Following BMW’s EWC title: Ducati has the Endurance World Championship ‘on its radar’

In 2026, BMW became the first European manufacturer to win the World Endurance Championship. For decades, the EWC had been the preserve of Japanese brands, which set the standard with their experience, reliability and sophisticated technology. The question now is whether BMW’s success might encourage other European manufacturers to set up their own works teams.

One particularly interesting candidate is Ducati. With the Panigale V4R, the Italians have impressively demonstrated the potential of their superbike in the World Superbike Championship and national championships such as the British Superbike Championship (BSB), the IDM/Euro Moto, the Asian Road Racing Championship (ARRC), the Australian Championship (ASBK) and the Japanese Championship. However, there has so far been no official Ducati works project in the Endurance World Championship.

That could change in the future. Ducati technical coordinator Marco Zambenedetti confirmed in an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com that the EWC is certainly on the agenda for the Borgo Panigale-based manufacturer. “It’s a championship we’re keeping an eye on. We’re interested,” explained Zambenedetti.

Why Ducati has so far opted out of the Endurance World Championship

According to Zambenedetti, the fact that Ducati has not yet launched its own factory programme in the EWC is primarily down to the priorities within the racing department. “This year we had a completely new project and lots of riders. Ultimately, we had to focus on the project in the Superbike World Championship,” explained the Italian.

Ducati-Technikkoordinator Marco Zambenedetti

Foto: Ducati

Initially, the development and understanding of the new Panigale V4R for 2026 took up all the available resources. “We needed to understand the bike better and find out what was possible. It was too early to enter another championship.”

Ducati therefore wanted to concentrate on the Superbike World Championship for the time being, rather than building up an additional commitment in parallel. There is currently no concrete timetable for entering the Endurance World Championship. Zambenedetti made it explicitly clear: “The focus was on the World Superbike Championship, but we do have the EWC on our radar. However, there are no concrete ideas as yet.” There is therefore no question of a Ducati works project having been finalised. However, there is a fundamental interest.

Farbtupfer: ERC Endurance brachte die Ducati Panigale V4R in die EWC

Foto: FIM EWC

Why the Endurance World Championship would be particularly appealing to Ducati

A involvement in the EWC could mean far more to Ducati than just additional race wins and championship titles. In hardly any other racing series can the combination of maximum performance and technical reliability be demonstrated so impressively.

Whilst in the Superbike World Championship it is primarily speed over comparatively short race distances that counts, in the Endurance World Championship motorbikes must function under heavy strain for 8 or 24 hours. In the process, not only the engine and gearbox, but also the chassis, electronics and numerous other components are put through an exceptionally tough test.

This would be a particularly interesting arena for Ducati. For many years, the brand struggled with a reputation for building motorcycles that were highly sporty but not always reliable. An endurance project with a V2 engine was difficult anyway due to its inherent design limitations. With the introduction of the V4 engine generation in the 2019 season, the technical requirements have changed fundamentally.

Ducati no longer needs to prove that the Panigale V4R is fast. A successful campaign in the Endurance World Championship, on the other hand, could demonstrate that the Italian superbikes are consistently competitive even under extreme conditions.

By winning the title in 2026, BMW has shown that modern European superbikes can now also succeed in a championship where Japanese manufacturers had long been virtually unchallenged.

Marvin Fritz: “Endurance racing is a major challenge”

YART works rider Marvin Fritz emphasises that the move into the EWC would nevertheless be no walk in the park. The German is closely following Ducati’s development and recalls the performance of Yukio Kagayama’s team at the 2025 Suzuka 8 Hours. There, the Ducati Panigale V4R showed promising signs, particularly in qualifying.

Suzuka 2025: Das Kagayama-Team brachte die Ducati Panigale V4R an den Start

Foto: FIM EWC

However, the race revealed just how demanding endurance racing is. “The bike is certainly not bad for 8-hour races. Perhaps it’s also good for 24-hour races. But that’s a tough nut to crack,” Fritz emphasised in an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com.

“They weren’t bad in qualifying at Suzuka. But in the race they had a few problems and weren’t quick enough either.” For the experienced EWC rider, this example shows that the performance of a superbike cannot simply be transferred to endurance racing. “I think they’ve realised that endurance racing is a major challenge,” surmised Fritz.

Marvin Fritz

Foto: Facebook/Fritz

Ducati must weigh up its priorities

The Yamaha rider sees the main issue as the sporting and economic benefits of an additional racing programme. “I think they’re focusing more on MotoGP and the Superbike World Championship, where they can draw more attention to the brand,” explained Fritz.

However, he too had expected a stronger Ducati commitment to endurance racing. Apart from private projects, such as that of ERC Endurance, Ducati was not represented in the EWC.

Chaz Davies auf der Ducati von ERC Endurance

Foto: FIM EWC

“Personally, I had expected them to make the move into endurance racing. But so far, I haven’t heard much,” remarked the German. From a sporting perspective, the conditions for a potential entry appear quite promising. With the Panigale V4R, Ducati has a powerful platform, whilst BMW’s historic title win has brought an end to the Japanese manufacturers’ previous dominance in the EWC.

Whether Ducati will also go down this route remains to be seen. Zambenedetti’s comments make it clear that the Endurance World Championship is certainly on Borgo Panigale’s radar. However, a fair amount of development work and planning is likely to be required before this fundamental interest turns into a concrete works project.