POWER VS POISE: Ducati 899 Panigale / BMW S1000RR Sport

Is power everything? Surely on a tight enough track a lighter, more nimble bike would be faster? Only one way to fi nd out...

Here’s the plan find out which track in the UK a 600cc bike will stand the best chance of beating a 1,000cc machine, purely on lap times. Then, roll up with the BMW S1000RR and a Ducati Panigale 899 and see if the class-stretching Duke can bridge the gap on lap times and go one-up on the litre bike.

To pick our circuit, we scoured the British Superbike and Supersport lap times to see where they were closest. After some dubious maths and percentage calculations, we arrived at the scientific conclusion that Mallory or Brands Hatch Indy would be our best bet. Yeah, nice work clever pants, we could have guessed that from the start. Mallory Park still runs a Wednesday afternoon testing session for ACU race license holders with limited numbers on track it was our best chance to get clear laps in as fast as we liked without upsetting any trackday regulars. Both bikes were on road compound tyres and standard suspension settings. We opted for a two rider approach to the test; both ex-racers, but one slightly more ‘ex’ than the other. Chad, our guest tester on this one, has raced all sorts, but these days he’s more than happy tazzing about in the fast group on track days. Chad’s a quick rider, but not one to hang everything out on an unfamiliar bike with expensive road bodywork to break. His role is to represent the confi dence-boosting side of the test which bike does he feel happiest on and get his best lap time on. Me? I’m the ex-racer who’s job it is to push both the bikes as hard as possible to see which one comes out on top. Hopefully not on top of me.

That S1000RR has just blasted past you on the straight for the third time running. As you get to your braking point, he’s already down two gears and parking it on the apex. Right in your way. You baulk the corner, scrub off a ton of speed to miss him and run off line. By the time you’ve gathered your thoughts and opened the throttle again to chase him down, the revs have dropped too low. Your 600cc bike gulps hopelessly at air and fuel without making any forward progress, unaided by the stream of new swear words you’ve just invented. It takes you just two laps and you’re back on his numberplate, clearly lapping faster. You outbrake him into the next turn, only for 200hp to blast past on the start/finish straight and the whole debacle to kick off again. Screw this.

It’s easy to see the attraction of 1,000cc bikes on a trackday, particularly the latest breed of high-tech rocketships that let any old clown get on the gas hard from the apex with little more than a flashing TC light on the dash to worry about. You can be faster than most people on a trackday, simply by blasting down the straights really, really fast. Corner speed schmorner schmeed. But, as any 600 connoisseur will tell you, the corners are where it’s at. Getting your braking spot on, carrying
maximum speed through the apex, sniffing out the grip at maximum lean with the throttle and rattling off the outside kerb as you scream onto the next straight. On a 600 you’re constantly trying to squeeze every last drop of power out of it. On a thousand it’s trying to squeeze every last drop of sweat out of you as you fight to keep it in between the blurry green bits. Each has its own merits and charms, but can the 899 Panigale strike the perfect balance? And, at a track where 600s are nipping at the heels of the 1000s, can the Ducati come out on top?

To the track.

First up I’m out on the 899. This is the fi rst time I’ve ridden one on a UK track and Mallory is a far cry from the scorching hot Californian desert track I last rode the 899 at. The slow, 180 degree hairpin doesn’t play into the hands of the mini Panigale’s peaky engine, but its balance of stability and agility should shine through Gerard’s and the John Cooper Esses. After a session of fi guring out which gears fi t which turns, I head out in full attack mode. The Ducati’s poise and composure surprises me the bigger Panigale is a bike that you’d never use those words to describe, but the 899 feels rock solid.

With the traction control on the lowest setting, driving hard out of the 100mph turn one really is as simple as setting your line, winding the throttle back to the stop and ignoring the fl ashy light on the dash. Idiot-proof, speaking as an expert in that fi eld. On the downshifts, the Panny did lose its cool, cracking under the abuse thrown at it by Mallory’s all out assault on brakes. Dropping two gears for Edwina’s chicane, the rear tyre is chattering across the Tarmac like a cartoon cat sliding down stairs. With the ABS on the lowest setting, as soon as the rear starts to skip about, I can feel the interference of Herr Bosch through the front brake lever. Not enough to make me run on, but defi nitely suffi cient interference to tighten the underwear.

With the ABS taken out of the equation, I’m making the apex, but it’s not pretty. Coming into the hairpin, I’m trying to scrub the excess 100mph I’ve found myself with, while shifting down from fourth to fi rst. And cope with the bumps. I’m braking so hard, I let out an involuntary squeak as the rear wheel lifts, kicks sideways and brings the wall on the outside of the track into clear focus. I try the old Rossi dangly leg thing, hoping to get some extra deceleration from the soles of my boots. In reality it just made it look like I was crashing as I skipped and skittered my way to an apex lap after lap. By the time the session ends, the front brakes are juddering and pulsing in protest, the run up to the hairpin is littered with dots and dashes from the rear tyre and people are gathering at Edwina’s waiting to see the crash. Mallory is hell on brakes.

The Panigale uses a slipper clutch and electronic engine braking control (EBC) to control this corner entry nonsense. The EBC was on the lowest setting, cranking it up a notch did improve things, but it always felt like it was masking a slipper clutch that wasn’t quite slippery enough. I should point out that this was only really highlighted in the two slow corners; into turn one the EBC works perfectly, keeping things bang in line when it really counts. The contrast between braking for the hairpin and how the Ducati felt through the fast, sweeping corners was vast. Exiting Edwina’s, you take third,then immediately short-shift to fourth before pitching into the John Cooper Esses right hander with the slightest roll of the throttle.

Then it’s immediately back on the gas pausing momentarily as it slides over the bump before holding it on the stop fl icking left and then setting up for the braking up to the hairpin. It’s a busy, busy section of the track with not even enough space for punctuation. If a bike is going to shake its head, it’ll do it here as you flick from right to left, after a slide, over a crest and with the throttle wide open. The Ducati was rock solid all day, letting me push harder and harder through this section and still always get to the brakes in time for the hairpin. I stick in a couple more hard laps before two slides and a missed apex tell me the pits are calling.

I don’t got this

litre-bike time. I’m kinda rooting for the 899 here to be honest I love an underdog and the whole setup of this test was to try and prove that sometimes power isn’t everything. As I slide sideways across the track, forks bottomed on the brakes and rear tyre howling in progress, I’m convinced the S1000RR has not got this. Actually, I’m not so sure I have got this either. It feels like I’m riding a jet bike around a kart track; every time I touch the throttle for a second, the next corner leaps out in front of me. The entire lap of Mallory is spent either fighting to hold on to the bars or fighting to halve the stopping distance of a 185mph fence magnet. It was brilliant. And scary. But mainly brilliant. Where the 899 is singing in fifth past the pits, the Beemer just kisses fourth.

On the approach to the hairpin, the BMW is some 10mph up; 10mph that you really feel when you’re trying to scrub it off before the wall. Through the fast John Cooper Esses, I only have to roll off briefly on the 899, before holding it pinned until it’s time to brake. On the BMW, anything past half throttle has the rear sliding and the bike desperately trying to run you off the edge of the track. I thought this section felt frantic on the Ducati, that’s nothing compared to this. A couple of times, I miss the brake lever and have to go in for a second grab, sending me worryingly wide of the apex when I eventually get it slowed for the hairpin. The 899 is by no means a slow bike, but next to this it feels like a moped. Chad actually thought there was Something wrong with it, such was the contrast to the BMW’s wild speed.

Mid corner at Gerard’s is about the only spot where you get a let up on the BMW, it holds a line really nicely and steers a little sharper than the Ducati. Because it’s such a long turn, the mid corner speeds are pretty similar, but on the exit you have to wait slightly longer on the BMW before picking it up and firing down towards the chicane.

I had the ABS turned off on the BMW, but the standard setup still gives you a little rear brake pressure when you pull the front brake. That spells seriously sideways backing-in action ridiculously good fun, even if it doesn’t help the lap times. While the 1000 was more sideways than the 899, it was also a lot smoother, with none of the chattering or skitting about. Well, most of the time; get too aggressive with the brakes over the bumps and you can find yourself pendulum ing towards the turn like a rally car. As with the Ducati, within five hard laps, the BMW’s brakes were feeling the strain, with the lever eventually coming back to the bars and my having to sit out for a few laps in pit lane. Again, this is a bit of a peculiarity of Mallory park nowhere else in the UK has such aggressive braking zones with so little let up between them.

Conclusion

Man it sucks being proved wrong. I really thought the smaller capacity bike could pull one over on the powerhouse Beemer on this one. The last time British Superbikes was at Mallory Park using this circuit layout, the best Superbike race lap was a 51.5, 1.3 seconds under the fastest supersport lap of 52.8. In our test, using standard road bikes and road tyres, the BMW trumped the Ducati by 0.85 seconds. So the 899 has closed the gap but, all that German horsepower still stomped my theory into the gravel trap. If you want to go as fast as possible around any UK racetrack worth mentioning, then you need to ride a thousand. Or only ride on kart tracks. Hmm, S1000RR vs a supermoto around a kart track? Now there’s a group test we need to organize…

Of course, the numbers don’t show everything. Sure they’ll show which of a group of mates will go home with the bragging rights, but in terms of riding pleasure they miss the point. On these two bikes Mallory Park feels like two different circuits. I’m no Shakey Byrne, but I have raced at a pretty decent level and I still find myself clinging on to the BMW for grim death. As John is quick to point out, that’s because I’m trying to ride it to its very limits dial the pace back a notch as in Chad or John’s cases and it’s a nicer beast altogether. But the method of riding it is the same for anyone do
what you can to get the corners over and done with, before firing off along the next straight at warp speed. There is a real rush to riding the BMW hard and in between scaring the hell out of you, it makes you feel like a hero. The Ducati is the smooth, soothing flute melody to contrast the crashing drum solo of the litre bike. Instead of fighting to stay within the track limits, you’re working your lines and corner speed to use every inch of the track possible. A missed gear change is a lap time disaster. A missed apex and you’ve blown it. It teaches you the importance of precision, consistency and fine throttle control on the edge of the tyre. Thankfully, that power advantage over a 600, means only the well-ridden thousands will get past you on the straights.

  Ducati 899 Panigale  £12,495

Engine

Type: 898cc, liquid-cooled, V-twin, DOHC, Desmodromic valve actuation Bore x Stroke (mm): 100 x 57.2
Compression Ratio: 12.5:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection, elliptical throttle bodies, ride by wire
Transmission: six-speed, wet slipper clutch, hydraulic actuation, quick shifter
Final Drive: Chain

Chassis

Frame: Monocoque Aluminium
Front Suspension: Inverted 43mm big-piston fork, adjustable preload, rebound and compression damping, 120mm travel
Rear Suspension: Linkage-type monoshock, adjustable preload, rebound and compression damping, 130mm travel
Brakes: (F) Twin Brembo M4.32 Monobloc radial calipers, radial master cylinder, 320mm discs (R) Single 245mm disc, two-piston caliper
Tyres: Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa (F) 120/70-17 (R) 180/60-17

Geometry

Wheelbase: 1,426mm Head angle: 24 degrees
Trail: 96 mm Seat height: 830mm
Weight (claimed, 90% fuel load, ready to ride) 193kg
Fuel capacity: 17 litres

Performance

Peak power (Tested): 127.7bhp @ 11,062rpm
Peak torque (Tested): 86.8Nm @ 9,159rpm

Rider Aids

Customisable riding modes, power modes, ABS, multi-stage traction control, quick shifter, three-stage engine brake control, ride by wire

Typical Finance Cost

Deposit: £3,157.50
Duration: 37 months
Monthly: £149
Final Payment: £6,313

 BMW S1000RR Sport £13,735

Engine

Type: 999cc, liquid-cooled, inline four, DOHC, 16-valve Bore x Stroke (mm): 80 x 49.7
Compression Ratio: 13.0 : 1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection, ride by wire
Transmission: six-speed, wet slipper clutch,cable actuation, quick shifter
Final Drive: Chain

Chassis

Frame: Twin-spar cast aluminium Front Suspension: Inverted 46mm fork, adjustable preload,
rebound and compression damping, 120mm travelRear Suspension: Linkage-type monoshock, adjustable preload, rebound and high/low speed compression damping, 130mm travel

Brakes:  (F) Twin Brembo four-piston radial calipers, radial master cylinder, 320mm discs (R) Single 220mm disc, single-piston fl oating caliper

Tyres: Metzeler Racetec K3 (F) 120/70-17  (R) 190/55-17

Geometry

Wheelbase (A): 1,432mm 
Head angle (B): 23.9 degrees
Trail (E): 95.9 mm 
Seat height (C): 820mm
Weight (claimed, 90% fuel load, ready to ride): 204.5kg
Fuel capacity (D): 17.5 litres

Performance

Peak power (Tested): 185.3bhp @ 12,972rpm
Peak torque (Tested): 110.1Nm @ 10,536rpm

Rider Aids

Selectable riding modes, ABS, multi-stage traction control, quick shifter, ride by wire

Typical fi  nance cost

Deposit: £1775.37
Duration:  36 months
Monthly:  £199
Final Payment: £6,020.40