Superbike vs. Supercar: Ducati 1198S vs. Ferrari 458 Italia

Shootout in the Streets
Ducati's beatdown of Ferrari at the dragstrip wasn't as much of a shock as the thrashing it delivered at the Streets of Willow. We thought for sure the short track's many tight turns would give the 458 the advantage. Look how wrong we were.

1. The flying laps start here, which means Bell and Rapp have the throttle pinned when they cross start/finish. That explains the top speeds of 112.8 mph for the Ferrari and 129.3 mph for the Ducati on the front straight.

2. Turn 2 highlights one of the 458's few advantages: four contact patches. Though the Ferrari's max grip is slightly lower than the Ducati's (1.26 g versus 1.29), the 458's average speed is 2.4 mph faster (36.4 mph versus 34.0 mph).

3. A gap starts to open as the Ducati cuts a sharper line toward the Streets' famous bowl. That's no lie; in the hands of a Pro like Rapp, the Ducati traces a lap that's 30 feet shorter than the Ferrari's at the finish.

4. Does the bowl's 20-degree banking give the Ducati an edge? It would appear so: The 1198S outgrips the 458 (1.58 g to 1.41) and manages a 5.8-mph cornering-speed advantage (45.7 mph to 40.0 mph).

4a. For much of the circuit, the two Italians race on a similar line except into the bowl, where Rapp stays wide. Bell has the 458 hugging the inside line throughout, which pushes him wider at the corner exit.

5. Already well ahead at this point, the Ducati absolutely crushes the Ferrari with a Vmax of 132.5 mph (to the Italia's 117.4 mph). That's the fastest back-straight speed Motor Trend has ever seen, and total ahhihilation.

6. In the "skidpad" sweeper before the finish line, the Ferrari manages to corner faster (36.7 mph versus 35.3 mph), but it doesn't matter.

7. If they had started side by side, the 1198S would already be at the finish line by the time the 458 Italia fully exits the last corner.

2011 Ferrari 458 Italia | Price: $287,654

2010 Ducati 1198S | Price: $21,795