AUTHORITY!
Thirty years ago in 1992, Ducati’s 851 – its firstgeneration desmoquattro model launched in 1987 – made it a hat-trick of world Superbike titles for the Italian manufacturer, thanks to its reigning American world champion Doug Polen successfully defending his title on his 888 version of the Ducati 851 run by the Police-sponsored factory race team – that’s the sunglasses company, not the local Carabinieri!
Ducati’s feat in wresting world Superbike supremacy away from Honda in 1990 was matched only by its achievement in retaining the title in 1991, courtesy of Texan newcomer Polen. Running a tight budget, Doug’s expat Italian team owner/manager/tuner/race engineer Eraldo Ferracci, who’d been based in the USA for the previous quarter century, teamed up with the dynamic duo of Ducati Euro-tuners Giorgio Nepoti and Rino Caracchi – better known collectively as the partners in NCR. Together, they ran a shoestring but effective privateer operation that netted them the title against the considerably better resources of Marco Lucchinelli’s factory race team, headed by defending champ Raymond Roche.
Polen’s first title in 1991 was won with a display of dominance that neither Carl Fogarty nor Troy Bayliss ever achieved on a Ducati. He won 17 of the 24 races and scored 10 pole positions in succession in the 12 rounds, including no less than six double victories and nine fastest laps. All riding a customer 888 Corsa motorcycle on unfamiliar circuits, two of which the Texan had never raced before.
“This is the true spirit of Superbike racing,” declared Ducati’s then owner Claudio Castiglioni.
“Where a customer’s bike can beat the factory machines. It’s also good
