Ducati WorldSBK prioritises “riders’ safety” amid swingarm recall

Ducati has confirmed that it has recalled swingarms from some of its customer teams during the Dutch WorldSBK round at Assen.

Ducati, of course, introduced a new double-sided swingarm, replacing its long-standing single-sided unit used until 2025, for this year with its updated Panigale V4 R model. The intention of the new design is to improve rear stability, and it has also allowed Ducati to retain the structure of the rear part of the bike while cutting weight compared to the previous edition of the Panigale that was never able to make the minimum weight limit.

Italian publication GPOne first reported on the swingarm issues on Friday (17 April) at the Dutch World Superbike round, which saw Ducati lockout the top-three in both free practices. 

On Saturday, Ducati WorldSBK technical director Marco Zambenedetti confirmed that swingarms had been recalled but that investigations were ongoing.

“In racing, we push technology and components to the limit, so it’s normal for problems to arise,” Zambenedetti told GPOne. “They’re exactly what we need to improve and prevent issues. 

“In this specific case, it’s too early to draw conclusions: we need to analyze the component’s history, any crashes, handling errors, etc. 

“We’ve identified some critical issues with certain teams, so we’ve already recalled some parts and replaced them. Now we’ll analyze everything carefully to understand the causes and evaluate possible solutions for the upcoming races. 

“The priority remains the riders’ safety.”

Zambenedetti added that it is not yet certain whether Ducati will introduce updated swingarms at the next round in Hungary on 2–4 May.

“It will depend on the analysis,” he explained.

“If we deem it necessary to make changes, we will do so; otherwise, we might find that it’s not needed. It’s still too early to say.”

Despite the problems, Ducati’s performance in Assen has been strong. It completed its third front row lockout from three rounds in 2026 during Superpole, and occupied all three places on the podium for the second time this year in Race 1, and had Alvaro Bautista in fourth as well.

Miguel Oliveira is third in the standings as the first non-Ducati rider following his seventh-place finish in Race 1, but is now 84 points behind championship leader Nicolo Bulega who has won all seven races so far this season.