Ducati unveiled the Panigale V2 SP in Milan on 2 November, at an evening event ahead of EICMA's Tuesday trade opening, and it's the homologation model for the bike Ducati will race in World Supersport from next year. It starts life as a Panigale V2 S, then gets Öhlins suspension, a longer swingarm, lighter forged wheels and a dry clutch wrapped around the 120 CV Ducati V2. Ducati's launch release gives no full spec sheet, no price and no Australian arrival date. Here's what Ducati has confirmed, what the V2 S underneath already brings, and what we're still waiting to hear.
Quick stats
| Item | Ducati Panigale V2 SP |
|---|---|
| Price | Australia: not in Ducati's launch release, which gives no prices |
| Engine | 890 cc Ducati V2, a 90 degree twin with variable valve timing on the intake, in a Panigale V2 S with Öhlins suspension, a longer swingarm, lighter forged wheels and a dry clutch |
| Power | 120 CV (88 kW), with no rpm given for the SP so far |
| Torque | Not announced for the SP yet; the V2 S makes 93.3 Nm at 8,250 rpm |
| Weight | Not announced for the SP yet; Ducati's spec list gives the V2 S 175 kg kerb without fuel |
| Seat height | Not announced yet |
| Fuel capacity | Not announced yet |
| Arriving | Racing in World Supersport from 2027; Australia: not in Ducati's launch release, which names no markets |
| Colours | Not named yet; Ducati's press photos show a black bike with Ducati Corse lettering |
Why Ducati built a Panigale V2 SP
Ducati's own words are that the SP is there to bring the new-generation Panigale V2 into the FIM Supersport World Championship. In other words, the V2 SP is the road bike behind the race bike Ducati will line up on the grid from next year. Ducati says the SP badge goes back to its original meaning here: a production motorcycle built to prove parts that are meant for racing.
It was developed from the Panigale V2 S, and Ducati says it was refined with what it learned at the Lenovo V2 Future Champs Academy. That academy is a one-make trophy for young riders, set up by Ducati, Michele Pirro and Garage 51, with six rounds and three official tests. So the SP has had input from a real racing grid, not just a factory test track, which is about as honest a shakedown as a sports bike gets.
The V2 SP is one of three exclusive, limited-edition models Ducati showed at EICMA, alongside the Panigale V4 SP and the Streetfighter V4 SP. Ducati calls the two V4 models numbered series, but it hasn't said whether the V2 SP will be numbered or how many it will build. Its own summary is that the SP is "the most specialised supersport in the V2 family". In plain terms, it's the Panigale V2 for riders whose idea of a good weekend involves a pit board.
New to the series? Wikipedia's Supersport World Championship page is a handy primer on how the class works.
The twin it goes racing with
The engine is the Ducati V2 that arrived in the Panigale V2 and Streetfighter V2 for 2025. It's an 890 cc 90 degree twin with a 96 mm bore and a 61.5 mm stroke, and Ducati says it weighs 54.4 kg, which makes it the lightest twin the factory has ever built. That's 9.4 kg less than the Superquadro 955 it replaced.
In the V2 S it makes 120 hp at 10,750 rpm and 93.3 Nm at 8,250 rpm. Ducati quotes the SP at 120 CV, the same 120 its engine data gives in hp (88 kW), so on paper the SP isn't chasing more peak power. The rev limiter in fifth and sixth sits at 11,350 rpm.
The clever bit is IVT, Ducati's variable timing on the intake cam, which can shift the intake valve timing across a 52 degree range. Ducati says more than 70 per cent of peak torque is there by 3,000 rpm, and that torque never falls below 80 per cent between 3,500 and 11,000 rpm. For a rider, that means a twin that pulls from low down on the way out of a slow corner, then keeps going to the top of the tacho. We reckon that broad spread is worth more to a club racer than a handful of extra horses at the very top.
One surprise for Ducati traditionalists: the new V2 closes its valves with springs, not the desmodromic system Ducati is famous for. If you've ever wondered what all the desmo fuss is about, our explainer on Ducati's desmodromic valve system covers it. The upside of springs on a road bike is servicing, with the valve clearances checked every 45,000 km and the oil changed every 15,000 km.
Ducati already offers a racing exhaust in its track package for the Panigale V2, and with it fitted the 120 hp engine makes 126 hp at 10,000 rpm and 98 Nm at 8,250 rpm, with 4.5 kg less weight. That pipe is for track use, and if you're tempted to leave it on for the ride home, the NSW EPA's guide to noisy exhausts is worth a read first.
What the SP changes
Ducati has named the main changes, though not the numbers that go with most of them:
- Öhlins suspension
- a longer swingarm, for stability and precision
- lighter forged wheels
- a dry clutch, which lets you run Ducati Corse Performance Oil
- a current electronics package, plus a set of changes for agility, traction and control
Suspension and swingarm
The V2 S already wears an Öhlins NIX-30 fork and an Öhlins shock, so Öhlins on the SP isn't news on its own. Ducati hasn't said which Öhlins parts the SP gets or how they differ, and that's one of the first things we'd want to know.
The longer swingarm is more interesting. The standard Panigale V2 uses a double-sided swingarm styled on the Hollow Symmetrical Swingarm from the Panigale V4. Ducati has made a longer arm work on this platform before: the Streetfighter V2's swingarm is 30 mm longer than the Panigale V2's, which Ducati says keeps it stable at speed and in corners without a fairing. On the SP, Ducati says the longer arm is there for stability and precision, but it hasn't given the length. We reckon the payoff will be a calmer bike on the throttle out of corners, which is where a lot of Supersport races are decided.
Forged wheels
The V2 S rolls on cast wheels with Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres in a 120/70 front and a 190/55 rear. The SP swaps to lighter forged wheels. Ducati hasn't said who makes them or how much they save. Lighter wheels spin up and slow down more easily, so the bike should change direction with less effort and feel more eager under brakes and on the throttle.
The dry clutch and the oil
For Ducati fans, this is the headline change. The V2 engine runs an eight-disc wet slipper clutch in standard form. The SP gets a dry clutch, and Ducati says that's what allows the use of Ducati Corse Performance Oil.
That oil was developed by Ducati Corse with Shell, and it cuts friction by 10 per cent against the original Shell Advance 15W-50, Ducati says. The additive that does it only suits engines with a dry clutch, which is why a wet-clutch V2 can't use it. On the Panigale V4 R with its 2023 engine, Ducati quoted a gain of up to 3.5 hp. Ducati hasn't given a figure for the V2 SP, so don't go adding horses to the spec sheet just yet. The catch is that it's a track oil, with changes due every 1,000 km or 12 months.
Electronics
Ducati says the SP gets its latest electronics package, but hasn't listed what's new. For reference, the V2 S already has a six-axis IMU running cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, engine brake control and the Ducati Quick Shift 2.0, plus Ducati Power Launch and a pit limiter. It has four riding modes, Race, Sport, Road and Wet, on a 5-inch TFT dash. Expect the SP to build on that, not start again.
The Panigale V2's World Supersport titles
The Panigale V2 has already done the winning in World Supersport, just not in its new-generation form. The new V2 was due in dealers at the end of January 2025, so the title-winning bikes of 2023 and 2024 were the previous generation.
Nicolò Bulega won the 2023 title for Ducati, and Adrián Huertas followed with the 2024 crown, both for the Aruba.it Racing WSSP team. By the time he clinched it, Huertas had won 10 of 23 races, with 16 podiums and 8 pole positions. Ducati also took the 2024 Supersport manufacturers' title, its second in a row, with 18 race wins from three different riders by the time it was sealed.
Ducati counts the 2024 riders' crown as its third in the Supersport category, after Paolo Casoli's 1997 title on a 748 and Bulega's in 2023. That's the bar the V2 SP is built to reach with the new engine.
What we don't know yet
Ducati's launch material is short on hard numbers for this one. None of these is in it for the V2 SP:
- torque, and the rpm for its 120 CV
- weight, and whether it's a dry or kerb figure
- the Öhlins parts, the swingarm length and the wheel maker
- seat height and fuel capacity
- colours, though Ducati's press photos show a black bike with Ducati Corse lettering on the fairing
- whether it's numbered, and how many will be built
- prices, availability and markets
For a sense of where it starts, Ducati's spec list gives the Panigale V2 S a kerb weight of 175 kg without fuel, against 179 kg for the base V2. Forged wheels should take that lower on the SP, but until Ducati prints a number, it's a guess.
What the Ducati Panigale V2 SP means for Australian riders
Ducati's EICMA launch release gives no Australian pricing or timing for the Panigale V2 SP, so check with your Ducati dealer. The release names no markets, and the Australian edition of Ducati Media House had no V2 SP release when we checked on 3 November. We'll update this article once we've confirmed what's coming and what it costs.
When it does land, this is a bike for track days and club racing first. The dry clutch's best trick, the Performance Oil, is a closed-circuit product with short change intervals. Ducati said in June 2023 that the oil's distribution would extend to Australia in the following months, so ask your Ducati dealer whether it's on the shelf before you plan around it. If you spend more time on the highway than on the track, the regular Panigale V2 S might suit you better. Our article on the 2027 Ducati Panigale V4 covers the big brother, and you can browse Ducati motorcycles for sale right now.
If you'd rather be riding something sharp before the SP turns up, check out the sports bikes for sale on Bike Domain.
What to do next
Before you talk price with a dealer, get your ducks in a row. Our motorbike loan calculator will show what a new bike might cost each month, and if you're planning to trade up, listing your current bike early gives it time to sell. Buying used in the meantime? Our guide to buying a used motorbike walks you through the checks.
Sources
- Ducati, "Ducati unveils five new models and a preview at EICMA 2026", Ducati Media House, 2 November 2026 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Ducati, "Ducati presents the new Panigale V2 and Streetfighter V2", Ducati Media House, 5 November 2024 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Ducati, "New V2 engine: the lightest Ducati twin-cylinder", Ducati Media House, 31 October 2024 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Ducati, "Ducati Corse Performance Oil powered by Shell Advance: developed in racing to enhance the performance of Ducati super sports bikes", Ducati Media House, 27 June 2023 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Ducati, "Adrián Huertas writes a page in history by becoming World Supersport Champion for 2024", Ducati Media House, 19 October 2024 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Ducati, "Ducati Secures its Second Manufacturers' World Title in Supersport at Estoril", Ducati Media House, 12 October 2024 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Ducati, "Lenovo becomes Title Partner of the Lenovo V2 Future Champ Academy", Ducati Media House, 2 July 2026 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
- Ducati, Ducati Media House, Australia (EN) edition, latest releases, read 3 November 2026 (a manufacturer site, so not linked)
