The missing pieces in the 2023MY Ducati jigsaw are emerging bit-by-bit as we get closer to the first of the firm’s World Premiere episodes that will - over the coming weeks - reveal what the manufacturer has been working on over the last few months.
With seven episodes to look forward to - the first coming on 2nd September - each has been given a typically ambiguous title to leave some room for interpretation as to which new Ducati models are around the corner.
However, a bit of educated guesswork and a few dropped hints have helped paint a picture of the more significant episodes. So far, we are expecting a new Scrambler base from which numerous variants will spin-off after it was presented in secret at the recent World Ducati Week festival.
Now, the smart money is also on a Ducati Monster SP making its bow over the next few weeks as the latest version of the all-new generation, launched on the 900 platform in 2021.
With the name popping up in Australian registration/identification documents - according to Motorcycle.com - alongside its fellow ‘Monsters’, while there wasn’t much information to go on beyond the name, the ‘SP’ still says a lot in just two letters.
With the Ducati Streetfighter getting its SP variant in 2021 and the even more powerful 228bhp Ducati Panigale SP2 launched earlier this year, it would seem the Ducati Monster is the third model to get a similar treatment as a more track-day focused version of the naked.
If we were to base our expectations on Ducati’s approach with its other efforts, expect the Monster SP to have trimmed the weight, added top of the range component upgrades, a liberal using of lighter and stylish carbon fibre, exclusivity features and lots of those little tweaks Ducati does so well when it comes to squeezing more power and revs from its motorcycles.
As for which episode we can expect it, we’re going to guess ‘Ready for More?’, episode two.
Elsewhere, episode one is expected to herald the official launch of the Ducati MotoE project with its 2 September date coming on the eve of the 2022 MotoE World Cup finale.
The Italian firm will take over as the control supplier for the all-electric MotoGP-supporting series, but unlike the current Energica Ego+ model used, Ducati’s effort is an all-new sportsbike prototype more in line with the Grand Prix ethos.
