[Ducati] Jeremy McWilliams rides the 1098R

[Thomas Kremer]

I don't think this has been posted yet, if so sorry for the
duplication...

>From MotorcycleDaily.com 

by Dirck Edge

A street bike with mirrors has never gone this fast at Jerez. Not nearly
this fast. Understand that a group of very fast journalists (including
some real ringers, i.e., ex-pro racers) annually test the fastest street
legal sport bikes on the planet in a group test called "Masterbike". The
most recent Masterbike test was held at the Jerez circuit last year.

Jeremy McWilliams, the ex-MotoGP racer who tested the Ducati 1098R for
MD (his story appears in yesterday's MD article) recorded a fastest lap
on the new super street bike of 1:49.50 seconds during the press
introduction held at Jerez just a few days ago.

His outright fastest lap was more than 2 seconds quicker than the
quickest street legal sport bike tested at Masterbike for 2007. Indeed,
following Ducati WSB team rider Michel Fabrizio, McWilliams reportedly
did three laps in a row quicker than any single lap done by any of the
bikes tested at Masterbike 2007.

Want to hear something even more amazing about that lap of 1:49.50? The
fastest lap during the MotoGP race at Jerez held just last year was
recorded by Valentino Rossi on his Yamaha. That lap time was 1 minute
40.9 seconds . . . roughly 8.6 seconds quicker than McWilliams went on a
street bike shod with street-legal tires (not slicks)! McWilliams is an
amazing rider, but this is a testament to the performance of Ducati's
new 1098R, which would have to be considered the fastest street legal
track weapon yet manufactured.