Hagerty Classic Cars sits down with Paul Smart who tells the story of the first time he rode a Ducati motorcycle at the Imola 200 mile race.

For the story click HERE

For sale is my 2006 Paul Smart 1000 LE. I bought her brand new in the fall of 2007 from Salt Lake Motorsports. She was originally prepped by Matt Spencer, master Ducati mechanic/tuner & three time KTM Paris-Dakar crew chief for Chris Blaise. All subsequent service has been performed by Matt, (then SLMS/ now speedbyspencerdotcom).
Matt set her up with a Power Commander III, Termignoni slip-on, DP ECU and Ohlins spring upgrade – 00698-06/44 L136. The stock Ohlins spring is under-sprung. The upgrade provides a much more compliant and plush ride. I removed the stock mirrors in favor of a left bar mount CRG and installed a dpcars fender kit – dpcarsdotnet ~ (The stock mirrors and stock tail light/ license plate assembly are included. The stock exhaust is no longer available).
She originally resided in Chicago and is currently located with me in Denver, (garaged in both places). 2224 miles are currently on the clock.

For the rest click HERE

Ducati, the iconic Italian motorcycle brand from Bologna started by three brothers in 1926 has had its fair share of ups and downs. As of April this year, it was purchased by Audi in hopes of reviving the brand and increasing its sales market just as it has done throughout the decades. Back in the early 70s, Ducati was in the forefront of motorcycle engineering resulting in numerous victories including the most notable of a one-two finish at the Imola 200 on April 1972. The motorcycle that won that iconic race during a very muggy day was an untested Ducati 750 twin designed by Taglioni and the racer was of course, the British born Paul Smart. That day is engrained in Ducati history books as it set forth the new era of the iconic big-bore twin sport bike for the Italian manufacturer....More Here

Another one for Paul Smart Week...

This build comes from the Moto Corse dealership of Tokyo, Japan. The bike started as a 2006 Paul Smart 1000 L.E.. The Ducati Paul Smart 1000 L.E. is inspired by the 1974 Super Sport 750 and is a tribute to the 750 “Imola” bike that English racer Paul Smart took to victory in the 1972 Imola 200. On a cloudy day in April 1972, Paul Smart rode a new untested Ducati 750 twin to a historic surprise victory at the Imola 200, beating all competitors; more-so, in the same race the Italian racer Bruno Spaggiari, also riding a Ducati 750, crossed the finish line in second place. Inspired by these results, Fabio Taglioni decided to introduce production motorcycles with the styling and the latest technological solutions of the 750 “Imola“....lots more details, specs and photos, on the headline link above

More Paul Smart History Week at Ducati.net!

Paul Smart's victory at the 1972 Imola 200 was the start of Ducati's superbike success. Paul Smart tells the story.... 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorsport/2752850/Paul-Smarts-Imola-200-victory.html

It’s Paul Smart Week here at Ducati.net and we thought if there ever was a photo that was worth re-sharing, it’s this one of the glass transporter that Ducati had built to bring the team bikes to Imola. We will let Paul tell it in his own words:

“That evening we had a grand tour around Bologna in a long procession of cars honking their horns and waving flags. We stopped for what was to be minute outside the railway station, but thousands and thousands of people surrounded us and we just joined in the party....more here:  http://www.ducati.net/2012/04/ducati-net-history-dejaview-the-glass-transporter/

Click on the headline for the story link...