WORLD SUPER BIKE
For 1988, there was a new series, World Super Bike. Bimota stepped up to challenge Honda, Yamaha and Ducati with its latest machine, a much refined version of the 1987 F1 championship bike, with fuel injection and many other major improvements. As Tardozzi explains: “The main thing that Martini modified was going from five valves to four on the Superbike (for 1988). Even the frame was ahead of the times, as the frame was locked on to the head of the engine (a stressed member). The F1 was carburetted and in the winter of 1987-88, it became fuel injected. We had problems as for the fuel injection it was early times and everything was to be discovered.” As with the F1 bike of 1987, the Bimota YB4 was the best bike for fast tracks. However, at the end of the season, it all came apart for the Bimota challenge and Tardozzi. Bruno explains: “1988 while in New Zealand, Davide crashed at the last race in the warm-up lap. It broke the bike to where it was impossible for him to win the Championship. It was not possible to fix the bike, he had broken everything.” Bimota sacked Tardozzi and Federico Martini quit over the treatment of his friend when Bimota went back upon their promised contract to Davide. It proved to be a huge mistake for the small manufacturer, as it never achieved such prominence again. As it turns out, Martini and Tardozzi had turned down a huge pay rise to leave Bimota for 1989, as Davide and Federico had both decided that money was their secondary consideration. Bruno continues the story: “I stayed with Bimota for 1989 and was with Falappa. He was incredible, a very fast guy, very young and crazy… yes, crazy. After one race, he says… ‘Bruno, Bruno, tell me’. He showed me the handlebar was completely broken off the bike in the beginning of the race, and he’d won the race. He won the race that way, holding on with one hand. It was just incredible.” Falappa had finished sixth in points, although the team had withdrawn from World Superbike before season’s end. Bruno Leoni takes up the story again: “I stayed at Bimota for 1990. In 1991, I went with Federico Martini at Gilera on the 250 GP bike, and Ruggia and Lavado were the riders. The bike was completely new and it was no fun. In 1992 the Gilera bike was not so bad, but Davide had gone to the Grottini team, had stopped as a rider, and started as a team manager.” Tardozzi continues: “I stopped racing as I had a bad injury in 1991, I tried to race in 1992 but I was not able because I lost my left-hand muscle. Gianfranco Castiglioni gave me the possibility to run a private team. “Bruno stayed for a while at Bimota and after I moved to Ducati, he came with me. I was in a privateer Ducati team with factory bikes. Claudio Castiglioni wanted very much to have Juan Garriga, because he had him riding in 500 on his Cagiva. Bruno was one of my mechanics with this team, he was Garriga’s mechanic. It was the normal nightmare of private teams 20 years ago, working 20 hours a day with two mechanics and a helper.” Bruno confirms: “Garriga and Mertens were riding for Davide, that was the development team for Ducati that brought me in as a mechanic for 1992. In ’93 I transitioned over to the factory with Virginio Ferrari. I was there 18 years.”
“HE WAS CRAZY ABOUT THE HEALTH OF THE BODY. EVERY TIME THAT HE TOOK OFF A SHIRT, HE DOESN’T WASH, IT GOES IN THE BIN.”