Leopoldo Tartarini

Leopoldo Tartarini was born in Bologna on 10th August 1932 into a family in which motorcycles had always played a special role. His father had raced on various makes of bike such as Frera and Guzzi, for whom he had also been a dealer for several years before switching, together with his son, to Ducati. As a boy Leopoldo started racing in the minor categories, giving him the opportunity to gain his international federation license. He was so successful that he was soon signed up by top Italian motorcycle manufacturers as a professional rider. Although his speciality was the ‘long-distance tour', he competed in many other kinds of race too. His greatest successes can be summed up as follows:

1952 - First overall in the "Milan-Taranto" on a bike of his own design: the frame was self-built and the power was provided by a twin-cylinder 650 cc BSA engine.

1953 - First overall in the "Motogiro" (organised by Bologna's daily newspaper, the Stadio) on an official Benelli; first in his category and second overall in the "Milan-Taranto", on a Benelli of course. (based on Wikipedia article)