Renzo Pasolini
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Motorcycle Grand Prix Career | |
| Nationality |  Italian |
|---|---|
| Active years | 1964 - 1973 |
| Team(s) | Aermacchi, Benelli |
| Grands Prix | 46 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 6 |
| Podium finishes | 35 |
| Pole positions | N/A |
| Fastest laps | N/A |
| First Grand Prix | 1964 350cc Nations Grand Prix |
| First win | 1969 250cc Dutch TT |
| Last win | 1972 250cc Spanish Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1973 250cc Nations Grand Prix |
Renzo Pasolini (18 July 1938 - 20 May 1973), nicknamed "Paso", was a popular Italian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer in the 1960s. Pasolini came close several times to winning a world championship. He won many fans because of his good nature and his aggressive riding style, racing each race as if the championship hung in the balance.
Pasolini was born in Rimini. He began racing motocross before his interest switched to road racing however, he continued to use motocross as a means to stay in shape during the off-season. He began his career in 1964 on an Aermacchi, scoring points in his first ever Grand Prix. Accepting a ride from the Benelli factory, he won the 250cc and 350cc Italian National championships in 1968. That same year, he also rode a Benelli in the 350cc world championship, finishing second to MV Agusta's Giacomo Agostini. In the 1972 season, having returned to the Aermacchi team, he won three races and came within one point of beating Yamaha's Jarno Saarinen for the 250cc world title.
Pasolini died tragically along with Saarinen during the 1973 Nations Grand Prix at Monza when he crashed at La Curva Grande while leading on the opening lap of the race and starting a multiple bike accident. It was later determined that the crash was caused by an oil slick deposited on the track during the previous race. The race organizers had failed to ensure that the track was safe for the following races. The accident forced Grand Prix race organizers to adopt a more comprehensive approach to safety. Pasolini won 6 Grand Prix races during his career. He was 34 years old.
The Aermacchi race bike he helped develop, went on to win 3 consecutive 250cc world championships from 1974 to 1976 and added a 350cc world title in 1976. The bike was re-badged as a Harley Davidson during those championship seasons after the American company bought the Aermacchi firm.
In 1985, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati unveiled a new model motorcycle at the Milan Bike Show, the Ducati Paso, named in honor of Pasolini. The name was chosen to by Ducati's lead designer Massimo Tamburini, himself a fan of the Italian racer.
[edit] Motorcycle Grand Prix Results
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Points | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Year | Class | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Points | Rank | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 350cc | Aermacchi | IOM DNS |
NED DNS |
W.GER DNS |
E.GER DNS |
ULS DNS |
FIN DNS |
NAT 3 |
JPN DNS |
3 | 13th | 0 | |||||
| 1965 | 350cc | Aermacchi | W.GER 3 |
IOM DNS |
NED 3 |
E.GER DNS |
CZE 2 |
ULS DNS |
FIN DNS |
NAT 1 |
JPN DNS |
9 | 8th | 0 | ||||
| 1966 | 250cc | Aermacchi | ESP 4 |
W.GER DNS |
FRA DNS |
NED DNS |
BEL DNS |
E.GER DNS |
CZE DNS |
FIN DNS |
ULS DNS |
IOM DNS |
NAT DNS |
JPN DNS |
4 | 14th | 0 | |
| 1966 | 350cc | Aermacchi | W.GER DNS |
FRA 2 |
NED 4 |
BEL 3 |
CZE 2 |
FIN DNS |
ULS DNS |
IOM DNS |
NAT 6 |
JPN DNS |
17 | 3rd | 0 | |||
| 1967 | 350cc | Aermacchi | W.GER 4 |
IOM DNS |
NED 4 |
E.GER DNS |
CZE DNS |
ULS DNS |
NAT DNS |
JPN DNS |
8 | 8th | 0 | |||||
| 1968 | 250cc | Benelli | W.GER DNS |
ESP DNS |
IOM 6 |
NED 4 |
BEL DNS |
E.GER DNS |
CZE DNS |
FIN DNS |
ULS DNS |
NAT DNS |
10 | 6th | 0 | |||
| 1968 | 350cc | Benelli | W.GER 6 |
IOM 6 |
NED DNS |
E.GER DNS |
CZE DNS |
ULS DNS |
NAT 6 |
18 | 2nd | 0 | ||||||
| 1968 | 500cc | Benelli | W.GER DNS |
ESP DNS |
IOM DNS |
NED DNS |
BEL DNS |
E.GER DNS |
CZE DNS |
FIN DNS |
ULS DNS |
NAT 6 |
6 | 12th | 0 | |||
| 1969 | 250cc | Benelli | ESP DNF |
W.GER DNS |
FRA DNS |
IOM DNS |
NED 15 |
BEL DNS |
E.GER 15 |
CZE 15 |
FIN DNS |
ULS DNS |
NAT DNS |
YUG DNS |
45 | 4th | 3 | |
| 1970 | 350cc | Benelli | W.GER DNS |
YUG DNS |
IOM DNS |
NED 12 |
E.GER 12 |
CZE 12 |
FIN DNS |
ULS DNS |
NAT DNS |
ESP 10 |
46 | 3rd | 0 | |||
| 1971 | 250cc | Aermacchi | AUT DNS |
W.GER DNS |
IOM DNS |
NED DNS |
BEL DNS |
E.GER DNS |
CZE DNS |
SWE DNS |
FIN DNS |
ULS DNS |
NAT DNS |
ESP 6 |
6 | 28th | 0 | |
| 1972 | 250cc | Aermacchi | W.GER DNS |
FRA 12 |
AUT DNS |
NAT 15 |
IOM DNS |
YUG 15 |
NED 12 |
BEL DNS |
E.GER 12 |
CZE 12 |
SWE 10 |
FIN DNS |
ESP 15 |
93 | 2nd | 3 |
| 1972 | 350cc | Aermacchi | W.GER 6 |
FRA 10 |
AUT 10 |
NAT 12 |
IOM DNS |
YUG DNS |
NED 10 |
E.GER 12 |
CZE 12 |
SWE 8 |
FIN 10 |
ESP 12 |
78 | 3rd | 0 | |
| 1973 | 250cc | Aermacchi | FRA 10 |
AUT DNS |
W.GER DNS |
IOM DNS |
NAT DNF |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | 19th | 0 |
