Ducati hail their new V4 SP2 as the 'ultimate racetrack machine'

Ducati have unveiled the £34,295 V4 SP2, which they say it’s the pinnacle of track performance for mere mortals like us.

Built on the 1103cc V4 Desmosedici Stradale from the V4S, rather than the 1000cc V4R, the SP2 has been designed to be as fast as possible, while remaining user friendly for people who don’t currently race in WSB.

Just what is so special about the SP2? It’s dripping in lightweight, go faster parts.

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The biggest single weight loss comes from the carbon fibre wheels but there’s also a carbon front mudguard, raw carbon wings and machined Rizoma footpegs (with carbon heelguards naturally).

Ducati are so obsessed with weight loss, they’ve even fitted the SP2 with a WSB spec 520 chain. The result is a 5kg weight reduction over a stock V4S, which is no porker itself.

The engine is virtually unchanged from the 2022 V4S, which means it has 212.5bhp on tap (a 1.5bhp increase on last year).

If you want to go completely berserk you can fit the titanium Akrapovic, which will unlock another 12bhp and lose you 5kg on the scales. Sadly it will also lose you £5k from your wallet at the same time.

The only ‘upgrade’ from the stock motor in the V4S is an STM-EVO dry clutch, which Ducati says has an improved ‘anti-hop’ function on aggressive downshifts compared to the standard model. If you want to muck about further Ducati even offer different spring stiffnesses, so you can tune the amount of mechanical engine braking.

Naturally if you want to hear the full dry clutch rattle, the bike comes with a track kit that that includes an open carbon clutch cover (alongside some other covers if you remove the numberplate hanger and mirrors).

Being an S model it carries over the semi-active Öhlins electronics suspension and other top spec kit but there’s a boost to the braking system courtesy of a pair of Brembo Stylema R calipers and an MCS radial master cylinder. Ducati have even gone to the trouble of milling the ends of the brake and clutch levers to reduce their air resistance.

If you’re wondering how much faster this bike will make you on track then you’ll be able to answer that question yourself. The SP2 comes with Ducati’s GPS logger and data analyser as standard, offering you real time feedback as to how far off the pace you really are.

Lastly no fancy bike is complete without a fancy paintjob, with Ducati opting for a ‘winter test livery’, which is basically matt black with some red accents and a Ducati Corse logo. There are some nice touches – unique seat, brushed tank – but being honest we wish it was just in some other lovely colour, like ooh, red?

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2022 Ducati Panigale V4S video review: