Ducati Parts | Independant Ducati Specialist | Louigi Moto Limited

Louigi Moto History

I'm sure a few of you club race fans have noticed that over the last couple of seasons, the Sound of Thunder series has drawn in a few Ducatis. This all started back in the summer of 1999, when a group of Bristol Ducati enthusiasts attended a Ducati only track day at Pembrey organised by Merlin Ducati Cardiff. The Bristol lot got into a bit of a race track scrap with some Welsh lads and we have been friends ever since. At a post track chat we all spoke about 'maybe' starting racing someday, as we all thought we were budding Carl Fogartys! (Lapping Pembrey at 1.10's) Phew! This was only the second time I had been on a race circuit and for most of the others it was their first track day.

After two more trackdays in 1999 I decided to take the plunge and apply for my race licence and thought that Pembrey Circuit would be a good starter track, all of the lads I had met at the Ducati track day came down to watch me wobble around in the sunshine of South Wales. Because of my results the others said they would join me at the last meeting of 1999 back at Pembrey again. This saw four of us on Ducatis on the start line at Pembrey. Myself (748sp) and Mark Evans (748sp) from Bristol. Philip Bevan (996 Foggy) and Jeremy Issaccs (748sp) from Cardiff.

Louigi's 748 Racer

I'm sure a few of you have noticed that this year has drawn a few Ducatis in the Sound of Thunder series, all but one of the Ducati mounted riders racing this year had attended a Ducati only track day last year at Pembrey organised by Merlin Ducati, Cardiff.
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Sponsorship

Do a season of competitive club racing on a Ducati and you better be expecting a visit from your bank manager of a finance company at the end of it, if you are trying to fund it yourself.

Yes this racing lark is a very expensive sport, but there are ways of making it easier on the old back pocket.

The biggest money sapper is if you have to pay someone to maintain your bike, so you will save a small fortune if you already have a good toolkit. We, as a group of Ducati enthusiasts in Bristol, organise fund raising days which help buy the Ducati special tools, this saves us money in the long run and gives those keen on having a go themselves a cheaper alternative to a main dealer.

Get the most out of your Ducati

Anybody can ride a bike fast in a straight line, it's just the corners that slow us up, so why spend loads of money on tuning your engine to go even faster when you never really use all what you have on hand anyway? Shouldn't you be spending money on trying to get it to go faster around the corner when that is, say the slowest part of a race track?

Lightweight wheels will make your bike go around the corner faster due to less gyroscopic force. It will also give you a greater angle of lean enabling you to explore the bits of the tyre that don't normally get worn. Obviously the brand to have is Marchesini as they are Italian and you will save 7kg in unsprung weight, which even the slowest of riders would notice a big improvement. If you want to purchase something home-grown try a Dymag, they do a five spoke or a three spoke and if you have won the lottery you could have some carbon fibre ones.

Getting Started

So you have done your track day, felt pretty good in the quick group and only got overtaken by the bloke with slicks on. So your ready to go racing are you?

Firstly look at your riding kit, will it go through scrutineering? You will need one piece leathers, an up to date helmet that is a good fit, good pair of gloves and boots. All this will be checked. You will also require a dog tag for around your neck with your name and date of birth, put your blood group on if you know it.

So you want to go fast? - Part 1

Ok we have ascertained that the suspension plays a vital role in getting your bike around the corners fast and safe, lets assume your doing a track day on your 916 or 748 and want to get the most from it.

Firstly check the chain adjustment, make sure it is in good condition and has no tight spots, if its too tight the suspension will bind up and probably snap the chain or cause wheel spin exiting the corners. My golden rule of thumb is the rivet of the chain should be level with the lowest part of the swinging arm, you may have to get on your hands and knees to check this and you may feel it is a little slack, but I have never snapped a chain yet, whereas many others have.

So you want to go fast? - Part 2

To get a decent lap time on the track, you don't really need horsepower, but the ability to go fast around the corners, therefore suspension takes a major role, as do gyroscopic forces and the input from the rider, plus the power to weight ratio.

A circuit I ride at regularly (Pembrey) has a series of sweeping flat bends and two hairpins, the lap record in our club is held by a 250cc machine, proving the horsepower v handling theory.

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