This week’s Speed Read selection lives up to its name, with new high-octane race bikes from Ducati and Triumph. The Italian firm has just released the 2026 Ducati Panigale V4 R superbike, while the British company has pulled the wraps off the 2026 Triumph TF 450-X. Ladies and gentlemen, pick your poison.
2026 Ducati Panigale V4 R
Ducati is having one heck of a race season. Marc Marquez has just cinched his seventh MotoGP title while riding for the Ducati Factory team, and half of the top 10 riders in the current World SBK rankings are aboard Ducatis. What better time to reveal the track-bred Ducati Panigale V4 R?
MotoGP bikes are pure prototypes, built solely for racing, while World Superbike machines must be derived from homologated production models available to the public. That’s where the Ducati Panigale V4 R fits in—it’s the starting point for Ducati’s World SBK contender, making it one heck of a track racer for well-heeled privateers.
Thrumming away behind the Panigale V4 R’s bright red fairing is the latest iteration of Ducati’s 998 cc Desmosedici Stradale R engine. The race-bred mill redlines at 16,500 rpm in top gear, with 218 hp [208.4 hp in US spec] and 114.5 Nm of torque on tap. This is thanks to several upgrades, including lightened pistons and a new crankshaft, derived from Ducati’s MotoGP development.
As a homologated street bike, the Ducati Panigale V4 R has to comply with ever-tightening Euro standards. But if you swap the stock exhaust out for the optional race-spec Akrapovič system, and promise only to ride it on the track, the Panigale will happily serve up 235 hp (or 239, if you also use Ducati Corse Performance Oil). The exhaust mod alone unlocks a stonking top speed of 330.6 km/h [205.4 mph].
Other race-derived upgrades include the Ducati Racing Gearbox (neutral down, six up), and MotoGP-spec ‘Corner Sidepods’—aero parts on the sides of the fairings that complement the bike’s broad front wing. The new transmission also features the same ‘Neutral Lock’ system as the company’s MotoGP and World SBK race bikes, which prevents accidental shifts into neutral.
The Panigale V4 R borrows the regular Panigale V4’s frame, with significant tweaks. The front section has been redesigned to reduce lateral stiffness by a whole lot, and the swingarm uses Ducati’s proprietary ‘Hollow Symmetrical’ design. The swingarm pivot height and rear ride height are both adjustable, and the rear shock can be fitted with a sensor for data acquisition.
You also get a full complement of highly-adjustable Öhlins suspension components, forged aluminum wheels, Brembo’s new Hypure brakes, and more electronic rider aids than you can shake a stick at. If that doesn’t satisfy you, Ducati offers optional carbon fiber wheels, upgraded braking packages, racing fairings, and more.
In true Ducati fashion, the Panigale V4 R wears a simple and striking paint scheme. Retina-searing red dominates the real estate, punctuated by slim white graphics and subtle branding. The aluminum fuel tank breaks rank, giving the bike that classic prototype vibe. [Ducati]
2026 Triumph TF 450-X
Triumph’s foray into dirt bikes raised a few eyebrows, but the British marque has impressed with its burgeoning line of off-road and cross-country motorcycles. Now they’re pushing further into the 450 class of motocross racing, with the new Triumph TF 450-X.
The TF 450-X isn’t technically Triumph’s first 450 cc motocrosser—that honor belongs to its predecessor, the TF 450-RC. Named after and developed in collaboration with legendary motocross racer Ricky Carmichael, the TF 450-RC was a limited edition, race-spec bike. Now, Triumph has distilled those learnings into the more mainstream TF 450-X.
The TF 450-X’s single-cylinder engine boasts goodies like a forged aluminum piston from König, flow-optimized Del West titanium valves, and DLC-coated rockers and cams. It also sports magnesium engine covers, a 44 mm Dell’Orto throttle body with a Keihin injector, and an airbox and silencer carried over from the 450-RC. The clutch hub is an upgraded Exedy unit, augmented with Brembo hydraulics and a Belleville clutch spring.
Weighing a paltry 108.3 kilos [238.8 pounds], the TF 450-X makes 62.4 hp at 9,500 rpm, which is wild. A quick-shifter, a new transmission selector star, and an Athena ECU that handles everything from rider modes to launch control all work together to make sure the power goes where you need it, when you need it.
The engine’s packaged in Triumph’s off-road aluminum twin cradle frame, by way of redesigned engine mounts that are tuned to improve chassis performance. Suspension comes from KYB, the wheels are D.I.D. items, and the brakes are Brembos.
The Triumph TF 450-X cockpit wears Neken yokes, ProTaper carbon core bars, and ODI grips, and optional accessories include spare plastics, a gripper seat, a titanium exhaust system from Akrapovič, and more.
Finished in black and white with jagged neon yellow decals, the Triumph TF 450-X certainly looks the part. But since our skills on a motocross track are questionable, we’ll leave it up to the pros to see if it has the go to match the show. [Triumph]
