Ducati Eyes Endurance World Championship After BMW’s Title Win: “We’re Interested”

BMW’s Endurance World Championship title broke a taboo: it was the first time a European manufacturer had won. If the Germans could do it, why couldn’t Ducati? That is the idea taking hold among the decision-makers in Borgo Panigale.

For decades, the EWC had been the preserve of Japanese manufacturers, who ruled the roost thanks to their experience, reliability and mature technology. The German company’s success now raises an inevitable question: could other European manufacturers decide to develop their own factory-backed programs?

Ducati is no stranger to Endurance racing. In fact, it was in this very arena, in the mid-1980s, that the spark was lit for the string of Superbike triumphs that followed. But there is no need to look back decades: more recently, Borgo Panigale has also made its mark on the FIM World Endurance Championship, coming close to some remarkable results. Take the 2022 Bol d'Or, when the Panigale V4 entered by satellite team ERC came within a whisker of victory. After taking the lead in the middle of the night, the bike suffered a clutch basket problem just one hour before the chequered flag, extinguishing its chances of winning the most prestigious 24-hour race. The following year, with the same lineup, everything went up in smoke after just one hour of racing.

The latest version of the Panigale V4 R, homologated this year and featuring a new twin-sided swingarm, has already shown the full potential of its Superbike—not only in the WorldSBK Championship, but also in national and continental series such as the British Superbike Championship (BSB), IDM/Euro Moto, the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), Australia’s ASBK and the Japanese championship. Endurance would be the icing on the cake.

"It’s a championship we’re keeping an eye on. We’re interested," Superbike manager Marco Zambenedetti told Speedweek. His words should not be taken as an announcement: for now, there is no timeline for a possible debut.

Ducati has stayed out of the EWC so far because of the racing department’s priorities. "This year we had a completely new project and a lot of riders. In the end, we had to focus on the World Superbike project," the Italian engineer explained. Developing the new 2026 Panigale V4 R absorbed the available resources. "We needed to get to know the bike better and find out what was possible. It was too early to enter another championship."

Zambenedetti was also clear about the immediate future: "Our focus was on the World Superbike Championship, but the EWC is on our radar. So far, though, we don’t have any concrete plans." So there is no firm project yet, but the underlying interest is there.

Building a team from scratch is out of the question; the costs would be enormous. A more realistic option would be to rely on a team with an established track record in Endurance, but all the top teams are already aligned with the competition. It is hard to make the numbers add up because the championship has inherent weaknesses: just four races, almost entirely centered in Europe, and a second-tier promoter following the departure of entertainment giant Discovery. Endurance is also virtually invisible on TV.

For Ducati, Endurance could be worth far more than a few extra wins or titles. Few series offer such a clear way to demonstrate the combination of peak performance and technical reliability. In Superbike, speed over relatively short distances is what matters most, whereas in the EWC, bikes have to withstand the strain of racing for 8 or 24 hours, putting the engine, gearbox, chassis and electronics to the test.

BMW’s success has shown that a European manufacturer can also prevail in a world championship dominated by the Japanese. Whether and when Ducati decides to take up the challenge remains to be seen: for now, the Panigale V4 R remains focused on Superbike.

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