have made a number of major modifications to the latest Team Corse 999F05 Superbike's engine, aerodynamics, chassis and electronics. Ducati Superbike technical director Ernesto Marinelli explains the improvements:

“The main changes in the engine are to the crankshaft, the conrods and the pistons in order to achieve higher revs and performance. We have also added an electric starter and with the collaboration of Shell, we have developed a new type of fuel and oil. All of these modifications have produced an increase of 5 horsepower from last year’s engine.

“The aerodynamics of the 999 F05 include a new windscreen, which now provides better rider protection and a better drag coefficient.

“The latest Ohlins TT25 front fork will be used this year. The biggest advantage is the complete separation between low and high compression speed and a better internal pressure balance.

A new tank made of aluminium will be used and it will allow us to move all the electronic components that were located at the front of the F04, to just behind the steering head, allowing the bike to have a better weight distribution. The oil breather tank is no longer together with the fuel tank but is located on the right side of the bike.

"The electronics are the main area of improvement from last year. The new Magneti Marelli Marvel 4 ECU, also used on the Ducati Desmosedici GP bikes, has been introduced and all the wiring harness has been redesigned. Two new engine management strategies have been adopted, one to improve the engine braking and the other to have a more linear power delivery on the initial throttle opening. In particular, engine braking is managed by the normal slipper clutch assisted by a throttle adjustment managed with a small electric motor. The initial power delivery is corrected by cutting advance on engine ignition. Another advantage of the Marvel 4 is that it combines both engine management and data logging functions into the one unit".

The 2005 team line-up remains the same as last season's, James Toseland and Régis Laconi. The 24 year-old from Sheffield proudly bears the number 1 plate, while his 29 year-old team-mate from St Dizier gets another chance to challenge for the top honours.

Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse Superbike Director, adds: "In 2005 we will be taking part in the World Superbike championship with a highly competitive team, as always, and it also gives us great pleasure to see the #1 plate back again on a factory Ducati. James Toseland and Régis Laconi are two of the best riders around today; both are highly motivated and determined to repeat the success of 2004 when they finished first and second in the standings.

"During the winter tests they proved to have already reached an excellent feeling with the latest specification 999 Factory bike and both are raring for the racing to get underway.

"We know that the season ahead promises to be a tough one, but we are convinced that our rider combination together with the 2005 version of the 999 factory bike and the support of Xerox, Shell and all of other sponsors and partners will help us to achieve the success that we are always aiming for."

Now for the really good stuff....
Click and go to Paddock Garage for big 1224 Screensavers of the 999F05 and
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More FastDates.com Screensavers - Because We Love You!

• Robin & 999R05 Screen Saver -Stunt Road
• Robin & 999R05 Screen Saver – Scott's Road
• Ducati 999R05 Screen Saver - Front
• Ducati 999r05 Screen Saver - Rear

Go to: Ducati 999R05 Information Page 1 • Test Page 2 • Test Page 3 • 999R05

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For the really good stuff....
Click and go to Paddock Garage for big 1224 Screensavers of the 999F05 and
sexy pictorials of all the FastDates.com Calendar Angels

NEW DUCATI-XEROX SUPERBIKE PARTNERSHIP TAKES ON THE WORLD IN 2005
Ducati Corse enters the eighteenth season of World Superbike championship racing aiming to repeat the extraordinary success of the last two years, which have seen the two factory riders from the Borgo Panigale manufacturer twice finish first and second in the world’s most prestigious production-based racing championship. Add to this Ducati’s pedigree over the last 17 seasons, in which it has won 11 Riders’ and 13 Manufacturers’ titles and more individual races than all the other manufacturers combined, and the importance of the World Superbike Championship to Ducati becomes clear.

Accompanying Ducati in this exciting adventure is a brand-new title sponsor, the world’s leading office technology supplier, Xerox, which teams up with the championship-winning squad. Xerox, who were introduced to the world of Superbike racing in 2004 with Stefano Caracchi’s satellite Ducati NCR team, are now aiming for the very top through their association with the championship’s most successful protagonists.

2004 champion James Toseland and runner-up Régis Laconi team up once again for a second successive year to campaign the ’05 version of the all-conquering Ducati 999 machine, now in a new red and white colour scheme in honour of the new sponsor.
Following the return of Ducati’s traditional Japanese rivals and the arrival of several top riders from other series, the championship will now offer much stiffer opposition than in recent years, as Ducati Corse CEO Claudio Domenicali explains: