The centre of London roared to the sound of two and four-wheeled racing motorbikes and cars yesterday as Ducati Corse and Ferrari tied up with their fuels and lubricants supplier Shell for a spectacular street display in front of an estimated 20,000 crowd.

The event, involving a series of demo runs up and down a closed road, was organized by Shell to promote the launch of Shell V-Power performance fuel in the UK. Shell V-Power has been developed using the knowledge gained from development and testing of tailored Shell V-Power used in the Ducati Desmosedici.

Held on London's South Bank in front of the Shell Centre and the famous London Eye, it saw the participation of last Sunday's Brno race winner Loris Capirossi on his Desmosedici GP bike, World Superbike championship points leader Troy Bayliss on his Xerox-backed Ducati 999F06 and Felipe Massa in a Ferrari Formula 1 car, as well as a parade of legendary Ferrari cars from the past. It was hosted by ex-touring car driver, BBC Top Gear's Tiff Needell. The Ducati riders then moved on to the Snetterton race-track in Norfolk in the afternoon for a similar launch event involving Shell dealers and customers.

SHELL ADVANCE AND DUCATI

Because Shell Advance has developed the oils and expertise needed to support a championship-winning team, inevitably, the company transfers this learning to where  it is needed most, in the engine, gearbox and onto the chain of the bike. In fact, the Shell Advance oils and lubricants in the Ducati Desmosedici and 999 Superbike are not widely different from the products you can find at Shell service stations and in bike workshops around the world. Engineers and scientists who work in oil and lubricant development with Ducati all work on the development of Shell Advance’s consumer product range as well. This ensures that their motorcycle racing 'know-how' is directly applied to all products.

Shell Advance oils used in MotoGP and the World Superbike series are developed specifically for the Ducati Desmosedici and 999 engines, whilst Shell Advance oils on sale at filling stations must efficiently cope with engines of every type and condition. Ducati and Shell Advance develop oils and lubricants to be used exclusively in high performance, extremely high revving engines and gearboxes. As Ducati Corse engineers continue throughout the season to improve the bike, Shell Advance engineers work closely with them, adapting to constantly evolving engine specifications and varying circuit demands.
 

Shell Advance oils can comfortably cope with the severe environment of a highly-tuned racing engine. On the road, Shell Advance oils can help any biker to get the most out of it for longer through Shell Advance’s constant innovation and R&D plans.

SHELL AND FERRARI

Shell was one of Enzo Ferrari’s technical partners before he founded the company bearing his name, a company dedicated to developing the best sports and Gran Turismo cars in the world proven through motorsport success.  Shell fuelled Ferrari’s first Formula One victory in 1951 and continues in that role today, having fuelled more than 130 Ferrari Grand Prix victories in history. Shell has fuelled six Ferrari Formula One Constructors’ Championships and every new Ferrari road car leaving the Maranello factory in the past decade.

Today, Shell products are not only provided with every new Ferrari road car but are also used extensively in Ferrari’s product development engineering and testing work. From sophisticated engine test benches to Ferrari’s exclusive Fiorano test circuit, the new 599 GTB Fiorano was rigorously tested prior to its launch. A Shell engineering office in Maranello allows for efficient information sharing and teamwork between the two technical partners.