Ducati, the brand that rewrote motorbike racing history with its epic V-twin sports bikes, is to stop making them altogether.

Having reached the limits of performance with its twin-cylinder engines, enlarging and improving them over time until they were producing a completely bonkers 200bhp or more, the Italian exponents of two-wheeled speed are moving to V4s derived directly from their MotoGP programme.

To officially bring an end to a family line that harks right back to the legendary and revolutionary 916 of 1994 is huge news for the bike world. For me it feels like a bit of a personal loss, having grown up watching the 916, 996, 998 and 999 thrashing around the world’s tracks.