The Battle for Supremacy: Ducati vs McLaren at Cabo Park

As I stood beside my trusty steed, a Ferrari 488 GTB, ready to take on the notorious Cabo Park circuit with my friend Chris Northover from Superbike magazine behind the wheel of his formidable Ducati Panigale V4R, I couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation. The bike had won our last encounter at this very track, and I was eager to prove that the car could give it a run for its money.

As we prepared for the battle ahead, Chris described his bike as "quite flighty after a handful of practice laps." He likened it to being in a plane taking off – fast but with a hint of unpredictability. Meanwhile, I was behind the wheel of my McLaren MP412c, a car that had been extensively modified to take on the bike. With its 11.2-liter V12 engine pumping out 1,195 horsepower at 10,750 rpm and over 100 ft-lbs of torque, I was confident in my ability to push it to the limit.

The circuit itself is a formidable challenge, with a mix of fast straights and slow corners that demand precision and finesse from both the driver and the machine. The Panigale V4R proved to be more than up to the task, with Chris clocking 150 mph on the uphill left-hander at Cusco, while I was stuck in third gear, struggling to keep up. As we made our way through the circuit, it became clear that this one would be a very tight contest indeed.

While the bike excelled on the straights, the slow corners proved to be its nemesis. In places like Park and Cusco, where I had set my sights on carving a smooth, flowing line through the turns, the Panigale struggled to match the 488 GTB's pace. However, in the faster corners, where Chris could get his bike cranked over properly, he pulled ahead of me by an impressive margin.

One thing that became clear as we navigated the circuit was that the Ducati had a significant advantage on the straights – but only if you could maintain control while braking and accelerating out of the slower corners. In those situations, I found myself fighting to keep my car stable under the constant pressure of G-forces and cornering speeds. Meanwhile, Chris seemed to be enjoying himself, his bike slipping silently into each corner like a hot knife through butter.

As we prepared for our timed runs, it was clear that this would be a battle for the ages. The Panigale V4R had been fitted with brand-new P0 courses – the official timing strips for the McLaren – and I was determined to beat its 1-minute 35.4-second lap time set on my previous visit. With the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I put my trusty steed to the test, pushing it to the very limits of speed and control.

The results would soon become apparent, but for now, all that mattered was the pursuit of speed and glory. As we hurtled around the circuit, side by side, our machines mere inches apart at times, it became clear that this one was going to be a fight to the finish – with neither the car nor the bike willing to give an inch.

In the end, my lap time proved to be just shy of Chris's, but I had earned a solid second-place finish, and more importantly, the satisfaction of knowing that I had pushed my car to its limits. The battle for supremacy may have been lost, but the war was far from over – and I knew that next time, when we faced off again with our respective bikes, it would be a rematch for the ages.

But even in defeat, there is always room for improvement, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the sheer performance of both machines. The Ducati Panigale V4R had proven itself to be more than a match for my McLaren MP412c – it was, without question, one of the most formidable machines on four wheels. And as I gazed lovingly at my Ferrari 488 GTB, now parked and silenced in the paddock, I knew that I would return stronger and faster next time.

For in the world of high-performance machinery, there is no room for complacency or pride – only an insatiable hunger to push the limits ever further. And so, as I walked away from Cabo Park, with a newfound respect for my opponent's skills and machines, I knew that I would be back, hungrier than ever, determined to bring home the trophy and claim victory for the 488 GTB once more.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe last time we went to Cabo park with a fast car and a fast bike the car won just but ever since then the world of bikes has been seeking a rematch and now that moment has come the bike we've chosen is Gatti's formidable s and the car as you can see is the McLaren mp412c to ride the bike we Enlisted the help of our old friend Chris northover from Superbike magazine who's more than a little bit tasty around the fast in some places quite narrow and in most places completely terrifying long circuit at Cadwell and of course muggins here would drive in the clar the panic is a proper monster of a machine it's 11 199cc super Quadro L twin engine thumps out 195 horsepower at 10,750 revs and not far off 100 ft of torque north of described it as being quite flighty after a handful of practice laps and along the main pit straight it just looked insanely fast before the uphill left-hander at cus for example he was hitting 150 mph whereas the McLaren was clocking 136 mph was the same thing along the park straight he was hitting 145 mph before the right-hander at Park itself against 138 in the McLaren it was in the faster Corners where the jaati looked most threatened from behind the wheel of the McLaren because in most of them the panagar could actually match the 12C even if the McLaren could make a fair bit of ground back under brakes and in the slower Corners so you can see quite clearly that it's only in the slowest corners or where a big Direction Change is needed that the 12 is quicker and everywhere else the jaa's got it pegged and on the Straits it just disappears either way it was clear that this one was going to be very tight even once a set a brand new P0 courses have been bolted to the McLaren for its timed runs so that's the time to beat it 1 minute 35.4 seconds let's see woo B is about as fast as I prepared to drive a road car around a lunatic asylum like cwell Park the speed this thing generates down the streets is our ous but it's the way it stops for corners and then turns into Corners it's just phenomenal it really is for a car with number plates it is incredible how many Liberties you can take with a McLaren around a place like this and it's a really really thin little ribbon of tarmac you you you just cannot afford to make any mistak so you do have to leave a little bit in hand the thing is the bike just stons away down everything single straight and around the really long Corners where he can get the bike cranked over properly I don't reckon the bike's a lot slower on on actual Corner speed around the longer Corners in the slower Corners where he's having to break hard turn and then get back on the power the 12C is all over the the ducatti but in the longer corners and there are quite a few I think he's going almost as quickly once we downloaded the data it was actually a bit closer than I thought but in the end the mlar wasn't quite quick enough not with me at the wheel at any rate I did a 1 minute 37 second lap eventually and scared myself stupid in some places which meant that the bike had won maybe next time we'll call out the P1 instead but until then the bike is King of the Hill ohthe last time we went to Cabo park with a fast car and a fast bike the car won just but ever since then the world of bikes has been seeking a rematch and now that moment has come the bike we've chosen is Gatti's formidable s and the car as you can see is the McLaren mp412c to ride the bike we Enlisted the help of our old friend Chris northover from Superbike magazine who's more than a little bit tasty around the fast in some places quite narrow and in most places completely terrifying long circuit at Cadwell and of course muggins here would drive in the clar the panic is a proper monster of a machine it's 11 199cc super Quadro L twin engine thumps out 195 horsepower at 10,750 revs and not far off 100 ft of torque north of described it as being quite flighty after a handful of practice laps and along the main pit straight it just looked insanely fast before the uphill left-hander at cus for example he was hitting 150 mph whereas the McLaren was clocking 136 mph was the same thing along the park straight he was hitting 145 mph before the right-hander at Park itself against 138 in the McLaren it was in the faster Corners where the jaati looked most threatened from behind the wheel of the McLaren because in most of them the panagar could actually match the 12C even if the McLaren could make a fair bit of ground back under brakes and in the slower Corners so you can see quite clearly that it's only in the slowest corners or where a big Direction Change is needed that the 12 is quicker and everywhere else the jaa's got it pegged and on the Straits it just disappears either way it was clear that this one was going to be very tight even once a set a brand new P0 courses have been bolted to the McLaren for its timed runs so that's the time to beat it 1 minute 35.4 seconds let's see woo B is about as fast as I prepared to drive a road car around a lunatic asylum like cwell Park the speed this thing generates down the streets is our ous but it's the way it stops for corners and then turns into Corners it's just phenomenal it really is for a car with number plates it is incredible how many Liberties you can take with a McLaren around a place like this and it's a really really thin little ribbon of tarmac you you you just cannot afford to make any mistak so you do have to leave a little bit in hand the thing is the bike just stons away down everything single straight and around the really long Corners where he can get the bike cranked over properly I don't reckon the bike's a lot slower on on actual Corner speed around the longer Corners in the slower Corners where he's having to break hard turn and then get back on the power the 12C is all over the the ducatti but in the longer corners and there are quite a few I think he's going almost as quickly once we downloaded the data it was actually a bit closer than I thought but in the end the mlar wasn't quite quick enough not with me at the wheel at any rate I did a 1 minute 37 second lap eventually and scared myself stupid in some places which meant that the bike had won maybe next time we'll call out the P1 instead but until then the bike is King of the Hill ohthe last time we went to Cabo park with a fast car and a fast bike the car won just but ever since then the world of bikes has been seeking a rematch and now that moment has come the bike we've chosen is Gatti's formidable s and the car as you can see is the McLaren mp412c to ride the bike we Enlisted the help of our old friend Chris northover from Superbike magazine who's more than a little bit tasty around the fast in some places quite narrow and in most places completely terrifying long circuit at Cadwell and of course muggins here would drive in the clar the panic is a proper monster of a machine it's 11 199cc super Quadro L twin engine thumps out 195 horsepower at 10,750 revs and not far off 100 ft of torque north of described it as being quite flighty after a handful of practice laps and along the main pit straight it just looked insanely fast before the uphill left-hander at cus for example he was hitting 150 mph whereas the McLaren was clocking 136 mph was the same thing along the park straight he was hitting 145 mph before the right-hander at Park itself against 138 in the McLaren it was in the faster Corners where the jaati looked most threatened from behind the wheel of the McLaren because in most of them the panagar could actually match the 12C even if the McLaren could make a fair bit of ground back under brakes and in the slower Corners so you can see quite clearly that it's only in the slowest corners or where a big Direction Change is needed that the 12 is quicker and everywhere else the jaa's got it pegged and on the Straits it just disappears either way it was clear that this one was going to be very tight even once a set a brand new P0 courses have been bolted to the McLaren for its timed runs so that's the time to beat it 1 minute 35.4 seconds let's see woo B is about as fast as I prepared to drive a road car around a lunatic asylum like cwell Park the speed this thing generates down the streets is our ous but it's the way it stops for corners and then turns into Corners it's just phenomenal it really is for a car with number plates it is incredible how many Liberties you can take with a McLaren around a place like this and it's a really really thin little ribbon of tarmac you you you just cannot afford to make any mistak so you do have to leave a little bit in hand the thing is the bike just stons away down everything single straight and around the really long Corners where he can get the bike cranked over properly I don't reckon the bike's a lot slower on on actual Corner speed around the longer Corners in the slower Corners where he's having to break hard turn and then get back on the power the 12C is all over the the ducatti but in the longer corners and there are quite a few I think he's going almost as quickly once we downloaded the data it was actually a bit closer than I thought but in the end the mlar wasn't quite quick enough not with me at the wheel at any rate I did a 1 minute 37 second lap eventually and scared myself stupid in some places which meant that the bike had won maybe next time we'll call out the P1 instead but until then the bike is King of the Hill oh\n"