Overcast skies and a shower or two failed to dampen a glorious display of some of Italy’s finest two-wheel creations yesterday, with the running of the Ducati Owners Club of Western Australia’s biennial Moto Italiane Ovest.
More than 100 bikes were on show, ranging from several small-bore unrestored singles to more than a few concourse classic masterpieces.
A relatively modern machine took out Best in Show and, no, it wasn’t a Ducati. Mark Venosi’s 2015 Moto Guzzi Audace 1400 had the audacity to attract more votes than runner-up Brian Ritchie’s 1952 Ducati 98TL and a bunch of exquisite sports bikes dating right back into the early days of Italy’s motorcycle industry.
Ducati was the dominant brand with more than 60 machines, but there was a strong turnout of 20 or more Moto Guzzis plus a handful of Laverdas and MV Agustas, plus representation from Moto Morini, Mondial, Bimota, Gilera and Italjet.
We gave the trusty Nikon a workout, and we were so pleased with the crop of photos that we’ve created two 2023 calendars – one to commemorate the event with shots of multiple marques, and another to showcase some of the many Ducatis on display. Both calendars are priced at $AUD29.95. (Postage is $7.99 for each order within Australia; overseas postage will be higher.)
We hope you will enjoy the photos!
Best in Show, Best 2001-2020, and runner-up in Best Custom — Mark Venosi’s beautiful 2015 Moto Guzzi Audace.Brian Ritchie’s little 1952 Ducati TL98 punched above its weight again, taking out runner-up to the big Audace. We really like the exhaust.Ross Bannister’s 1971 Ducati 450 Scrambler took out the Ducati club’s President’s Award. It’s for sale too. Interested? Check it out here.Lex McKinley’s 1972 850 Guzzi turns heads where ever it goes. Wins trophies too – Best Custom and runner-up to the 450 Scrambler for the President’s Award.You can’t have an Italian bike show without one or two 916s. Marco Balla’s 916 was named Best Original Motorcycle.Marcus Alborn waited a long time to get his hands on this 1980 Ducati 900SS. It was sitting, tired and unloved, in the shed of a friend-of-a-friend “for years”. Marcus expressed interest off and on and, eventually, the friend-of-a-friend agreed to sell. “I gave it a top end rebuild and a paint job, but it was mostly in good shape,” Marcus told us. It’s in even better shape now; good enough to take runner-up in Best Original Motorcycle category.Craig Burley took several of his Ducatis. This one’s a 1986 Ducati 750 F1. It won Best Motorcycle 1985 – 2000. Glorious.We remembered Paul Astill’s Aprilia from the last Ovest, two years ago. It’s still stunning, and still collecting trophies. Runner-up, 1985-2000.David Alberghini has no qualms about putting miles on his 1984 Mike Hailwood Replica Ducati 900. He’s a regular at club runs and takes onto the race track when he gets the chance. “I bought it about five years ago,” Dave told us. “It was in good shape, but quite a few parts weren’t original. I’ve been gradually tracking down the parts. I’m just about done — she really just needs cosmetics now.”
