Written by Andrew Jones
Like most forms of racing, Europe’s Sultans of Sprint series is full to the brim with enough cool bikes, stories, characters and sights to last you multiple lifetimes. But for the 2018 season, there’s one story in particular that has really stood out for us. Born in Nagasaki and a sworn Ducati fanatic, Toshiyuki Kozaka swore to himself that one day he would build and race a classic Ducati in Europe. 12 long years later and what do you suppose he’s gone and done" Say ?ciao? to the ?81 Ducati 900 MHR called ?Senna?.

?I opened my shop in 2000,? smiles Toshi, as he reminisces. ?It’s in Kumamoto, the southern-most island in Japan. I sell and maintain bikes from makers all over the world, but I specialise in Italian motorcycles. I started riding motorcycles in my small hometown outside of Nagasaki, Japan, at the age of 18 and then I had my first encounter with a Ducati when I was 20. They are the reason why I transitioned to bigger cc bikes.? If Italy was a bike, it would be this one
Toshi’s first encounter with a Ducati was the reason he fell in love with the brand. ?It may have been serendipitous, but it was love at first sight and I knew I had to own one. After that encounter, my life and work with Ducatis began. It was then I realised the vast difference between how Japanese and Italian bikes were made. It really opened up my eyes to just how different two bikes could be.?

Toshi describes the bike as his vision o...