Ducati Panigale 959- Ignore That Number, This Is As Superbike As It Gets

On track or off it, the Ducati 959 Panigale sets the pulse racing

- Abhinav Mishra

On the straights, I am almost deafened by the L-twin’s scream. A quick glance at the instrument gauge, and I see that the bike has already crossed the 220kph mark. Shifting my gaze back to the asphalt, I see a hairpin coming up. Downshifting quickly from fifth to third, I pull the brake lever, and the bike starts decelerating to 120kph. I shift my body to the right as I tackle the hairpin at 90kph.

The Chang International Circuit, in Thailand, is a 4.5km-long track that has fast straights and tight corners and I’m here sampling Ducati’s latest track tool the 959 Panigale. The Chang Circuit in Buriram is host to events like the World Touring Car Championship and the World Superbike Championship, to name a few, so my work is cut out for me I must push this bike to its limits. It’s a task I know I will enjoy.

After the hairpin, there’s no time to waste. There’s a gap between me and the bike ahead and I open the throttle once again, and the 959 quickly climbs to 180kph. I’m not a fan of bikes loaded with so much tech, but at this moment I am loving the quick-shifter. This means I don’t have to get off the throttle every time I shift up. Soon, I’m back in fifth, gunning it on the straight again. There’s a left-hander approaching and I shut the throttle to downshift. The 959 doesn’t come with a downshift-assist function, so shifting down requires the good old technique of getting off the gas, pressing the clutch, and then tapping on the gear lever.

Quick downshifts mean there’s dollops of torque coming from the crank to the rear wheel. The good thing is I don’t have to worry about this unsettling the 959 in any way a slipper clutch is taking care of business so I can lose speeds as the Panigale dives effortlessly into the corner. Thanks to the tech on board, I feel like a pro at this moment.