2006 Ducati SportClassics: Paul Smart 1000 LE and Sport 1000
he scene was set on April 23 of
1972 at the Imola 200, when,
almost by accident, one man
on one machine changed the
fate of a small company from
Bologna, Italy. Forever. The man was Brit
Paul Smart, and the machine was the brandnew and untested Fabio Taglioni-designed
Ducati 7S0cc twin, a motorcycle that beat
all comers that day. It wasn't as much a
fluke as a surprise, with Smart's win backed
up by Italian Bruno Spaggiari's second-place
finish on another of the Ducati 7S0cc twins.
And this just wasn't any motorcycle race, as
the field included the likes of Giacomo
Agostini, Phil Read, and works machines
from Moto Guzzi, Norton, Triumph, BSA
and MV Agusta, to name a few.
On that day in 1972, Ducati was officially put on the map. What ensued was the
creation of some of the most revered
motorcycles of their time - bikes such as
the 1974 Super Sport 750, which was a
direct descendant of the "'mola" bike that
Smart rode, a bike that created the bigbore twin dynasty, along with the likes of
the 7S0SS and Mike Hallwood's Isle of
Man-winning 900SS.
More than 30 years later, the Super
Sport 750 is still thought by many to be the
original Superbike, and is considered one
of the most sought-out and collected
Italian motorcycles.
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NOVEMBER 2, 2005 •
CYCLE NEWS
