It goes without saying that Ducati has long been synonymous with racing success. The Italian manufacturer has pretty much set the benchmark, particularly with its Desmosedici race bike, which pioneered the Desmodromic V4 engine which we’re now seeing both on and off the race track.
Truly, the Ducati Desmosedici is largely responsible for the current crop of Ducati V4-powered machines, with many considering it as the holy grail of racing bikes. Some of the world’s greatest racers, including Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner, piloted this machine to victory. In doing so, they cemented their names, as well as that of Ducati, within the annals of MotoGP history.
Unsurprisingly, Ducati Desmosedicis have been known to fetch some hefty sums of cash at auction. And so, you can probably imagine how much an actual race-used Ducati Desmosedici would sell for.
Well, at least, now you have an idea, because not one, but two Desmosedicis were recently sold by Iconic Auctioneers during a recent auction held at Silverstone.
The bikes are a Ducati Desmosedici GP3 and a Desmosedici GP7 piloted by Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner, respectively. Together, both bikes raked in more than $700,000 USD, proving just how much these things are worth.
The first bike, Capirossi’s GP3, is particularly interesting as it was Ducati’s first-ever four-stroke factory racing machine for the MotoGP. The Italian racer would soon secure Ducati’s first victory in the premier league at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in 2003.
The Desmosedici GP3 is, for all intents and purposes, a raw, cutting-edge machine, even by today’s standards. It was powered by a 989cc V4 engine, delivering more than 220 horsepower. It’s a bike that arguably set the stage for Ducati’s V4-powered range that would become commercially available more than a decade later.
This particular bike sold for an eye-watering 237,500 Euros, or about $263,000 USD, and seems to have actually been used by its previous owner on track, as it also features some modern-day modifications. Capirossi’s bike has been decked out with upgrades like traction control, as well as carbon disc brakes. According to the auction site, the bike is in perfect running condition, and is ready to hit the track.
The second bike was a 2007 Ducati Desmosedici GP7, and was a bike that was piloted by none other than Casey Stoner. Even more impressively, this was the actual bike the Australian rode when he took his first MotoGP World Championship title.
The bike was meticulously restored with original Ducati parts by specialist Dave Allenby, and boasts the 799cc V4 engine with more than 220 ponies on the back wheel. It fetched even more money that Capriossi’s bike, raking in 475,000 Euros, or about $526,000 USD, at auction.
Now, it wasn’t mentioned whether the bikes were sold to just one individual as a pair, or if they were acquired by separate buyers. But whatever the case may be, it’s certain that whoever purchased these bikes should be grinning from ear to ear to have them in their collection.
These two bikes are more than just racing machines; they’re living pieces of racing history that clearly flaunt technology that was way ahead of its time. And for the truest, most die-hard Ducatisti, having bikes like these as part of their collections is the closest thing to being part of Ducati’s racing heritage.
