1989 Ducati 750 F1 Laguna Seca, Frame no. ZDM750LS*750059* Engine no. ZDM750L1*750194

1989 Ducati 750 F1 Laguna Seca
Frame no. ZDM750LS*750059*
Engine no. ZDM750L1*750194
• Less than 300 examples made
• Fully restored

Considered by many enthusiasts to be the last of the 'real' (pre-Cagiva take-over) Ducatis, the race-styled 750 F1 first appeared in 1985. Ducati had already enjoyed considerable success with its Pantah-derived F2 racers in FIM Formula 2 racing - Tony Rutter winning the championship four-times running between 1981 and 1984 - so a '750' version was the logical next step.

First seen in prototype form in endurance races in 1983, the F1's 748cc engine was the latest in a long line of stretches applied to the original 500c 'belt drive' Desmo unit that had first appeared in the Pantah in 1979. A markedly over-square design of 88x61.5mm bore/stroke, the F1 engine produced around 60bhp and functioned as a stressed element within the frame, the swinging arm pivoting in the rear of the gearbox. Clearly visible above the deliberately cut away fairing sides, the aforementioned frame attracted almost as much attention as the engine: a trellis of short, straight tubes, it has formed the basis of every road-going Ducati since, as well as the first Desmosedici Moto GP racers. In the fashion of the day, the F1 came with a 16-inch front wheel, while braking power was provided by state-of-the-art triple Brembos. The stock F1 was complemented by a series of hand-built, limited edition, race replicas – Montjuich, Santamonica and Laguna Seca – the last inspired by Marco Lucchinelli's famous 'Battle of the Twins' race victory at Daytona in 1986. Today the evocatively named F1 and its derivatives are highly prized by Ducati collectors.

Much like the Montjuich, the Laguna Seca came with bigger Dell'Orto carburetors, higher compression ratio, bigger valves, and straight-cut primary drive gears. And talk of 95bhp at 10,000rpm! But unlike the Montjuich, it came with a larger, quieter muffler.

There were some small changes between the two bikes, namely in the Laguna's parts from the new Paso. The delta-spoked one-piece 16-inch Oscam wheels and the brake discs, but not the four-piston 'racing' Brembo front calipers, came from the 750 Paso, as did the wider front fender. Other changes included a 'Lucky' signature steel gas tank, revised foot peg bracketry and a plastic rear sub-fender attached to the swing arm. Most Laguna Secas came with a solo seat and were built in limited numbers (perhaps as few as 296.)

This Laguna Seca is essentially original apart from an upgraded rear Ohlins shock and indicators; and outwardly is in excellent condition. It came out of a specialty collection of sportbikes in New Zealand but its history is otherwise unknown.