Dr. T
DR. T
CYCLE WORLD Q&A
An interview with Ducati's Fabio Taglioni
IAN FALLOON
JUST SOUTH OF VENICE, IN the north of Italy, lies Emilia Romagna, the country's technological center. The heart of the region is Bologna, a noted university city, from which many renowned engineers have emanated over the years. Greatest of them all is Ingegnere Fabio Taglioni, a.k.a. "Dr. T," whose lifelong commitment to motorcycles and 40-year association with Ducati has made him a legend in his own time. In the 1950s, Taglioni designed and built the first motorcycle with desmodromic valve actuation, a feature that today is a Ducati hallmark.
Now 77 years old, and not in the best of health, Dr. T still has a lucid memo ry of the events that shaped company history. Suffering from emphysema, a legacy of incessant smoking, he now has great difficulty in speaking. Despite this, I recently had an opportu nity to meet with him and ask ques tions, his wife Narina doing most of the talking accompanied by flamboy ant gesticulations from her husband. As always, he was most happy to oblige, and is so modest and humble that one is barely aware of his great ness, or of the esteem in which he is held in all corners of the globe.
Q: What do you consider the elements that constitute a great motorcycle? A: I consider motorcycles great crea tures. But in order to be great they must be fast, stable, have excellent acceleration, be manageable, balanced and sensitive to inputs. A motorcycle must become an extension of the rider, and of course it must have beautiful lines.
Q: Of all the motorcycles you have designed, what are your favorites? A: My favorite motorcycle of all my designs was the 750cc V-Twin of 197 1-74, particularly the Desmo. Also, the 125cc triple-camshaft desmo dromic single-cylinder Grand Prix racer of 1956-58. Those two are the most special to me.
Q: Can you explain why this is so? A: They both fulfill the same criteria, and of course best exemplify the ele ments of a successful motorcycle that we have just discussed. They were also the best and most complete realization of my ideals, both technically and aes thetically. The 750 Desmo was fast, stable, had nice lines and was very smooth and economical-a well-bal anced motorcycle. The narrow engine meant it could be mounted low in the frame for a low center of gravity, and no vibration meant the rider was more closely involved with the machine. I was also permitted to design the 750 with attractive engine cases. There were no economic restraints placed on me when I designed it.
The 125 Desmo was also the realiza tion of a dream. I had been working on a desmodromic cylinder head since 1948, and with it we almost won the 125cc world championship in 1958. Considering we had some serious financial problems at that time, this was a very satisfying result. The 125 Desmo was technically my most satis fying design because it was very inno vative for the day. Of course, it was also fast, stable and good-looking-all those essential ingredients.
Q: You say the 750 Desmo was one of your favorite motorcycles. How impor tant was that bike to Ducati? A: From the Imola bikes we produced the production 750 desmodromic Super Sport, and this became the most impor tant bike in the history of the company. It heralded the expansion of the compa ny, and helped propel Ducati to interna tional fame. Before the 750 Super Sport, the company was struggling for survival, and the 750SS changed all that. Thanks to its performance and race success, the Ducati name became famous throughout the world. The 750 Super Sport set the stage for the current success of the company.
Q: Tell us how and why you went to work for Ducati. A: I was working at Mondial at the time, but only as an assistant engineer. It was in 1952, or possibly 1953, that Dr. Guiseppe Montano approached me about coming to Ducati. They had just been soundly beaten in the Giro d'Italia, the long roadrace around Italy, and he told me that he couldn't pay me much unless Ducati won the race the next year. You must remember that those races were extremely important for pub licity. It was a challenge, so I accepted, plus I wanted to design my own engine. We won the next Giro d'Italia convinc ingly. A month or so afterward, we also won the Milano-Taranto roadrace.
Q: You are known as an avid racing supporter. What are your most vivid racing memories? A: Well, that first Giro d'Italia was very exciting, as were the others in successive years, but the 1972 Imola 200 was probably the most important victory. Equally satisfying was the 125cc Grand Prix at Monza in 1958, where we took the first five places. Over the years, the 24-hour races at Barcelona were fantastic victories for Ducati, especially in 1964, `73, `75 and `80. There were many great racing memories and, of course, the racing success continues today, which pleases me greatly.
Q: You were associated with many great riders. Who were the best? A: Undoubtedly, Mike Hailwood was the best rider I was associated with. Numero uno, and we were lucky to have him on a Ducati so many times in 1959, `60 and then `78. Gianni Degli Antoni was a truly great rider, but he was unfortunately killed while testing at Monza before we could race the 125 Desmo in the world champi onship. Other great riders for Ducati have been Bruno Spaggian and Paul Smart.
Q: What do you feel are your greatest engineering legacies? A: My renown as an engineer is entire ly due to the development and success of the desmodromic valve system for a motorcycle. Even today, you cannot buy a Ducati without desmodromic valves, and it is the single most important fea ture of a Ducati. I am pleased that the current desmoquattro is still setting the standards for unbeatable performance.
Q: How would you like to be remem bered as a man and an engineer? A: As a man, and on a personal level, I would like to be remem bered as good, honest, loyal, amiable and hard working, but not arro gant. As an engineer, I wish that my name always~ easso-~ ciated with Ducati because I have spent all my life there. As an engi neer, I value highly seeing the company to which I have devoted my entire professional life not only continue to operate, but also to grow and prosper in today's world.
Q: Do you have a sense of your own importance and achievements? A: It has been the bikes that have given me the suc cess; it is as if they are all my children, and I am proud of them. Importance has grown from the sportsmen and enthu siasts who have maintained the Ducati name, those who have won the races. I have a sense of my importance and achievement when I read my name in a book or review, or when someone recognizes me and pays honor to me. However, I have always been a modest man, and all my work was born thanks to my love of motor cycles. Deep down, I am still the same.
Q: What are your thoughts on the "Dr. T" mythology that has sprung up? A: I enjoy the myth that people have created around me, and it is very satis fying from a professional point of view. But I have always been a simple man, and I don't hold with the mythology. I am not proud, just grateful.
Q: Can we finish with the stoly of your testing at Modena prior to the 1972 Imola 200? A: Yes, we took a cou pie of the Imola 750s to Modena for testing by Franco Fame and Bruno Spaggiari a couple of weeks before the race. Those bikes were built in only one month, you know. Anyway, Ferrari was also testing at Modena that day, Formula One if I remember. Of course, I had known Enzo Ferrari casually for many years-the engineering world of Emilia Romagna is a small circle. He was so impressed with the 750s that he said to me, "You know, the door to Maranello is always open. You don't even need to knock." This was not the first time that Ferrari had offered me a position, but I kept his invitation in mind. A year later, when we were hay-
ing many difficulties with management and couldn't get our Imola bikes run ning because of supply of some special parts, I drove up to Maranello. It was as Ferrari had said, the door was open and we got all the parts we needed from Ferrari. That was not the last trip to Maranello, either.
Q: Were you not tempted by any of the employment offers? A: It was always tempting, especially when we had those difficult periods at Ducati and I had conflicts with man agement. There was one time when Montano and I weren't on speaking terms for over 40 days, and under Ingegnere De Eccher it was impossi ble! However, I always had a loyalty to Ducati and the people who support ed me. The offers kept coming, though, especially after Imola, and until three years ago I was still being approached by the Japanese! I also didn't want to move to cars because I felt comfortable with motorcycles. It was not only a world that I knew, but one that was dear to my heart. All my work has been created through a love for motorcycles.
Ian Falloon is author of The Ducati Story and two forthcoming books,
