Our resident pro driver, Andy Pilgrim, has a love for motorcycles and motorcycle riding going way back. In this slightly different episode of Pro Racer’s Take, Andy compares the fastest production motorcycle from the late 1970s, a 1979 Laverda Jota, to arguably the fastest production motorcycle today, a 2019 Ducati Panigale V4S. The result demonstrates just how far motorcycle development has evolved during the past four decades.

In this installment, Andy enjoys taking both machines onto the track at NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky; he explores the explosive acceleration capabilities of the Ducati, with its screaming V4 engine pushing it to more than 180 mph in just a few seconds--into a 25-mph headwind, no less. We also enjoy hearing the Laverda’s unique sound, due to its 1000cc, three-cylinder engine having a 180-degree crank, as opposed to the much more common 120-degree crank for three-cylinder motorcycle engines.