Museo Ducati Six Decades of Classic Motorcycles of the Official Ducati Museum

For Ducati fans, visiting the Italian motorcycle manufacturer’s official museum in Bologna is like coming home. Ever since the all-new facility was opened in 1998, a steady stream of Ducati owners, aspirants, and racing enthusiasts have arrived like pilgrims to pay their respects and soak up the spirit of competition that has made Ducati a legendary name for more than 60 years.

Museo Ducati vividly recreates the Ducati museum experience through scores of brilliant photographs taken in a special studio set up on site. The images and accompanying text capture the sweep of Ducati’s racing history through individual profiles of the most important motorcycles in the museum, from the earliest post-war entrants through contemporary MotoGP winners. In between are bikes ridden by champions Mike Hailwood, Raymond Roche, Carl Fogarty, and Troy Bayliss. The motorcycles seen here are authentic veterans—real race bikes in working order, often rolled straight from the podium to the exhibit.

When Ducati opened its museum the goal was to celebrate the racing heritage and competitive spirit that have driven the company for more than half a century. But the Ducati museum is much more than just a collection of historic racing motorcycles—it is also a state-of-the art facility designed to present each bike for maximum effect, and a shrine for the thousands of dedicated fans who visit each year.

In Museo Ducati, author Chris Jonnum and photographer Peter Harholdt go inside the museum to profile 25 of the greatest motorcycles on display there. The tour begins with a 1947 Cúcciolo motorized bicycle and concludes with the 2010 Desmosedici GP10 ridden by MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden. Other highlights include a 900 Super Sport prepared for Mike Hailwood’s legendary 1978 win at the Isle of Man TT and the 1990 851 that Raymond Roche rode to Ducati’s first World Superbike championship. The bikes are shown in stunning detail through photographs taken inside the museum itself. Harholdt’s carefully composed images capture each model’s overall design as well as uncovering details of engines, frames, suspensions and other components. And the detailed text by Ducati insider Chris Jonnum explains each bike’s contribution to Ducati’s long and varied record of racing success.

If you’re lucky enough to have visited the Ducati Museum, this book will bring back memories of a unique encounter with the history and people behind one of the great names in motorsports. And if you still haven’t been to the Borgo Panigale, Museo Ducati is the next best thing to being there.

Museo Ducati includes detail profiles of the following 25 historic racing motorcycles:
1. 1947 Cúcciolo motorized bicycle
2. 1950 Cúcciolo Racing
3. 1956 Marianna
4. 1957 175 F3
5. 1959 125 Desmo
6. 1960 Hailwood 250
7. 1969 “Scruffy” 250 Mark 3D
8. 1971 500 GP
9. 1972 Smart 750 GT “Imola”
10. 1975 Spaggiari 750 Super Sport
11. 1977 900 NCR
12. 1978 Hailwood Bike
13. 1982 TT2
14. 1986 Lucchinelli 750 F1
15. 1990 Roche 851
16. 1991 Polen 888
17. 1993 Supermono
18. 1994 Fogarty 916
19. 2001 Bayliss 996 “Imola”
20. 2003 Capirossi Desmosedici GP3
21. 2003 Hodgson 999 F03
22. 2006 Tricolore Desmosedici GP6
23. 2007 Stoner Desmosedici GP7
24. 2008 Bayliss 1098 F08
25. 2010 Hayden Desmosedici GP10