Ducati back in black in 09

Carbon fibre, everybody knows, is super light and super strong. A composite material made of long strands of various types of carbon bonded with some super sticky resin.

These strands of carbon are super strong in one direction, and very brittle in just about every other. Therefore the pattern of the strands of cloth basically determines in which directions the material is strong, and where it isn't.

As a result people with computers can pretty much make carbon fibre parts that provide any/all types of strength and flexibility. Hence the ubiquitous use of carbon fibre in F1 for everything - including the chassis.

But in bike racing the black stuff has largely been limited to making light parts where only basic strength is needed - like the airbox or bodywork. The chassis remain good old metal.

With the exception of the red bikes.

Back in 1990 Randy Mamola's Cagiva for the Czech GP sported an all carbon fibre frame. This was the first time many people had seen a carbon fibre bike chassis - but Kiwi John Britten had been making his racers with CF frames for a good few years by then.



Cagiva had close ties to Ferrari in those days, and I believe this was a big factor in the carbon fibre chassis development. They stuck at the task for quite some time, switching back and forth to more conventional alloy beam frames as they tried to make it work.

In 1993 the bike Little John rode had an alloy frame, but a carbon swing-arm and in 1994 the chassis was itself a composite - mixing metal alloy with carbon fibre.

These most beautiful 500's disappeared from racing not long after.

Cagiva used to own Ducati - so I wonder if there is any legacy linking Mamola's all CF bike and the new Ducati. I doubt it - but it's all interesting nonetheless.