A splendid Ducati 851S Tricolore that belonged to Ron Haslam will be auctioned in London: Leon’s father, a Cagiva official rider during the 1990 season, received it as a gift from the Varese company, which at the time owned the Ducati brand
Not only is it one of the most iconic Ducatis ever, but it boasts an illustrious former owner and has zero km on its back. What you see in the photos is not an “any” 851 – assuming that the first of Borgo Panigale’s Superbikes can be qualified in this way – but a decidedly particular specimen, which will be auctioned on Saturday 18 February on the occasion of the London Motorcycle Show, under the insignia of Silverstone Auctions.
ILLUSTRATE PEDIGREE
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Why particular? Because this 1988 851 was given by Cagiva, then owner of the Ducati brand, to Ron Haslam, official bearer of the Varese company in the 500 class during the 1990 season. Ron, like his colleagues Randy Mamola and Marco Lucchinelli, therefore went to the garage an extraordinary 851S Tricolore, one of the maximum expressions of the twin cylinder from Borgo Panigale, the ancestor of all today’s Ducati superbikes. Never used by the English driver, the Bolognese sports car subsequently changed hands without ever being started, and is now ready – together with a large suite of original spare parts including exhausts, valves, spark plugs, etc. – to settle in the garage of a lucky owner. who will easily have to pay out an amount between 40 and 50 thousand pounds (about 45-56 thousand euros at current exchange rates). There is also a special racing kit and all the documents needed to trace the 851 back to its first, illustrious owner, who in addition to being Leon’s father was one of the most versatile British drivers who raced between the 1970s and 2000s. Ace of road racing, Ron Haslam won the Macao GP six times and the Tourist Trophy twice, the queen of road racing, also establishing himself on two occasions in Formula TT (in 1979 in Formula 1 and in 1980 in Formula 3). Speaking of Grands Prix, he raced in the Premier Class between 1977 and 1999, achieving a 4th place as his best final result in 1987, wearing the colors of the Elf-Honda team.