Ducati Superbikes restricted? Ahead of the World Championship, Euro Moto is already embroiled in controversy

Starting next year in the Superbike World Championship, the performance equalization system for the various bikes on the grid will return, combined with the current (and debated) fuel flow meter, by reducing engine revs.

Cuts here and there of 500 rpm, with details to be revealed later. In fact, this system is still in force in several national and international championships, such as Euro Moto (formerly IDM), which is under fire for a BoP (Balance of Performance) that this weekend at Assen removed 500 rpm from the points leader’s Ducati Panigale V4 R, the reigning champion (and recent wild card winner of CIV Superbike Race 2 at Misano) Lukas Tulovic.

The Borgo Panigale manufacturer is represented in Euro Moto Superbike by the Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt team, fielding our Lorenzo Zanetti and, indeed, Lukas Tulovic. The latter, with full merit and credit, has revived his career prospects after a challenging stint in Moto2, being crowned last year’s IDM Superbike Champion. Carrying that momentum into a happy 2025, in the first four rounds (Sachsenring, Brno, Most and Oschersleben) he has taken 6 wins and a second place in the 8 races held so far, building a 44.5-point lead in the standings over Marcel Schrotter (GERT56 BMW), and 61.5 over the returning multi-time series champion Markus Reiterberger (Masteroil Alpha Van Zon BMW).

This streak prompted an initial BoP review, as stipulated by the current regulations communicated at the start of 2026. Beginning with the fifth round this weekend at the TT Circuit Assen, the Panigale V4 R machines have had 500 rpm removed, dropping from 16,100 to the current 15,600. While contemplated by Euro Moto’s regulations, this has caused more than a few issues for the Moser family’s outfit. To remove these 500 rpm from the new Panigale V4 R with proprietary electronics, it can effectively only be done with direct intervention from the manufacturer. With all the associated costs.

For this reason, in recent days the Triple M Ducati Frankfurt team had floated the possibility of not lining up this weekend at Assen. Lukas Tulovic himself, who then went into a media blackout (he will not speak throughout the weekend), didn’t exactly mince words in a social media post. "Having won the last four races, and due to an alleged superiority of the Ducatis over the other bikes, they took 500 rpm away from us. However, we can’t do that simply by pressing a button, so if we don’t find a solution I’ll have to stay home."

In the end, a solution for Tulovic’s and Zanetti’s V4 Rs was found without manufacturer intervention or “remapping” the ECU. Simply put, they comply with the new 15,600 rpm limit… “by sight”! A warning light on the dashboard signals when they are approaching this limit, with riders ordered not to exceed it. As soon as they see the red light, they roll off or meter the throttle accordingly. Compliance with the current limit will then be verified by the stewards through data acquisition, with immediate disqualification if, at any time during practice and/or races, the aforementioned Panigale V4 Rs exceed the new engine speed limit set by the regulations.

As expected, in the initial sessions at Assen the Ducatis felt the impact a bit, with Lukas Tulovic fifth and Lorenzo Zanetti tenth, trailing a dominant Twan Smits on home turf with his Apreco Yamaha R1, ahead of the aforementioned Marcel Schrotter and Markus Reiterberger, both on BMWs. Two races loom uphill, with the Ducati riders forced to watch the cockpit more than focus on the on-track scrap...