1985 Ducati TT1 Race Bike
Miles: n/a
Clean Title
Starting Bid: $30,000
Auction ends: June 26th, 2024
Reserve Not Met
Before Ducati’s liquid-cooled, four-valve twins were taking the fight to the four-cylinder might of the Japanese Big Four in World Superbike racing, their two-valve, air/oil-cooled Pantah-engined machines like this Ducati TT1 were being campaigned in a variety World Championship racing events and classes. The Pantah engine was, appropriately, introduced in the 1980 Pantah 500L and featured toothed rubber belts to drive the single overhead cams. This new configuration was much less expensive to produce than the complex bevel-drive and tower shaft arrangement used by the earlier bikes and was quieter as well, although that’s largely academic, given a dry-clutch Ducati’s general racket. The first Pantah-engined racebike was actually the TT2, a very successful 600cc machine introduced in 1981 that was followed by the 750cc TT1 seen here. Both the TT1 and TT2 were extremely light, very agile, and the engines could be tuned to make surprising power.
Ducati TT1 – Unofficially Ducati’s black ops racing department, NCR would build the famous 900TT Formula 1, and in 1980 the amazing TT2. While NCR became well known for success of the TT2, many Italian champions, including Davide Tardozzi, Fabion Barchetta, Graziano Rossi, rode TT2’s built by GPM Racing, constructed under the watchful eye of Pietro Gianasin. In this halcyon period of Italian racing success, NCR & GPM were the front runners, more collaborators than competitors, with both entities helping each other and sharing technology that would have them dominate F2 & TT Championships in Italy, UK, IOM, and the hugely important US based Battle of the Twins (BoT).
Between 1982 & 84, NCR/GPM TT2’s would win 7 Italian Championships! 1984/5 saw Taglioni’s final racer step up to the outright F1 750cc class with creation/evolution of the TT1, with NCR & PGM built bikes continuing success in endurance racing, F1, & BoT, championships.
In 1985 PGM built the bike we have offered here, which from the 01 frame number suggests this uses the first ever thin-wall large-diameter frame built by renown Bologna frame experts, DM Telai. This change, over Taglioni’s original Verlicchi frame, made significant improvement to the already knife-like TT1 handling characteristics. As should be on a genuine bike from the era, the all-important TT1 motor is a Ducati race prepared unit correctly stamped and identified by the 650 3 engine number.
The workmanship and attention to detail so obvious in its construction is extraordinary, and while this may not be as valuable as an original NCR prepared bike, it is arguably more impressive retaining all its correct and exotic TT1 componentry including a handmade titanium exhaust which was extremely rare and hugely expensive for the era.
This amazing TT1 was last prepared by legend Milanese tuner Mario Rognoni, aka Voronoff. Rognoni was considered one of Italy’s master tuners of Ducati motors and prepared this bike for a parade lap of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. As can be seen, Voronoff’s workmanship is exceptional, and this bike carries many of his personalized stampings on many handmade parts and his insignia on the fairings.
In addition to the perfectly period correct motor, including GPM side-cases & other high-spec additions unique to the 1985 build including,
• Marvic 3-spoke magnesium wheels
• Marzocchi FI endurance (quick-change) forks
• Period Brembo radial front brake
• Brembo GP1 front calipers on Brembo adapters
• Brembo Goldline rear caliper
• 750 F1 triple clamps
• Very rare Brembo floaters disks
• Correct Brembo rear master
• Titanium NCR style exhaust
• Malossi 42mm carbs
• Extremely rare GPM dry clutch
I’m not entirely clear about this particular bike’s history and purpose. As stated by the listing, this is not one of the original TT1 racebikes, but it is a very special machines that was created in-period by one of the original builders to exacting specifications that matched the originals. The bike is pretty stunning and, while no specific racing history is mentioned, it is a gorgeous example of a machine that could have competed at that time. Anyone with more information or thoughts about this example, please share in the comments. Park it up in your office or living room, campaign it in a vintage racing series but, whatever you do, please do not hide it away in a garage somewhere!
-tad
What a freaking cool bike!
While I can’t comment on the value, collectibility, and such – because that’s not my thing, I like to ride my bikes – this is way cool. (No shade whatsoever to collectors, they’re part of the sport, too. Just not my part.)
Looks just like the bikes I used to drool over as a kid at the track. By the time I got around to racing myself, it was SVs and the larger 4v Ducs (along with the mandatory smattering of GSX-Rs, since the money was in middleweights at the time).
Hopefully, someone finds a cool bike. Maybe someone who’ll take it to a track day… or maybe even AHMRA?
Would be just the right venue to line up in a field of equally cool bikes of the era.
Thanks for finding this, and posting here.
@LB Tad is great at finding these gems! Glad it put an extra skip in your step this week. We are all a bit rare, lol, so it’s nice to know there are others out there who appreciate these machines.
Totaly agree with LB! I think riding one of these would be like taking a scalpel to a road race.