That stylish racer heritage
The new Café Racer blends three cultures that have contributed to the history of motorcycling. The Scrambler soul. The legend of the Ton-Up boys and the sports spirit of Ducati, embodied in the 125 GP Desmo style livery and the tribute to rider Bruno Spaggiari.
Fruit of the genius that was Fabio Taglioni, the 125 GP Desmo is the motorcycle that marked Ducati’s entry into the world of track racing, as well as the first to adopt desmodromic timing.
It debuted in June 1956 at the Cesena circuit, ridden by Gianni degli Antoni, and obtained its first win already the following month, at the Swedish Grand Prix.
From there, it continued to grow. In 1957, the 125 GP Desmo dominated in Italian championships. The following year, it just missed out on a world title, during a season that would go down in history thanks to the Grand Prix of Nations, at Monza, where five 125 GP Desmo bikes occupied the top five spots, all the bikes from sixth place down lapped during the course of the race.
The first to cross the line, with number 54, was Bruno Spaggiari, the courageous Ducati rider and test rider who, in 1958, scored a further Italian championship title on board the 125 GP Desmo.