Aussie Superbikes

[Sabre Brian]

Where's the bloody Ducatis???

I went out to Qld Raceway to watch the Superbikes yesterday and it was an awesome day of racing,
but why are the top local racing classes getting shunned by Ducati?
They had 125GP bikes, 250 proddies, 600s, 1000 Prostock and Superbike, and there was not a single
Duc on display in any class.  No Aprillia in the top class either, just one that broke down in the Prostock class.

My first love of Ducati came watching Scott Doohan punching around Lakeside on one about 20 years ago, while Troy
Corser was on a Winfield Honda and Robby Phyllis was still racing locally on a Kawasaki. 

Has our local comp got so crap that Ducati don't even think it is worth contesting?

[The Don]

Or is the Ducati so crap that it's not worth racing?

[brad black]

the au rules are not wsbk rules.  moto logic tried with them in 2010 or 2011?, went back to Honda after 1 season.  i'd say it's a money thing, as in not enough to spend to make it worthwhile.  nfi used to pour a lot of money into ddt, for little result both on and off track.

[Sabre Brian]

Don the Panigale is competitive in WSBK.  Carlos will be at the pointy end once he is fit again and the other guys are in the top ten, and La Marra and Canepa are both at the top of the ladder (2nd and 3rd) in the Superstock Championship.

Could be a money thing like Brad says, but surely the promotional value of seeing them running around with the best Australia has to offer would be worth a few bucks to Ducati.  Let alone the TV time.

[brad black]

unfortunately no one goes to Australian sbk meetings, and I haven't seen it on tv at all.  but if nfi saw benefit in it, they'd be there.  they're not, and it's all to do with money.

I think return wise it was better for them to support an aust rider into the world series than spend the money racing locally, from what I got told when I was working at a dealership.

[Sabre Brian]

I gotta admit.  I don't think Qld Raceway will be doing any multi-million dollar upgrades based on the crowds out there on the weekend.  It was a modest attendance at best, but having said that, I never heard a single TV or Radio commercial for it anywhere, and when I posted a picture from out there on my Facebook page, a lot of my bike mates posted saying they didn't know it was on.  I only knew it was on because I watched a round on Foxtel and decided to check out when they were coming to QR, and that was about 3 weeks before the event.

Every race is televised but it is on Foxtel, not free to air.

[koko64]

Brad. I've still got my DDT cap from 1996 .