Ducati to build road-going replicas of S4 race bikes

Ducati is to launch a new version of its Monster S4 race bikes to coincide with the debut of the one-make race series this season.

Retailing at £9500 each bike will come with nearly £3000 worth of extras for just £1800 more than the list price of a stock S4.

" With the specifications essentially the same as the race bike, these will be very special Monsters, " said Ducati UK managing director Piero Guidi at the MCN Ally Pally show in London.

As well as all the road kit each bike will come with carbon fibre Termignomi race pipes, a carbon-fibre belly pan that doubles up as an oil catch tray, steering damper, rear sets, carbon-fibre pillion seat cover, Regina chain, Pirelli tyres, carbon fibre heel guards and front fairing as well as a complete sticker kit so you can make your bike look like a racer.

Pipes and a chip boosts power by about 7bhp to 108bhp.

Ducati also announced that GSE Racing, the team which runs Neil Hodgson in WSB, will prepare each one of the race bikes for the Monster Challenge, which will run at 10 British superbike races during 2002.

Racers will pay £15,000 plus VAT at the start of the season to cover all race fees, consumables and preparing the bike. Ducati will transport all the bikes to the circuits and riders will pull a key out of a hat to select their bike before each race. All racers have to do is turn up and ride. At the end of the year riders keep one of the machines.