Bimota
Tesi
Bimota displayed
the first Tesi prototype, fitted with a Honda
400cc vee four engine at the 1983 Milan Motor
Show, however it would be another seven years
and a further four prototypes before a production
version of the radical concept was announced.
The production Tesi was finally presented to
the world at the 1990 Cologne Motor Show, fitted
with an 851 Ducati vee twin. The new model retained
the "booomerang" shaped plates that
attached to the sides of the engine and, from
which, the various suspension and steering components
were mounted, which had first been seen on the
fifth and only Ducati powered, protoype. Typed
the Tesi 1D by the factory the new machine would
run through three series, the 851, 904 and SR
variants before giving way to the visually different
ES and EF variants.
Competition had
played a part in the development of the Tesi
from the outset, with prototypes being entered
in various races at different times, however,
with the introduction of the production 1D variant
Bimota had a machine suitable for use in the
highest levels of production based racing. Machines
were subsequently fielded in the 1991 World
Superbike Championship, Italian National SBK
championship from 1990 to 1993 and the Italian
Sport Production Championship, at Daytona British
racer/jouranlist Alan Cathcart took victory
in the 1991 Protwins race and followed it the
subsequent year with a victory in the Supertwins
race. The pure competition machine was typed
the Tesi 1D 964 by the factory and unlike the
road - going variant utilised a Ducati 888R
engine. Unfortunately, the full potential of
the machine was never fully realised due to
the lack of funds available to the team, although
their involvement in competition did proove
beneficial to the road going variant. The adoption
of Ohlins suspension units by the racing machines
in 1992 improved the handling significantly
and would become a distinguishing feature of
the second series SR road models.
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