Ducati 750 Imola racer & Spaggiari - 1973 Imola 200 - photo motorcycle photo For Sale

A superb and rare photo of BrunoSpaggiari with the legendary nr. 84 Ducati 750cc desmodromic V-twin factory racer , seen inaction in the 200 miles race of Imola in 1973. According the spec. sheet that came with the negative,this historic photo was shot on April 15, 1973 (raceday).

The race was won by JarnoSaarinen on a Yamaha 351 two stroke racer. Bruno Spaggiari finished the race in2ND position, behind Saarinen. His teammate Kneubuhler crashed during the race.He would however set the fastest lap with a speed of 102.62 mph (165.147 km/h) with a similar Ducati.

The 1973 Ducati Imola racers were different from the 1972racers. Most noticeable was a new, short stroke 750 engine which delivered apower output of 90 hp at 10,000 r.p.m. and also the new short wheelbase(1,420mm) Daspa frame, designed byTaglioni himself. Three bikes were build, the last one was ready 3 days beforeraceday. They were ridden by Bruno Spaggiari, Bruno Kneubuhler and Mick Grant.Spaggiari finished the race in 2 place and Grant was forced to retire when heburned his clutch at the start of the race. Kneubuhler crashed while closing inon Saarinen.

The Ducati 750 Imola Desmo is one of the most famous bikes inthe world. It is best known, and, of course named after, its victory withPaul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari in the 200 mile race at Imola in 1972 – one of the mostspectacular in racing history. Much has been written about the fantasticfinal lap, which saw Smart and Spaggiari side by side almost all the way to thefinishing line, but how this race changed the destiny of the Italianmanufacturer has been relatively unexplored. The win at Imola defined Ducati’sfuture approach to racing, with the manufacturer focusing its attention almostexclusively on production-derived machines. In 1972 Checco Costa bought the 200 Mile formula to Italy and Ducatiprepared eight bikes to be ridden by Paul Smart, Bruno Spaggiari, ErmannoGiuliano, and Alan Dunscombe. The bikes had production frames andengines, but were prepared, as usual, in a very short time. Most of thiswork, however, probably still goes unnoticed, as it was concerned with thesmallest details: wherever possible, each part of the bike was painstakinglyfiled down and lightened. In addition, new Dellorto carburetors with 40 mm choke tubes and accelerator pumps arrived justin time, providing a perfect supply of fuel for the big twin-cylinder, whichdelivered 80 hp at 8,500 rpm. At Imola, Spaggiari reached the finish linewith his gas tank almost empty and so could not snatch the victory from Smart. TheImola racers featured Ducati’s famous 4-stroke longitudinal split 90° V twinengine. The crankcase cylinder and cylinderheads were cast in light alloy; thecylinders had cast-iron liners. Bore and stroke was 80 x 74.4 mm. Cylinder capacity was 747.95 cc. The racershad a compression ratio of 10:1. Ducati was already famous for its desmodromicsingle overhead camshafts, driven by bevel-gears. It was also present on theImola racing machines. Each head had two valves. The air cooled engine featuredwet sump lubrication. Two Dell’orto PHF 40 carburetors with accelerator pumpfed the fuel mixture in the combustion chambers. A twin-plug contact-breakerignition system was present. The Imola racers had a five-speed gearbox andprimary drive by gears, final drive was by chain. A wet multi-plate clutch wasalso 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 inproduction based racing on both sides of the Atlantic. In the early1970’s, long distance racing was extremely popular in Europe, especially Italy. These events wereresponsible for the quick gaining popularity of the heavier sports motorcycle,like the Ducati 750 SS, the Moto Guzzi V7 Sport, the Benelli 650 Tornado, theBMW R 90 S Daytona and the Laverda SFC 750; but also the Japanese sportsmotorcycles like the Kawasaki 350, 500 and 750 triples, but also heavy fourstrokes like the Honda CB 750 Four. Riders that would make world fame, likeFranco Uncini and Marco Lucchinelli, all participated in these races beforethey made the steps to the Grand Prix World Championship racing scene.

Today, the Ducati SportClassics models like the PaulSmart 1000, the Sport 1000 and the GT 1000, payall directly tribute to the Imola era and the wonderful Ducati bikes that camefrom it!

This historic non period photo shows awonderful part of Ducati’s impressive motorcycle history. It is rare to obtaina photo like this, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of approx. 7\"x 12\" (18 x 30 cm ). It is great theway it is, and would look gorgeous when framed.

Check out our other salesor contact us for more Ducati and other motorcycle (racing) photos! Combinesales and save on shipping.

Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos youbuy. For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!

(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear onphoto, for purposes only)

No copyrightexpressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out ourarchives that we have gathered from various sources.

All items always sent wellprotected in PVC clear filesand board backedenvelopes.

We havephotographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from theoriginal photographer or press studio! They are all of professional andexcellent quality.

After many decadesof professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out ourarchives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. Theywill look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with aborder. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace,restaurant, bar or club!

First come -first served. And you can always contact us for your requests. Please ask anyquestions before the sale ends.