Last summer “one of the most important Ducati in history” went up for auction. Specifically one of the eight 1972 750 Imola Racers manufactured by the brand at the time to participate in the inaugural edition of Imola 200. The result of that historic feat is known by everyone who considers themselves passionate about motorcycles and competition: Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari ended up winning the first two places in the box.
Bruno Spaggiari: a life dedicated to speed
Spaggiari’s personal and sporting history was always related to the world of motorcycles and, in turn, to the brand of his loves, Ducati. Born on January 11, 1933 in Reggio Emilia, his sporting aspirations were clear after witnessing his first motorcycling competition. At that precise moment he decided to become a pilot. While he was still a teenager he acquired a Cucciolo, and at the age of twenty he got a Gitane with a two-stroke engine.
From Ducati they comment: “With this motorcycle he participated in his first sports competition, the Venzano Casina. The following year he demonstrated all his potential by winning the first race of his professional career as a rider.”. His rapid progress and his ability to ride any mount were the necessary characteristics for the Italian firm to select him that same season to compete with a Marianna as the team’s official rider.
Over the following years, as explained by Moto IT, Spaggiari would win, among others, the 1958 Italian Senior Championship riding a 125 Desmo. Subsequently “Spaggiari helped write some of the most brilliant chapters in Italian motorcycling, from his victory in the Grand Prix of Nations to the unforgettable battles of the Imola 200”comment from the brand itself.
Life after his time as a pilot
He left racing in 1974 to focus on his personal businesses, including his support of young drivers starting out in racing. In this context Spaggiari helped Franco Uncini, in the middle of that same decade, to compete in national competitions, riding the yellow Ducati 750 Super Sport of the Spaggiari team:
“They won a series of victories. Uncini remembers that it was a great team, already professional; Bruno was very precise, very serious. It was a wonderful experience.” They conclude from the Italian middle. Bruno leaves his wife Loredana, his two daughters Elisabetta and Emanuela, his son-in-law Giorgio and his grandchildren Giada, Giacomo and Miranda
From the SMN editorial team we send our deepest condolences to all of them.
