Paul Smart had demonstrated his speed before his famous Imola victory. In 1967 he rode a Norton Dominator to second in the Isle of Man TT’s Production 750 class, returning to second place in that class in 1969. His career also included seven Grand Prix podium finishes.
Before Ducati’s invitation, Smart was racing in the United States with Hanson Kawasaki. Initial contact about the Imola ride came through his wife Maggie. Arriving in Bologna gave him the opportunity to discover the work of Fabio Taglioni’s technical team.
On 23 April 1972, Smart won the Imola 200 Miles aboard the Ducati 750 Imola Desmo, with Bruno Spaggiari finishing second. The racer was derived from the 750 GT and used desmodromic valve actuation. The one-two result reinforced Ducati’s direction towards competition machines related to production motorcycles.
Smart continued racing until 1978, riding for different manufacturers in Europe and America. He died in 2021, aged 78. Imola became his defining achievement, but behind that single victory lay a versatile international racing career.