Frame No. ZDM888S00798

Engine No. 000832

The 851 firmly launched Ducati into the modern era in more than one way. It was the first Ducati to feature the new "Desmoquattro" water-cooled 4-valve twin-cylinder engine and simultaneously returned the marque to top-level racing. A World Superbike championship followed in 1990, and the 851 F90 captured sixteen podiums in twenty-six races during its years on track-a highly enviable record of success!

Most of the 20 Ducati 851 F90 Corsas produced in 1990 were raced hard, but occasionally there are those rare examples that go unraced and are sequestered for other purposes. This F90 Corsa, frame number 798, is one such example. It was first acquired by Italian Oscar Rumi, owner and team manager of the 1988 and 1989 World Superbike Champions, Team Rumi. It may seem odd that the owner of team that fielded championship-winning Honda RC30s would be allowed to acquire competitor's machinery, but rather than experience the bike for himself it is said that Rumi wanted to examine both the frame geometry and set-up. As a result, the bike was not used during his ownership.

It is believed that Rumi retained the Corsa for two decades before likely brokering it through Gianni Peroni to John Surtees. Of course, "Big John" - the ultra-competitive former two-time Grand Prix motorcycle and Formula One World Champion, as well as team owner-needs no introduction, yet it is noted that he had a soft spot for Ducati 851 racing machinery. The bike remained with Surtees, with fluids drained and turned over per its Ducati workshop log until his passing in 2017 at the age of 83. Acquired directly from the Surtees family in 2018, it was the star of the 2020 Salon Privé Concours at Blenheim Palace, fawned over for its pedigree and highly original condition. Apart from Salon Privé, it has been maintained as a life-sized Objet d'art under current ownership and likely remains the most original "as delivered" example extant and certainly the finest on offer today.