PASSING PHASE
Located as I am somewhere along the East Coast of Australia, it wasn’t much of a summer for riding. It rained and it rained, but I did get in at least one memorable run along the Putty Road with some like-minded friends.
The occasion was a Ducati Owners Club commemorative ride for English racer Paul Smart, who had been killed a few months earlier, aged 78, in a road accident in the UK. Way back in 1972, Paul Smart rode Ducati’s new 750cc desmo V-twin to a debut victory in the Imola 200, elevating him to sainthood amongst the Ducatisti and spawning the revered 750 Super Sport in 1974. Ducati kindly returned the shout many years later with the PaulSmart 1000 LE in 2006.
