1
The first major racing
success for the 250 Ducati
was at the 1962 Barcelona
24-Hour race when Ricardo
Fargas and Enzo Rippa took
a prototype Mototrans 250
to victory.2
When it was released,
Ducati claimed the Mach
1 was the world’s fastest 250
with a top speed of 170km/h.
However, this was optimistic
and no contemporary road
tests substantiated this figure.3
Even after the wide-
case single replaced it,
the Mach 1 continued to be
a favoured choice among
privateer racers because it
was considerably lighter.4
In 1969 Alistair Rogers on
a Mach 1 provided Ducati
with its first Isle of Man TT
victory. Rogers won the 250cc
production race at an average
speed of 134.84km/h.5
The relatively low total
production of 838 has
also contributed the Mach 1’s
mystique and collectability.
Only 45 Mach 1s came to
Australia between 1964
and1966.F v g bo
250 M
1
machine was restricted. So during 1964
Ducati developed it into a more general-
purpose sporting single: the 250 Mach 1.
Despite being sold as a street machine,
the 250 Mach 1 was even more highly
tuned than the Mark 3 Super Sport.
The 74x57.8mm single-cylinder engine
descended from the racing F3s and included
a single-overhead camshaft driven by a
vertical shaft and bevel gears. It also had
a 10:1 compression ratio, but the engine
featured larger (40mm and 36mm) valves
and a hotter camshaft.
As with all the overhead-camshaft singles,
the valve springs were the hairpin type,
and with an unfiltered Dell’Orto SSI 29D
carburettor and street muffler, the claimed
power was 27.6hp at 8500rpm.
As it was intended for general street
use, battery and coil ignition replaced
the Mark 3 Super Sport’s racing magneto.
A rear-set rocking gearchange pedal
operated the five-speed gearbox, and
while the handlebars were generally a
clip-on type, a rather bizarre option was
a Mach 1 with a dual seat and extremely
high touring-style handlebars.
It stood out like a
beacon in the sea of
mediocre machinery
that typified Ducatis
at the time