The Imola 200 (also known as the 200 Miglia) is a

motorcycle race The motorcycle sport of racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and ...

held annually at

Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari The Imola Circuit, officially called the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari ( for, it, , Enzo and Dino Ferrari International Circuit), is a motor racing circuit. It is located in the town of Imola, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Ita ...

Imola Imola (; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical region Romagna ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The race originally ran as a modern motorcycle race from 1972 to 1985. In 2010, the Imola 200 Miglia Revival began as a classic bike race.

Background

In response to the popularity of the

Daytona 200 The Daytona 200 is an annual motorcycle road racing competition held in early spring at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was founded in 1937 when it was sanctioned by the American Mo ...

, it was decided to create a "European Daytona" with the best riders from the Grands Prix, European, American and Italian championships competing together.

Inaugural race

The inaugural race was held in 1972, being won by Paul Smart. He was riding a

Ducati 750 Imola Desmo The Ducati 750 Imola Desmo is a racing motorcycle built by Ducati that won the 1972 Imola 200 race in the hands of Paul Smart. This win helped define Ducati's approach to racing. Design On March 20, 1970, Fabio Taglioni (September 10, 1920 – Ju ...

. This bike is considered the first

V-twin engine A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders are arranged in a V configuration and share a common crankshaft. The V-twin is widely associated with motorcycles, primarily installed longitudinally ...

with desmodromic valve system for Ducati.

Influence

This race was considered a major step in the notoriety of Ducati.

Imola 200 race results

Source:

References

{{Reflist Motorsport competitions in Italy Motorcycle races Imola Recurring sporting events established in 1972 1972 establishments in Italy