From a press release issued by Ducati:
DUCATI 999R FILA
200 victories in the World Superbike Championship
200 999R FILA: a winning emotion
Misano Adriatico, June 20th 2003 – Ducati introduces today at the Santamonica racetrack the limited-edition Ducati 999R FILA to celebrate 200 wins in the World Superbike Championship. Only 200 units of the new bike in the official livery of Team Ducati Fila 2003 will be available.
Top level components, sophisticated aerodynamics and a winning tradition, the 999R FILA offers all “ducatisti” the chance to experience the same emotions as the Ducati factory riders on the track.
The F03 racing Superbike was in fact designed simultaneously with the 999R road version, thus guaranteeing the right characteristics to turn a high-performance machine into a race bike.
200 Ducati wins have been reached in 16 years of racing in the World Superbike Championship, and the current leader of the series Neil Hodgson is one of 18 riders to have won riding a twin-cylinder from Borgo Panigale. The 200th win for Ducati was achieved by the British rider on May 18, 2003 on the Monza circuit with the Ducati 999F03, while the 100th Ducati victory went to Carl Fogarty in Austria in 1995. After achieving this prestigious goal there were even more wins to come: the Ducati 999 won again at Oschersleben in Germany two weeks later, allowing Hodgson to equal the record of 9 World Superbike wins in a row.
The 999R FILA, available in exactly the same colours as the Ducati 999F03 that races in the World Superbike Championship, and the Fila-Ducati clothing collections reflect the great sporting tradition and “made in Italy” spirit shared by the two companies.
Specifications:
Sporting the same graphics as the Team Ducati-Fila 999 F03 bikes, the new Ducati 999R FILA becomes even more stylish and aggressive.
The 999R FILA powered by the 139 HP 999cc Testastretta (with 104 mm bore instead of the 100 mm bore of the 999 and 999S models) features:
* Forged racing wheels: straight from Ducati Corse, they have a much better stiffness/weight ratio
* Radial brake pump and callipers for higher rigidity between the calliper and its mounting point. This improves the general efficiency of the braking system.
* Fully adjustable Titanium nitride coated (Tin) upside-down Ohlins fork with radial calliper mounting. Allows the rider to adjust the suspension to suit individual riding styles or road conditions. The titanium-nitride stanchion treatment (as used in racing forks) minimises friction and improves overall suspension efficiency. Truly the best for racing performances.
* Headlight assembly in magnesium alloy, a racing material used to make the overall bike lighter
* Fairing entirely made from carbon fiber, a light, strong material which reduces the overall weight and gives the bike a unique racing look.
* Red frame
* Black rear frame
* Personalised graphics
* Two-colour wheels (front: red, rear: blue).
The bike comes with a Racing Kit including:
* a cat-free race exhaust system, using a special 102 Db no-cat exhaust mono-silencer and a front cylinder no-cat exhaust middle section. The overall exhaust is 3 kg lighter than the standard system. With a specially remapped CPU (included) the bike will achieve a higher power output.
* rear stand
* bike cover
All the bikes built for the European and world markets, complete with numbered plates and authenticity certificates, can be booked at your local Ducati Store or Ducati Dealer.
HODGSON TAKES DUCATI’S 200th WIN
Ducati’s 200 wins come in 16 years of World Superbike racing and Neil is one of 18 riders to win on a twin-cylinder machine from the Borgo Panigale factory. Carl Fogarty scored Ducati’s 100th win in Austria in 1995 with a Ducati 916 bearing the #1 in honour of his championship win the previous year, while fellow Brit Hodgson has now taken Ducati’s 200th win at Monza with the #100 plate.
The full list with number of wins is as follows:
Carl Fogarty (GB) 55
Doug Polen (USA) 26
Raymond Roche (FRA) 23
Troy Bayliss (AUS) 22
Troy Corser (AUS) 16
Giancarlo Falappa (ITA) 13
Pierfrancesco Chili (ITA) 11
Neil Hodgson (GB) 10
Ben Bostrom (USA) 7
John Kocinski (USA) 5
Ruben Xaus (ESP) 2
Mauro Lucchiari (ITA) 2
Marco Lucchinelli (ITA) 2
Stephane Mertens (B) 2
James Whitham (GB) 1
Andreas Meklau (A) 1
Anthony Gobert (AUS) 1
John Reynolds (GB) 1
The wins have been achieved in the following years:
1988 – 2
1989 – 5
1990 – 9
1991 – 23
1992 – 20
1993 – 19
1994 – 12
1995 – 20
1996 – 14
1997 – 9
1998 – 10
1999 – 16
2000 – 5
2001 – 15
2002 – 14
2003 – 7 (until Monza race 1)