So what kind of records are we talking about? Well how does the first normally-aspirated Ducati to get into the eights in the quarter (Best E.T. 8.73 at 152.81) and hitting a one-way run of 172.218 at Bonneville sound for only a 750cc engine sound? I’d say not bad at all as the drag strip is more of a testing area for the Bonneville runs to come. That top speed so far is against a 167.824mph A-F class (Special construction-Modified engine) record so all the boys gotta do is turn it around and do it again and they’re in the record books. Yeah, that’s always easier said than done at Bonneville, but this is a hard working, first-class operation so I have no doubts they’ll be having a champagne toast soon or what ever they do at Bonneville when a record’s broken.

  What it’s taken to get there involves basically changing everything that this Ducati once was. The wheelbase has been extended ten-inches and it sits low, very low in a chassis that Bologna (Ducati’s home, not the meat product) had nothing to do with. Motorcycle Performance’s Fred Weege has massaged every part of this engine until it puts out 200hp at the rear wheel. This is not an air-cooled Desmo engine, although it is in drag racing guise. After racing at Bonneville, they pull all the cooling system and plumbing off along with 80-pounds of ballast, exchange a 22-pound BMW battery for one weighing under two, install a slipper clutch that can be adjusted for getting out of the hole better, remove the streamlined front fender for a small, lighter one and a bunch of other things until it weighs 370-pounds dry. Motorcycle Performance’s head cheese, Bill Whisenant, oversees all of the work including the made-in-house frame and exhaust, while the tank and bodywork is by Jacki Whisenant. JW Lettering laid down the House of Kolor deep burgundy and orange paint and graphics. Meanwhile, MP’s Nick Moore takes care of the wheels, tires, brakes, and suspension and handles the riding duties at both venues. I’d say he’s got the best job of the lot.   

   All in all, Motorcycle Performance is proving their company’s name says it all. They also run another Ducati in the APS-BG class (Special construction/partial streamlining-supercharged engine on gasoline) that’s already hit 212.959 which they hope to hit 221 with to be the world’s fastest Ducati. For more info on what they’re up to, please visit www.motorcycleperf.com.