Ducati Smart 1972

On April 23, 1972, Ducati returned to racing, participating in the first Imola 200 Miles at the Autodromo Dino Ferrari, in front of a volatile crowd of 70,000.
The race was organized for 750 cc race bikes on basis of mass production motorbikes, similar to today`s World Superbikes. The riders for Ducati in this race were Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari.
Their 750 SS race bikes were designed by engineer Fabio Taglioni, who gave them a new 4 stroke, 90 degree V-Twin cylinder engine. The cylinder heads of this engine were equipped with the desmodromic valve control, which is typical for Ducati, single overhead camshafts and twin ignition. Two powerful 40 mm Dell`Orto carburettors controlled the fuel mixture generation and the standard exhaust device was replaced by open megaphone pipes. The efforts were worth while: The 185 kg bike had a power output of 80 hp @ 8,500 rpm - during the race even 10,000 rpm were temporarily possible - and reached a top speed of about 270 km/h.
A typical feature - also for later SS models - was a yellow stripe on the tank, which was an open area on the transparent GFK tank, from which the liquid level could be read. Smart and Spaggiari finished first and second against steeliest competition from Italy, Great Britain and Japan. Smart`s average speed during the race was 157.353 km/h, inclusive refuel stop.