Hi Ducati people, yesterday arvo I was sitting in a country pub in the middle of Queensland when news came through that Pete smith had passed. Speechless was how I felt. Pete was the guy behind Epicycle. In the 80s he made the go fast bits for your Ducati or whatever you were building. A pantah head on a single, Honda 4 valve heads on a pantah, he bored and stroked a pantah engine to 980cc and they took it to Daytona and finished 4th with gowanlochs bimota DB1. Later he managed the DDT in Australia. That’s the Ducati dealer team. He told me once he designed a slipper clutch for the DDT 851/888 , the factory was impressed they bought one. The following year the factory had a slipper clutch, a copy of Pete’s...He experimented with variable length ram tubes on the 888. He left Ducati team and went onto work in the V8 supercar area. I’d seen him at the tracks around Australia but never got to know him until I bought the parallel twin. Than I was on the phone asking questions, some he would remember others he wouldn’t. I eventually went to visit him a few year ago and the meeting I’ll remember for a long time. Beautiful farm, cattle, coffee and a pristine spotless workshop. And there hanging from the roof was Mat Mladins Cagiva 500 go bodywork from 1993. I talked often over the net and I knew he was sick, but it’s still a big shock. An amazing man with a fertile mind. Boucher.

Chris, amazing that you did the resto on the epicycles twin when you did, thankfully you have it done and can keep his creation alive so many will know him for years to come!
RIP Pete
Paul

Paul is right. Resurrecting the Epicycle twin was a tremendous tribute to a brilliant guy, and something that will carry on his legacy. RIP Pete.

He looked too young to go. But a good story, if a sad one. I will look through my books again to spot his name. Thanks Boucher. MikeV

When a person so intelligent and passionate about his creations leaves us, we not only lose a living being, but also the technical cultural baggage and all that he could still have given us in terms of creations and inventiveness.
Life is bloody ruthless and inexorable.
I lost a friend about 4 years ago, he was a volcano of ideas, but above all he was a friend of mine and I miss him very much, a pancreatic tumor took him away.
What should we do, sometimes I would need someone to tell me the right thing, I would like to be a heartless fool without emotions without regard and affection for anyone, maybe I would be able to live better, no affection, no pain, but then I look at the things that we did it together, me and that friend of mine, and my mind makes me shining eyes, but also a smile on my lips.
I wish you a happy Easter to everyone, surely my friend will be talking about gears with Peter.

Carlo.

Well said Carlo, good people make us better people. May they rest in peace, and a Happy and Healthy Easter to all! lou

Hi folks, a small service was held for Pete on his beloved beautiful farm. A lot of Ducati faces were in attendance. They read a piece out that was written for Pete by Ian gowanloch. It was the story behind the Bimota db1 they campaigned at Daytona in 88. And how Pete made the stroker crank. 74mm I think. Took the 750 cases to 980cc. Pete had left me a dozen photos and these are a couple of earlier builds he did. The parallel twin ( broken in his lounge room where it sat for ten years before he sold it) and his later TL940cc. The interesting thing I see in the TL is a adjustment rod from rear engine mount to swingarm pilot shaft....Boucher.

Thanks for posting the tl photo, list of neat stuff going on there.
Paul