Celebrating Ducati’s centenary at the Festival of Speed

The Ducati story began with post-war efforts to help mobilise Italy as cheaply as possible. But the market quickly shifted, with greater demand for faster, sportier machines that set the tone for the Ducati we know today.

A diverse spread of Ducati’s racing machines was taken up the Hill by a roll-call of championship-winning riders, stopping off at Goodwood House for a Balcony Moment to reminisce about the Italian marque’s many successes in motorsport. Legendary bikes amid the field included the 916, which is not just one of the best Ducatis but also one of the best sports bikes of all time.

The Massimo Tamburini penned Ducati 916 is a masterpiece of design, with its single-sided swing arm, trellis frame and under-seat exhaust - it looks fast when it’s standing still. And when it’s not standing still, it’s often going fast. Launched in 1993, between 1994 and 1998 it won four Superbike World Championships, three in the hands of Carl Fogarty and one with Troy Corser.

Proving that Ducati has consistency as well as talent, the much more recent Panagale V4R is another top-drawer offering from the back catalogue. Its 998cc Desmosedici V4 engine produces 243PS (178kW), while it’s every bit as agile as you’d hope.

It would be mad to list every single Ducati model that’s here and its significance in the Ducati story - you’d be reading this story for several hours. But we think the range of motorcycles on display does a very good job of illustrating the company’s story. Here’s to Ducati’s next 100 years.

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Photography by Sam Milton and Tom Baigent.