Ducati V4 Streetfighter to debut at Pikes Peak 2019

When Officine GP Design had shown the limited-number Ducati Panigale V4 concept, enthusiasts the world over lusted after it. It seems that the brand has heard their prayers, and then some, with a 14-second video on their Facebook page.

Dubbed the Ducati Pikes Peak Prototipo (prototype in Italian), the bike was earlier spotted testing at the Chuckwalla Valley Raceway in Desert centre, California. The bike was probably being readied for its attempt at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, where it will be piloted by Carlin Dunne, who has already notched four wins over the past eight years at the event, mostly astride the Multistrada 1200.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, also called the Race to the Clouds, is an annual race held on a 19.9 km course up Pikes peak in Colorado, USA. Consisting of 156 corners, the race ends at the summit, at an altitude of 4,300 metres. The race is self-sanctioned (which means it does not come under the purview of the FIA or FIM) and is operated by the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Education Museum, an American non-profit organisation that promotes motorsport technology. The race has been taking place since 1916.

And, speaking about keeping a good thing going, Ducati will bring back to life the ‘Streetfighter’ moniker, as the road-going version of the bike will be called the V4 Streetfighter. Powering the V4 Streetfighter will be the Panigale V4’s 1103cc motor, but it will be tuned for street use, which means an output of about 180bhp, which is par for the course, considering that it will go up against the likes of the Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory and the MV Agusta Brutale Serie Oro.