Yahoo Autos New 240-hp Ducati Panigale V4 R brings racing technology to the street
The new 2023 Ducati Panigale V4 R looks like a motorcycle developed for racing, and it has the technology to back it up. Presented as a street-legal superbike, it packs more power than a 2022 Subaru BRZ thanks in part to MotoGP-derived engineering solutions.
Power comes from a 998-cubic-centimeter V4 engine that develops 207 horsepower at 13,500 rpm in its standard state of tune and that's capable of revving to 16,500 rpm in sixth gear. Adding what the company calls a racing exhaust increases horsepower to 237, and the hike doesn't end there. Ducati joined forces with Shell to develop a engine oil specifically for the Panigale V4 R. It reduces mechanical friction by 10% and increases horsepower by 3.5. Fit the racing exhaust and fill up with Shell's special oil, and you're sitting on over 240 horsepower.
Engineers leveraged decades of racing expertise to unlock that output. The engine notably features "gun-drilled" titanium connecting rods, which are drilled longitudinally to create an oil passage, and pistons with a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) surface treatment. This solution reduces friction between the pistons and the cylinders, and it's more commonly found in MotoGP and Formula One engines.
