Ducati Monster Senna: the name of the Brazilian star teams up once again with the Borgo Panigale house

Many motorcycle racers are also fans of the four-wheeled world, even competing in it, as with the current example of Valentino Rossi driving for BMW in the Fanatec GT World Challenge, and also the other way around, with car drivers who switch to two wheels to race or simply in their free time. Today we know that Lewis Hamilton is a great enthusiast of two wheels, having even tried Rossi’s MotoGP bike or arriving at the circuit on his spectacular MV Agusta, although other drivers have also done the same.

One of those drivers was the great Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian who back then cultivated his love for Ducati, a story that reaches even to the present day. This story begins in the early 1990s, when Claudio Castiglioni was president of Ducati and, as a Formula 1 fan too, frequently attended circuits to the point that he became a personal friend of Senna himself. Such was the friendship they forged that Castiglioni gifted him an 851 SP and then, in 1993, Senna became one of the first owners of a Monster, which, as it could not be otherwise, was red.

That friendship also meant that Castiglioni would tell Senna the inside details, or rather what was brewing at the Borgo Panigale factory. One day he showed him a preview of what would eventually become one of the most iconic and sought-after motorcycles in the world of motorcycling, even today, the Ducati 916. This is how Senna finally decided to take the step of continuing a project the two had long had in hand: creating the first motorcycle bearing his name, the Ducati 916 Senna.

This is how one of the most beautiful motorcycles in history finally came together with the charisma of the Brazilian legend, appearing in a colour combination with grey as the main colour, together with anthracite and matte black on the lower fairings, while the bright red present evoked the red of the “S” in Senna’s logo. One week later it should have entered production, but on 1 May 1994 Ayrton Senna’s tragic death occurred, so the project was halted until the Bologna Motor Show, where it was presented together with Ayrton’s brothers. The 300 units created sold out within days, which led Ducati and the Senna Foundation to carry out another run, and today they are highly sought-after collector’s pieces.

Years passed and the Ducati 916 gave way in the Italian brand’s lineup to newer, far more modern and also radical yet equally beautiful models, such as the Ducati 1199 S, which became a worthy successor. Thus, in 2014 Senna’s name appeared once again on one of Borgo Panigale’s motorcycles, the Ducati 1199 S Senna, to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Brazilian driver’s death. Now, ten years after the last Ducati and Senna collaboration, they return to the scene with a new Ducati Monster Senna, which will also be produced in a limited run.

No one will be able to say they don’t know they are looking at a Monster Senna: the livery has been created by Centro Stile Ducati and Senna Brands, inspired by the one the driver wore on his helmet, a legendary and easily recognisable design for any motorsport fan. The base they have used is the Monster SP, which features specific components that reduce its weight compared with a standard Monster to make it more radical and manageable, such as Öhlins suspension, Brembo Stylema brakes, aluminium bushings, forged wheels and a homologated Termignoni exhaust.

It was presented this week during the Emilia-Romagna Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Imola Circuit, the place where Senna’s fatal accident occurred and a place of pilgrimage for all his fans and Formula 1 enthusiasts. Specifically, 341 units of the Monster Senna will be manufactured, a number that refers to the 3 world championships he won and the 41 Grands Prix in which he took victory. The price has not been disclosed, but we do know that a Monster SP costs 15,390 euros, and the Monster Senna could easily double that price due to its exclusivity.