Franco Farne has passed away in Bologna, aged 81. For me the greatest of the great, perhaps even more important to Ducati than Fabio Taglioni. A quiet, retiring man who shunned the limelight he did it all. His parents worked at Ducati and while he raced a Cucciolo he ran around town on the rare Ducati Cruiser scooter. Associated with Ducati for well over 50 years, by the time Ing. Fabio Taglioni joined the company in 1954, the 20 year old Farne was already working there as a mechanic and part time racer/test rider. He soon became Taglioni's right hand man in the race department where he stayed up until 2000. During the 1970s, when the factory did not have officially go racing, he was a part of the unofficial effort at NCR. He then "returned" to the factory and was in charge of the race department under the Castiglionis. In 2000 he joined Bimota to manage their World Superbike team but when that failed (due to sponsorship problems) he returned to NCR - thus returning to the Ducati fold. Pictured here with one of the six 1970 450 Desmo GP bikes he helped develop.
Rest in peace Franco - and if there's a heaven you, Masimo Tamburini and Dr T will make it a very special place
With thanks to Phil Aynsley
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