Ducati 750 Imola racer & Spaggiari - 1974 Imola - motorcycle racing photo

Description

A superb and rare photo of
Bruno Spaggiari
with the legendary nr. 12
Ducati 750cc desmodromic V-twin factory racer
, seen in action in the
200 miles
race of Imola
in
1974
. According the spec. sheet that came with the negative, this historic photo was shot on
April 7, 1974
(raceday).
Spaggiari finished 8TH in the first leg of the race and was forced to retire due to mechanical problems during the second leg of the race. The overall winner was Giacomo Agostini.
Spaggiari’s
1974 Ducati Imola racer
was virtually identical with the 1973 short stroke version. Main difference were the Lockheed front brakes. The 1973 Ducati Imola racers were also different from the 1972 racers that started the race success so strongly with the Ducati V-twins. Most noticeable difference was the short stroke 750 engine which delivered a power output of 90 hp at 10,000 r.p.m. and also the new short wheelbase (1,420mm)
Daspa frame, designed by Taglioni himself.
The
Ducati 750 Imola Desmo
is one of the most famous bikes in the world.  It is best known, and, of course named after, its victory with Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari in the
200 mile
race at Imola in 1972 – one of the most spectacular in racing history.  Much has been written about the fantastic final lap, which saw Smart and Spaggiari side by side almost all the way to the finishing line, but how this race changed the destiny of the Italian manufacturer has been relatively unexplored. The win at Imola defined Ducati’s future approach to racing, with the manufacturer focusing its attention almost exclusively on production-derived machines. In 1972 Checco Costa bought the
200 Mile
formula to
Italy
and Ducati prepared eight bikes to be ridden by Paul Smart, Bruno Spaggiari, Ermanno Giuliano, and Alan Dunscombe.  The bikes had production frames and engines, but were prepared, as usual, in a very short time.  Most of this work, however, probably still goes unnoticed, as it was concerned with the smallest details: wherever possible, each part of the bike was painstakingly filed down and lightened.  In addition, new Dellorto carburetors with
40 mm
choke tubes and accelerator pumps arrived just in time, providing a perfect supply of fuel for the big twin-cylinder, which delivered 80 hp at 8,500 rpm.  At Imola, Spaggiari reached the finish line with his gas tank almost empty and so could not snatch the victory from Smart. The Imola racers featured Ducati’s famous 4-stroke longitudinal split 90° V twin engine. The crankcase cylinder and cylinderheads were cast in light alloy; the cylinders had cast-iron liners. Bore and stroke was 80 x
74.4 mm
. Cylinder capacity was 747.95 cc. The racers had a compression ratio of 10:1. Ducati was already famous for its desmodromic single overhead camshafts, driven by bevel-gears. It was also present on the Imola racing machines. Each head had two valves. The air cooled engine featured wet sump lubrication. Two Dell’orto PHF 40 carburetors with accelerator pump fed the fuel mixture in the combustion chambers. A twin-plug contact-breaker ignition system was present. The Imola racers had a five-speed gearbox and primary drive by gears, final drive was by chain. A wet multi-plate clutch was also present. The engine delivered a power output of 82 hp at 9,000 r.p.m. Enough for a topspeed of
156.25 mph
(
250 km/h
)! The Ducati 750 ‘s were often used in production based racing on both sides of the
Atlantic
. In the early 1970’s, long distance racing was extremely popular in
Europe
, especially
Italy
. These events were responsible for the quick gaining popularity of the heavier sports motorcycle, like the Ducati 750 SS, the Moto Guzzi V7 Sport, the Benelli 650 Tornado, the BMW R 90 S Daytona and the Laverda SFC 750; but also the Japanese sports motorcycles like the Kawasaki 350, 500 and 750 triples, but also heavy four strokes like the Honda CB 750 Four. Riders that would make world fame, like Franco Uncini and Marco Lucchinelli, all participated in these races before they made the steps to the Grand Prix World Championship racing scene.
Today, the Ducati Sport Classics models like the PaulSmart 1000, the Sport 1000 and the GT 1000, pay all directly tribute to the Imola era and the wonderful Ducati bikes that came from it!
This historic photo shows a wonderful part of Ducati’s impressive motorcycle history. It is rare to obtain a non period photo like this, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of approx. 8 x 8" (20 x
20 cm
). It is great the way it is, and would look gorgeous when framed.
Check out our other Ebay auctions or contact us for more Ducati and other motorcycle (racing) photos! Combine auctions and save on shipping.
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you buy.   For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well protected in PVC clear files
and board backed envelopes.
We have photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and excellent quality.
After many decades of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace, restaurant, bar or club!
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