Ducati can do very well in Britsh Superbike, where the tracks tend to be tighters and more curvy. In those instances, the 4-cylinders have to stay revved-down and don't get away as well out of corners like a twin can thumping along in its midrange at 6000 revs.
That, and if Ducati is getting the horsepower figures out of their bikes they claim to, then I'd say they've pretty much tapped out the flow of power from a v-twin.
If Bayliss can get out in front, he can walk away from the pack like he is on a light-speed machine. So I think DUcati's U.S. effort just isn't up to the challenge. And like we all know, Ducati is about the image--If they are losing, so is their image.
Besides, if you have ever sat on a Ducati, they feel cheap--at least to me. The base model 999 ($17,000) feels really cheap and looks so damn plain it isn't funny. The top-of-the-line 999R ($32,000) feels little different and is quite plain underneath the fanfare of "Ducati red" paint and miscellaneous WSBK decals. Aprilia is where it is at in Italy!
The next we'll see of Ducati will probably be with them unvailing a new 4-cylinder machine.
-J
