Ducati Panigale V4 SP 2027: neutral below first and carbon wheels
Ducati's numbered V4 SP is built for track day riders: a racing gearbox with Neutral Lock, a dry clutch, carbon wheels and WorldSBK aero.
3 min readItalyBy PitPin Desk
A numbered series aimed at track days
Ducati unveiled the Panigale V4 SP MY27 in Milan on 2 November, ahead of EICMA. The press release calls it a numbered series for track enthusiasts, built on the new Panigale V4 MY27 with parts taken from WorldSBK and MotoGP. Ducati UK lists it at £38,195, with 218 hp, 120.6 Nm and 188 kg wet without fuel.
Neutral below first gear
The gearbox is the Ducati Racing Gearbox with Neutral Lock. Neutral sits below first rather than between first and second. Ducati says this removes the risk of losing engine braking when you go down to first for a slow corner, and it makes shifts between first and second quicker. Neutral Lock stops neutral being selected while riding.
The rev limit goes up by 500 rpm to 15,000 rpm in second to fifth gear, and the final drive is longer. Ducati says both mean fewer gear changes through the technical parts of a lap. Power is up by 2 hp at high revs, according to the US product page.
Dry clutch and a racing chain
An STM EVO-SBK dry clutch replaces the wet unit. The US page says it gives a more effective anti-hop function and lets you tune mechanical engine braking with secondary springs. With Ducati Corse Performance Oil, which the dry clutch allows, Ducati quotes up to 3.5 hp more. A DID ERV7 520 racing chain is 0.140 kg lighter than the chain on the V4 S.
Carbon wheels, ride height and brakes
The five split-spoke carbon wheels save 0.95 kg over the V4 S forged wheels: 0.25 kg at the front and 0.70 kg at the rear. On the US page, rotational inertia is down 12% at the front and 19% at the rear.
Suspension is Öhlins Smart EC 3.0 with a hydraulic preload adjuster. A new adjustable link rod, taken from the Panigale V4 R, moves rear ride height by up to 5 mm either way without touching preload. The Brembo MCS radial master cylinder has a remote adjuster.
Brake electronics for the track
Race Brake Control adds Track PRO and Track Expert modes. A Post Run function holds some pressure in the rear brake after you release the front. Dynamic Engine Brake has five levels, and two of them use the rear brake automatically.
WorldSBK aero and sidepods
The wings are the package homologated for WorldSBK. They are 20 mm wider than on the Panigale V4 and give 25% more downforce at 270 km/h, or an extra 6 kg at 300 km/h. The Corner Sidepods come from the Panigale V4 R. Ducati says they work at high lean angles and let the rider carry more speed on a tighter line.
The clip-ons can be set 10 mm higher, a position Ducati reserves for track use only. The billet aluminium footpegs are adjustable and convert quickly to a reverse shift pattern. The Akrapovič PRO full racing exhaust, taken from the Panigale V4 R, is available for the SP, and Ducati says it adds 11 hp.