KIWI RIDER 07 2019 VOL.2 | Page 91

riders’ titles, four of them with Carl Fogarty. The Englishman won 55 races with Ducati, 43 of which riding a Ducati 916 SBK and 996 SBK. “King Carl” and the 916 remain the most successful “couple” in Ducati SBK history. Ducati has decided to celebrate this anniversary by building a special 916-dedicated version of the Panigale V4. Hence the genesis of the Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916: a unique limited-edition bike of only 500 pieces, designed to let all true Ducatisti re-live the spirit of the 916. The “25° Anniversario 916” is built on the mechanics of the Panigale V4 S. This has been upgraded with racing content from the Panigale V4 R such as the front frame, designed to Ducati Corse specifications. The look of the bike combines a special livery with forged magnesium wheels, a titanium type-approved Akrapovič exhaust and a long list of Ducati Performance components. For its world-first preview, Ducati chose round nine of the Superbike World Championship, which took place at Laguna Seca (California, USA). Francesco Milicia (VP Global Sales & After Sales Director Ducati Motor Holding), Jason Chinnock (CEO Ducati North America) and Carl Fogarty unveiled the new bike. KIWI RIDER 91