Experience
I have been racing Ducati Singles since 1980 and riding them on the road for ten years before that (Ducati 350 Sebring and 450 Mk3). Venturing over the Isle of Man in 1985 for the Manx Grand Prix – and most years since then – has taught me a lot about the strengths and weaknesses of these engines.
We
know what we are talking about ...
Early designs were the switch to 2mm steel plates in the clutch to cure the problem of drag and slip caused by the overheating and then warping of the standard 1mm plates (thanks to Pete Byrne for our joint work on figuring this one out). This is now standard fitment on all race Ducati singles.
We’ve designed and made our own gear clusters and dry clutches for the 471/476cc big engines I run. (It’s a bit much to ask a gearbox designed for a 175 to transmit the torque of a near-500 cc engine for more than a few race miles). Also we have designed our own frames and built new Seeley-type rolling chasses. Initially supported by Anthony Ainslie and then for the past 15 years by Nigel Lacey – who has built many engines for me - I faced the problem of component design to withstand the Mountain course.
Clearly the issue of supply of good-quality original parts was becoming more and more of an issue, with rectification work on old heads costing as much (and taking as long to do) as a decent porting job. So back in 2008 I set out to see if I could design a new and better cylinder head that delivered great performance straight out of the box. With the help of Professor Geoff Goddard at Oxford Brookes University I have now achieved this aim. (Geoff Goddard was Chief Designer at Cosworth Engines during the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and his engines won over 100 F1 races). Misano’s Chief Designer is talented engineer Carlo Sansanelli who worked on this project for his dissertation at OBU: his main job is designing turbocharger systems for Formula 1 engines..
Why
the name "Misano" ?
Just like Cosworth and Ilmor, it’s a combination made from our surnames and it has an association with Italy that fits well with our work.
Future
projects
We have a plan of work to complete and details will be available when we have components and systems proven and available to show. Our designs are not limited to single cylinder engines. Please contact us if you have a specific engine or transmission design project.
