Ducati Sporting Club UK > DesmoDue Race Series > DesmoDue - General Questions and Chat > Desmo Due - Rules Explanation by Neil at Sigma

[antonye]

Don't know if you've seen this but I can't remember it being posted in here.

An interesting article by Neil Spalding at Sigma Performance about the thinking behind the rules.

http://www.sigmaperformance.com/desmo-due.html

Makes depressing reading if you've got a 583 engine...

[dickieducati]

very good reading hadnt seen it before.

[Jools]

Makes depressing reading if you've got a 583 engine...

Ahhhhh...the gamesmanship starts early.

I don't think that engines are the big thing to concentrate on. I quote from Neils article...

"The idea is to focus people on everything else except power; there is a much bigger difference in lap times to come from a bike that has been set up well than from a few extra horsepower".

I also like his assertion that the ST2 chassis (from which Monsters and Multistradas are derived) is one of the best that Ducati make. It's blown the ST boys secret out into the open, that an ST on stilts (with the ride height raised to stupid degrees - like mine) can handle like a good 'un. That is one of the reasons that I can keep up with more powerful bikes.

At our TA2 Cadwell trackday, a bloke on a 748 came flying past me on the start/finish straight when I backed off for a yellow flag and was 75-100 yards in front of me going into Coppice. I managed to catch him round the top end of the circuit and took him round the outside at the Gooseneck and down the hill towards Mansfield. You know who you are

He had the inside line at Mansfield and took me back, but that wasn't the point, I had reeled in 75-100 yards on a bloke with 20 bhp more than me within half a lap, so a good handling bike will make much more difference than the extra few horsepower of a 620 or even 675.

[TP]

... so a good handling bike will make much more difference than the extra few horsepower of a 620 or even 675.

I'd rather have both, the handling and the power

To make up for the spare tyre I carry around with me ...

[antonye]

Originally posted by Jools
At our TA2 Cadwell trackday, a bloke on a 748 came flying past me on the start/finish straight when I backed off for a yellow flag and was 75-100 yards in front of me going into Coppice. I managed to catch him round the top end of the circuit and took him round the outside at the Gooseneck and down the hill towards Mansfield. You know who you are

He had the inside line at Mansfield and took me back, but that wasn't the point, I had reeled in 75-100 yards on a bloke with 20 bhp more than me within half a lap, so a good handling bike will make much more difference than the extra few horsepower of a 620 or even 675.

You forget the bit about the 748 rider backing off when he spotted the flag and let you go back past him.

Allegedly

[beancounter]

Jools I think you give too much credit to your ST2 and too little to yourself. An ST2 really isn't a very fast bike whichever way you look at it. I suspect you must be a far better rider than some of these 748/996 pilots.

Rider ability is way more important than bike ability. A few years ago at the Nurburgring Monty on his ST4S was flying past me on my 996SPS. This isn't because an ST4S is a faster bike than a 996 SPS (patently it is not) but because Monty can ride and I can't.

[ali]

Originally posted by antonye
Makes depressing reading if you've got a 583 engine...

I spoke to Neil the day before buying my 583. He made it very clear that a 620 was a much better idea. Unfortunately I didn't have the cash, but I'll feel a hell of a lot better if I manage to overtake someone that did.

Ali

[Jools]

That's very kind of you to say so Mr Beancounter, but I'm just your average bloke (with a bit of a competitive streak) that's had the benefit of riding with the BHC posse for a few years.

There are some superb riders in this group KeefyB, WJB, Fil2, Wheelspin to name but a few of 'em. Every one of the 'usual suspects' in the BHC crew are quick (some of them VERY quick) and I've learned a whole lot from them. I've also had the benefit of CSS schooling up to level 3 so far, but anyone can do what I do.

As an example, Glyn is another BHC regular with an ST2 who started riding with us about 18 months ago. After a steady start he's come on in leaps and bounds and is now quicker than I am.

I know the ST2 is a comparatively slow bike but it handles very, very well for a less sporty bike and you can carry very good corner speed on it. Up to about 90 mph it can stick with a 748 (it has about the same low down grunt but less top end). Because it's got less power you don't have to worry so much about it spinning up and spitting you off the highside, you can use all of the available power most of the time. So on every circuit I've been on, the ST2 can hold it's own with more powerful bikes purely because when it's well set up it can handle very well indeed. Admittedly, I don't do trackdays on 'power' circuits like Snetterton or Silverstone because I really would struggle on long straights, but anywhere with a few twists levels the playing field a lot.

So my point is that the Desmodue boys (gad I wish I was out there...damn this gammy leg) won't have a big power advantage over each other whatever engine they're running. If I was doing it I would naturally want to make sure the engine was robust, but beyond that I would be spending all my pennies on brakes and suspension set up, because, given that anybody is going to be doing well to get near 75bhp, I reckon that's more important to lap times.

[dickieducati]

i'm really looking forward to taking my 620 to brands and seeing what lap times i can do compared with on my 999

[Iconic944ss]

What a good article...great spot Antonye.

Interesting comment about the ride height increase - I've never seen anyone offer any rear plates/devices for the SS range, anyone know different?

Inlet tracts:
Malossi do a short inlet tract for the 900ss - dunno how applicable it would for the 600's but here is a link:

http://malossiuk.com/search/index.ph...ARBS+%26+REEDS

cheers - Frank