News article
Shell and Ducati extend partnership with sustainable fuels focus
Oil and gas company Shell and MotoGP’s Ducati Corse factory racing team have extended their technical partnership until 2027, with a continued focus on sustainable fuels.
The partnership originally began in 1999 when Ducati was racing in the FIM Superbike World Championship, before moving into the FIM MotoGP World Championship in 2003. Today, the Desmosedici GP racing bikes of Ducati Corse utilise a bespoke Steel V-Power race fuel formulation, as well as a bespoke blend of Shell Advance Engine Oil with Shell’s PurePlus Technology.
Shell and Ducati will continue to work in preparation for MotoGP’s use of more sustainable fuels, which begins next year. These fuels must be 40% non-fossil origin from 2024 with the ambitious aim of being 100% from non-fossil origin by 2027.
Sabrina Qu, Vice-President of Global Lubricants Marketing at Shell, said: “The extension of our Technical Partnership with Ducati until 2027 signals our commitment to the Ducati Corse team to provide them with technical support as MotoGP moves towards a more sustainable future.
“Motorsport is the ultimate testbed for our technology, providing Shell with valuable insights into the performance of our products, whilst allowing them to test formulations to match the future sustainability ambitions of both Shell and Ducati. This in turn will continue to benefit Shell Advance and Ducati customers around the world, both on the track and on the road, as the Technical Partnership continues to develop.”
“Motorsport is the ultimate testbed for our technology, providing Shell with valuable insights into the performance of our products, whilst allowing them to test formulations to match the future sustainability ambitions of both Shell and Ducati."
Ducati Corse Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti added: “It gives us great satisfaction to announce the extension of Ducati’s multi-year agreement with Shell until 2027. Last year was the most successful season ever for Ducati Corse since the start of our fuels and lubricants Technical Partnership with Shell in 1999, and we are delighted to be able to enter a third decade of collaboration with them.
“It is also thanks to the vital contribution of technically advanced partners like Shell that Ducati is able to achieve success in such a technically challenging championships like MotoGP and WorldSBK, where every little performance detail counts. With this strong support behind us we are confident that we can continue to obtain excellent results in the future.”
Image: Stephan Louis on Unsplash