Ducati 1198 R Corse Special Edition 2010 — Specifications

When Bologna decides to transform an already extreme object into something even more radical, the result goes well beyond the "marketing special edition" box. The 2010 1198 R Corse Special Edition is not a motorcycle dressed up to look good in a showroom. It is a statement of intent addressed to the rare riders capable of exploiting its potential, and whose bank account absorbs without flinching the €38,500 asking price.

The first thing that strikes you is the raw carbon on the fairing panels and front mudguard. No black paint to mimic the fiber, no adhesive film. The material speaks for itself, woven and gleaming under the spotlights. The two-millimeter brushed aluminum tank reinforces the feeling of dealing with something built for the track before being homologated for the road. The livery celebrates the Ducati Corse department and its Superbike titles, and Aldo Drudi, the man behind many paddock visual identities, signs the exclusive seat cover included in the pack. It is a detail, but it says a great deal about the ambition of the series.

Beneath this racing bodywork, the mechanics are those of the 1198 R, already positioned at the top of Ducati's hierarchy at the time. The 90-degree V-twin of 1198 cc, with its 106 mm bore and just 67.9 mm stroke, is designed for clean rev-building and massive torque. The 134.4 Nm arrives at just 7,750 rpm, giving the machine relative flexibility in road use. But it is the competition kit delivered as standard that truly changes the game: with the racing exhausts and dedicated mapping, 186 horsepower peaks at 9,750 rpm. Those 186 hp for 164 kg dry place the machine in a category where the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade and the Yamaha R1 of the same era were carrying 15 to 20 kg more for comparable power. The Ducati's power-to-weight advantage is not theoretical.

The chassis derived from the Superbike World Championship pairs an ALS 450 steel tubular trellis frame with a monocoque aluminum swingarm. Öhlins suspension equips both ends: a 43 mm inverted fork with TiN treatment up front, a fully adjustable TTXR monoshock at the rear. The Ducati Traction Control completes the electronic package. The 820 mm seat height and short 1,430 mm wheelbase signal an agile, demanding motorcycle that will not forgive imprecision on the exit of a fast corner. This is not a machine for beginners, and nobody at Ducati pretends otherwise.

The target audience here is very specific: the experienced rider who frequents circuits, who can read telemetry, and who is looking for a motorcycle capable of moving from road to paddock without major compromise. At €38,500 in 2010, the 1198 R Corse SE could not be justified economically against a standard 1198 S. It was justified by exclusivity, the purity of the object, and the idea that certain machines deserve to exist outside ordinary commercial logic. Ducati has always known how to sell that philosophy as well as its motorcycles.