CALIFORNIA HOT ROD: The V-twin Ducati that made the brand in America in the 1970s

Cycle magazine editors Cook Neilson and Phil Schilling bought a Ducati 750 Supersport in the 1970s and made it into a superbike racer, which launched the Italian marque's reputation in the US. Dubbed the California Hot Rod, the bike was unrelentingly modified and developed to become a Daytona winner. It is perhaps the most important Ducati V-twin behind Paul Smart's 1972 Imola 200-winning machine and helped establish the worldwide performance reputation still enjoyed by the company.

The build and racing effort was molecularly detailed in the pages of Cycle magazine, and Kevin Cameron recalls the story with Mark Hoyer to share its fascinating development and the string legends that helped it go fast---faster than anybody on the track with great frequency.