Desmosedici

Another one of Ducati's brainchildren, Desmosedici is the name of the V4 prototype bikes developed by Ducati for the MotoGP. The bike's nomenclature is quite simple and the Desmosedici bikes are named as GP* where '*' represents the year in which that particular model starred on the racing circuit.

Ducati had not been racing since the 1970s because the 500 category was essentially a category for two stroke engines and this was quite opposite to the four stroke bikes that Ducati sold. Thus, Ducati decided to keep away from the racing circuit till early 21^st century when the rule of the game relaxed and accommodated four stroke engines. In fact, post year 2000, four stroke engines have been given a higher priority in the racing circuits. This change had triggered the birth of the MotoGP in 2002. It was after these steps that Ducati launched its horses onto the race track and has never since looked back!

Traditionally, Ducati bikes have been built around the L-twin engines and these were constructed using the desmodromic valve technology. Ducati engineers however, were not able to generate the required power of about 230 HP with a single L-Twin engine without having to increase the number of revs. The rev count was required to be increased beyond 1700, and this was seen as a major hurdle and was anticipated to lead to some serious combustion problems. Thus, engineers at Ducati rolled out the Double L-Twin engine with two cylinders (two cylinders give advantageous weight reduction over engines with more cylinders) and thus, the Desmosedici (short for desmodromic distribution with 16 valves) was born.

The design on this bike began in 2001 and the bike was all set to race in the MotoGP in the years to come. It was in 2007 that Ducati's driver elite Casey Stoner got the first ever MotoGP title for Ducati whilst riding the Desmosedici.

The GP3 was the first Desmosedici to race in 2003 with the Ducati team consisting of Loris Capriossi and Troy Bayliss. Ducati did some wonders during that race and won some round. Capriossi finished fourth and Bayliss finished sixth in the final champiosnhip standings. Ducati ended up being the second best manufacturer for the event. The GP4 saw some modifications and both the riders made a podium finish. Capriossi also set the world record for the top speed in the 2004 world championship rising his GP4. In 2005, Bayliss was replaced by the Spaniard- Carlos Checa. Capriosi scored two wins during the championship and Checa scored the podium finish at the Malaysian GP. The GP6 was a lighter and faster version of the GP5. The 2006 championship saw Ducati scoring a 1-2 podium finish. In 2007, with the motoGP rules changing and restricting the engine displacement to a max of 800cc, Ducati rolled out the GP7. The GP8 consequently, was an improvement over the flaws discovered in the GP7- mostly centered around the problem of pumping. In 2009, Ducati oversaw the launch of the GP9. The bike stand apart from the crowd in the fact that it has an all-Carbon chassis which is a departure from the traditional steel frame that Ducati is used to. The GP9 evolved into the GP10 which is currently being tested for the 2010 motoGP season. The bike is designed to increase engine sturdiness and is the first 800cc Ducati to imbibe in itself the Big Bang engine.