THE WORLD'S FIRST DUCATI 350
“FRANK BEGAN A SUPERB RESTORATION OF A BIKE THAT’S NOW ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DUCATI MOTORCYCLES IN EXISTENCE.”
Back in 1960, the biggest motorcycle model that Ducati made was just 200cc, so most people would have considered anyone talking of turning that little bike into a 350 racer to be certifiably insane. But successful California racer, Frank Scurria, saw potential where others thought none existed and began a project that eventually saw him building what was effectively the prototype of the 350cc road machines that Ducati sold by their thousands in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Frank was a California road racing champion in the Sixties and even came to the UK mid-decade with his Manx Norton to perform with distinction on the British short circuits. After returning to the States he was a winning driver on the California car racing circuits before retiring from racing to join the Los Angeles Police Department – ‘to protect and serve’ as the LAPD motto says. For much of his time with the department he did that as an undercover narcotics agent.Then, after he retired from the LAPD, rather than just sit back and draw his pension, he went to the conflict in Kosovo with one of the private security agencies.
Finally, Frank decided that enough excitement was enough and he came back to California where he took the lids off the packing cases that contained the parts of his 1963 Ducati 350 racer and began a superb restoration of a bike that is now one of the most significant Ducati motorcycles in existence.
Frank was a typical California hot-rodder type, who loved racing anything with wheels; anywhere, any time.There are some very nice canyon roads in the San Gabriel Mountains above his hometown of Glendale, including the well-known Angeles Crest Highway that was free of heavy traffic and a great training ground for a would-be road racer.
Another big help
