Ducati goes way back with the late, three-time Formula 1 World Champion Ayrton Senna. In 1990, then-Ducati owner Claudio Castiglione gifted the Brazilian driver a Ducati 851 SP. Senna apparently became such a fan of the brand that he showed up to the 1993 Monaco Grand Prix weekend gala on a Monster 900. One year later, Senna worked with Ducati to design a livery for a limited edition 916. Ducati announced the bike in March 1994 in a run of 300 units, a portion of the proceeds going to the Senna Foundation that Ayrton had set up to donate to causes in his native Brazil. Senna died on May 1, 1994 during the San Marino Grand Prix, putting the bike in limbo until his family decided to see the project through. Thirty years after that first collaboration — and two more runs of the 916 Senna in 1997 and 1998, plus a Panigale 1199 S Senna in 2014 — the Senna family and Ducati are doing it again with the Monster Senna.
Ducati Centro Stile worked with Senna Brands on the livery for this one, clearly drawn from Senna’s iconic helmet. that means splashes of yellow, green and blue all over, like the yellow front fairing and Brembo brake caliper, green stripes on the tank and rear fairing, and the blue seat with the “S” logo. More exclusive touches include the footrests milled from a block of aluminum, Termignoni silencers with yellow stripes, a special animation on startup for the cockpit screen and an individually numbered plaque on the clip-on bars. A pair of forged aluminum wheels, also special to this model, cut more than three pounds. They help the Monster Senna come in at 385 pounds without fuel, which is ten pounds less than a standard Monster. The ride also comes with a special cover in matching livery.
Presented at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Imola, the Monster Senna is limited to 341 units; the three represents Senna’s championship victories, the 41 the number of F1 Grands Prix Senna won. (Ducati produced 161 units of the 2014 Panigale 1199 S Senna, one for every F1 Grand Prix Senna took part in.) Orders are open now, each example starting at $25,000.
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