Ever since the all-new Ducati Panigale V4S was unleashed earlier this year, some of its claims to fame have been the ludicrous power output and the lap records around race tracks across the world. Well, now we can add one more circuit to that list, one that’s closest to our hearts.
At the ongoing Ducati Riding Experience (DRE) sessions, Ducati’s chief test rider Alessandro Valia broke the lap record for a stock motorcycle at the Buddh International Circuit. Setting a lap time of 1m 56.316s, the Italian maestro smashed the previous lap record set by a race-spec Yamaha R1. In comparison, the lap record for a stock production car stands at 2m 09.853s which seems rather slow. The car in question is the Mercedes AMG GT R which set the record over a year ago.
Coming back to the Panigale V4S, this flagship superbike marks a new chapter for Ducati, as the brand moved from an L-twin to V4 powertrain with it. Under the skin, the Panigale V4S features a completely new powertrain – a 90-degree V4 Stradale engine putting out 214bhp. It is currently available at Ra 25.29 lakh (ex-showroom) and competes against the likes of Aprilia RSV4 RR, Yamaha YZF-R1, Suzuki GSX-R1000 and the BMW S1000RR.
