Engineers of Speed

In the pit lane, Ducati Lenovo mechanics depend on BITURBO tools for incredible speed.

Saving split-seconds

When you're in the pit lane of a world motorcycle championship, there's no time to lose. Ducati Lenovo mechanics only have seconds to unscrew and tighten nuts, switch out wheels, adjust brake calipers, cool down the bike, and more. A single mistake could cost a victory – or even the rider's life. For 15 years, Bosch Professional has been the official technical sponsor of Ducati, making tough work faster and easier.

Read on to discover how BITURBO tools save split-seconds in the pit lane – and on the race circuit. 

Ducati mechanic watching the race closely

Meet the mechanics

SACHSENRING – It’s been 18 years since Marco Ventura took on the role of chief mechanic at Ducati Lenovo, but every race still electrifies his nerves. In the pit lane, Ventura watches intently as motorcycle racers Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia and Jack Miller swerve through the 13 corners of the Sachsenring circuit at an average speed of 170 kmph. He takes a deep breath. Every race is a technical feat between man and machine, engineered for extreme speed: Riders accelerate, brake, engage the clutch, change gears, and accelerate again hundreds of times on the circuit. In these high-stakes, high-speed races, the fates of the Ducati Lenovo riders depend on Ventura and his team of mechanics. One mistake is all it takes to cost a victory – or cause an accident.

Bosch Professional BITURBO GDS 18V-1050 H impact wrench used to remove and install rear wheels on a Ducati bike

Today's race is turning out well. The riders are only 0.49 seconds apart – a few metres in a race of over 110 kilometres. But the pressure is still on: tomorrow and for the rest of the season, his team will need to pull off the same performance with the same tools, with no room for error. To get the job done, Ducati Lenovo mechanics have depended on power tools sponsored by Bosch Professional at the world championship for the last 15 years. Cordless tools such as the new BITURBO GDS 18V-1050 H Professional impact wrench are the biggest game-changers, shaving split-seconds off the clock and accounting for incredible speed in the pit lane – and on the circuit.

We have to deal with tight deadlines and tremendous pressure. Handling, lightness and compactness are decisive factors when using power tools.

Davide Gibertini, Team Coordinator of the Ducati Lenovo Team

Davide Gibertini and Marco Ventura using a Bosch Professional BITURBO GDS 18V-1050 H impact wrench on a Ducati bike

Top torque

Since the start of this season, Ducati Lenovo mechanics have been putting our high-performance cordless 18V BITURBO Brushless tools to the test. A frequent operation is to loosen and tighten nuts to change the rear wheel or the clutch. They must do impeccable work within seconds – and they depend on tools such as the GDS 18V-1050 H Professional impact wrench to ease things up. Thanks to its high-performance brushless motor, the BITURBO impact wrench boasts a torque of 1,050 Nm and a breakaway torque of up to 1,700 Nm. Ventura is impressed: “The extraordinarily high torque of the impact wrench helps the team – when unscrewing and tightening large nuts – to save split-seconds in the pit lane that could spell the difference between victory or defeat.”

Bosch Professional ProCORE18V battery 8.0Ah popular with Ducati mechanics thanks to long runtime and high performance

Powered right

But the best cordless tool would be nothing without the right battery: The team uses our high-performance ProCORE18V batteries to get the maximum performance out of the BITURBO impact wrench in the workshop. Thanks to latest cell technology and superior temperature management, the ProCORE18V batteries exploit the full potential of BITURBO tools without causing overheating. This and the fully interchangeable batteries allow the team to work seamlessly without stopping to charge. “The compatibility between batteries and chargers is very important for us,” adds Ventura. “It makes our work easier since we always have powerful and ready-to-use batteries available.”

Bosch Professional GBL 18V-120 cordless blower is important for cooling down Ducati bikes

Keeping cool

To prevent the bikes from overheating, Ventura and his colleagues turn to a surprisingly valuable tool in the 18V series: the GBL 18V-120 Professional cordless blower. Commonly used for removing dust, dirt or particulate matter at construction sites, the blower has unexpectedly become one of Ducati’s most essential tools. With up to 270kmph of air speed, the blower effectively cools down crucial parts of the motorcycles. “The GBL 18V-120 blower is one of our most important tools,” says Ventura. “We use it to cool down the electronics and the exhaust pipes. The extraordinary power and durability of the blower are vital for first-class racing results due to the hot components.” The blower teams up well with the batteries and chargers of the 18V system: They are all fully compatible.

The new BITURBO impact wrench makes our jobs much easier, as we can tighten and release large bolts much quicker than before. Thanks to the high torque, we save precious time.

Marco Ventura, Chief Mechanic of the Ducati Lenovo Team

Bosch Professional GIS 1000 C thermal detector helps Ducati mechanics measure temperature of asphalt and bikes

Handy helpers

And that’s not all. The Ducati Lenovo team depend heavily on Bosch Professional for a myriad of other tasks. Typically used to detect possible mold growth or inspect thermal bridges, the GIS 1000 C Professional thermal detector has become invaluable at the race circuits for measuring the temperature of the asphalt and heat-sensitive motorcycle components. These readings help the mechanics quickly identify issues on the fly and tailor the bikes exactly to the racing conditions. To unscrew and tighten motorcycle brake calipers, an operation undertaken at great speed numerous times during the racing days, the team cannot do without the compact and ergonomic GWI 12V-5 Professional angle screwdriver.

In the Ducati workshop, mechanics and riders work to the music of the Bosch Professional GPB 18V-5 SC jobsite radio

Dream team

As with all dreams teams, these different roles share one common goal: Victory. Although racer Pecco Bagnaia will get to stand on the podium, he knows he owes his success in large part to these engineers of speed: “I have complete trust in my team because they always translate my feelings on the motorcycle to the necessary settings.” At the end of the day, the team celebrates together – to the boom of a Bosch Professional GPB 18V-5 SC Professional jobsite radio.

My mechanics and track engineers are the people I trust the most during the race weekend.

Francesco Bagnaia, Racer for the Ducati Lenovo Team

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