5 Special Edition Ducati Panigale Bikes Celebrate the 2023 Racing Season's Champions

It was not long ago when the final races of this season ended, and it was then when Ducati became the first bike maker in the world to win both the MotoGP and WorldSBK competitions two seasons in a row, with Francesco Bagnaia and his Desmosedici GP bike taking the crown in the former, and Álvaro Bautista snatching the title in the second. Why, Ducati even won the WorldSSP racing series.

As you might imagine, Ducati makes a big fuss about its accomplishments, and this past weekend it brought its factory riders, their bikes, and scores of fans to the Unipol Arena in Bologna and the surrounding streets for a hell of a party.

For the true fans of the Italian bike maker, the celebration, however, manifests itself best through the release of the Panigale 2023 Replica line of motorcycles, limited edition runs meant to celebrate Ducati's record-breaking season.

There are five model lines, each dedicated to the bikes and riders that have brought glory to Borgo Panigale this year, and all are based on the Panigale line of motorcycles. Needless to say, all five special bike series are also highly limited, thus a collector's item.

First on the list is the Panigale V2 Bulega 2023 World Champion Replica, a bike that takes after the one ridden by Nicolò Bulega to the title in the WorldSSP series. Dressed in the same red and black livery sported this year by the Aruba.it Racing team, it comes with Ohlins suspension and steering damper, Akrapovic racing silencers (fitted not only as décor but also to increase hp by 2.5 percent and torque by two percent over the stock V2), and a lithium-ion battery.

Carbon fiber elements on the fenders and the guards for the chain, clutch, swingarm, and shock absorber are paired with a number plate and mirror delete that take the machine as close to its racing sibling as possible.

Ducati says there will be only 111 Panigale V2 Bulega 2023 World Champion Replica motorcycles ever made.

And now come the four special edition motorcycles based on the Panigale V4S. Each of them comes with stuff like a nine-disk dry clutch, Akrapovic silencers, Brembo braking hardware, and racing-version plexiglass up front.

The list opens with the replica tribute to the Desmosedici GP two-wheeler ridden by Marco Bezzecchi for the Mooney VR46 team. Called Panigale V4 Bezzecchi 2023 Racing Replica, it wears the team's yellow and black livery. Production in the case of this bike is limited to just 72 units.

A slightly bigger production run than both of the bikes above is planned for the Panigale V4 Martin 2023 Racing Replica. It too a nod to the Desmosedici GP, but the one raced by Jorge Martín for the Prima Pramac team, it comes in the crew's official colors but also wears a carbon fiber fender. Ducati will make 189 of these babies.

Up next is the Panigale V4 Bautista 2023 World Champion Replica, which wears the yellow livery of the Panigale V4 R ridden by Alvaro Bautista. Aside from the paint job, the bike also features a brushed aluminum fuel tank, Marchesini forged aluminum wheels, and carbon fiber winglets. 219 of these bikes should hit the roads in the coming months.

There is no doubt the cherry on this special edition motorcycle cake is the Panigale V4 Bagnaia 2023 World Champion Replica dedicated, how else, to MotoGP winner Francesco Bagnaia. It too comes in yellow, a color Ducati describes as the most exclusive livery of the 2023 season, and it will be produced in the highest number of all five bikes, namely 263 units.

All of the above is just the general description of each of the five bikes, the most important bits, if you will. The details below are however what make each of them truly special.

First up, no matter who the bike is meant to celebrate, each of them will wear their respective rider's autograph on the fuel tank. The racing numbers that were worn during track combat are also featured on each of the models: 63 for Bagnaia, 19 for Bautista, 89 for Martin, 72 for Bezzecchi, and 11 for Bulega.

All five models will only be available in a single-seat configuration, with their respective rider's logo inscribed on them. The name of the model and its progressive number are featured by means of laser engraving on a billet aluminum steering plate. To top it all off, a dedicated key and animation for the dashboard when the bikes are powered up are also included in the package.

Ducati does not say how much each of the special models is worth but says it will hand out each of them to their respective buyers complete with a certificate of authenticity, with the bikes shipped inside a wooden packing case with dedicated graphics. A dedicated cover for each of the two-wheelers is also thrown into the package.