DUCATI DESMO FACTS

At 17 years old, Freddie Spencer stepped up to the Superbike class at Daytona in 1979 on a Reno Leoni-tuned Ducati. He was running with the leaders until the engine’s countershaft sprocket sheared at the halfway mark. Later that year Spencer would win his first Superbike race on a Kawasaki before Honda snapped him up.

Youngster Wayne Gardner raced an Ncrspec Ducati 900 at the Coca Cola 800 at Sydney in 1980 with co-rider Dave Robbins. Gardner overtook Gregg Hansford’s factory experimental Kawasaki Z1000RR to lead in the rain until the electrics failed

Kenny Roberts tested a Ducati F1 750 at Misano in 1985, in between doing track analysis of Cagiva’s 500cc Grand Prix racer. He liked it.