October 27, 2021, will be forever remembered in the world of motorcycles. On that day, Ducati legendary racer, Paul Smart, met a fatal accident after colliding with a vehicle that was making a U-turn. He was 78.
The driver, David Gladwell, earlier this month pleaded guilty to causing the death of Paul Smart. According to the news, “Mr. Gladwell has pleaded guilty to causing the death of Paul Smart by careless or inconsiderate driving. Gladwell stood in front of Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court on 9 February 2023 to deliver his guilty plea.”
“Mr. Gladwell came across a slow-moving queue of traffic and decided to do a U-turn in the opposing lane and collided with a motorbike ridden by Mr. Smart. Sadly he died of his injuries,” said the news.
The case will be turned over to the Maidstone Crown Court for Gladwell’s sentencing.
Ducati
The Ducati brand may have not been where it is now if not for Paul Smart. In 1972, Smart took home the championship for the Imola 200 onboard the Ducati GT750. That win propelled the Italian brand to international acclaim.
Smart has also competed in the legendary Isle of Mann Tourist Trophy (TT) from the late 60s to the early 70s. He retired from racing in 1978 but has continued to work with Ducati, giving the brand exceptional knowledge in developing their (then) future superbikes.
Ducati created the Paul Smart 1000 LE in 2006 in his honor.
