This is Bryan’s hybrid 996 Ducati. Bryan’s engine suffered a
cracked crankcase after a crash at the race track. After trying to
source 996 cases Brian turned up with 998rs cases by mistake.
I came up with idea of making a hybrid engine using the bottom end
of the Testastretta mated with the original 996 Biposto
barrels and cylinder heads. This would create a much stronger
engine due to the stronger material and design of the deep sump
cases .
The crank was sent away with it’s rods, new Pistal pistons and
flywheel to be fine balanced. Fine balancing reduces the strain on
the main bearings aiding longevity of the engine and allowing use of
a safer higher rpm limit. The crank , after blueprinting the oil
clearance was fitted and re-shimmed into the cases along with a
corse close ratio gearbox. The 996 barrells were fitted to the
Testastretta cases and the only modification that was needed was
some minor welding to the oil ways.
The cylinder heads had some detonation damage from a previous
overheating problem so whilst they were being welded and repaired
Brian chose stage 1 custom porting to match his standard cams.
After the porting , the stock valves were modified with a back cut
and polished along with a competition valve job.
On final assembly squish was set near 1mm and cams degree’d to
standard specs. On dyno day, the bike made 136 SAE hp. This was
pretty good considering the bike was built with stock sized valves,
stock biposto cams, throttle bodies and exhausts.
Brian’s Testimonial –
in his own words.
"Chris was able to rebuild my 996BP engine from an eclectic mix of
parts, marrying RS02 crank cases with 996 BP barrels, installing
high compression pistons and using his flow bench to good effect on
my stock valve BP cylinder heads. During the rebuild Chris kept me
informed at all points, including the odd photo! The result is an
engine that pulls very strongly right through the rev range. A
recent weekend at Pembrey showed no mechanical glitches, being
completely oil and water tight throughout. Sounds great also!"
