Giacomo Agostini
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Motorcycle Grand Prix Career | |
| Nationality |  Italian |
|---|---|
| Active years | 1964 - 1977 |
| Team(s) | MV Agusta, Yamaha |
| Grands Prix | 194 |
| Championships | 350cc - 1968-1974 500cc - 1966-1972, 1975 |
| Wins | 122 |
| Podium finishes | 159 |
| Pole positions | 9 |
| Fastest laps | 8 |
| First Grand Prix | 1964 250cc West German Grand Prix |
| First win | 1965 350cc West German Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1976 500cc West German Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1977 500cc British Grand Prix |
Giacomo Agostini (born 16 June 1942) is an Italian multi-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Nicknamed Ago, he is the all-time leader in victories in motorcycle Grand Prix history.
[edit] Biography
Agostini was born in Lovere, in Lombardy, the son of a wealthy, Italian industrialist. His father originally didn't approve of his son's motorcycle racing career. He did everything he could to persuade his son not to race. Agostini would have to steal away to compete, first in hill climb events and then in road racing.
Eventually his father came to terms with his racing and he won the 1963 Italian 175cc championship aboard a Morini. He got his break when Morini factory rider, Tarquinio Provini left the team to ride for Benelli. Count Alfonso Morini hired the young Agostini to ride for him. In 1964, Agostini would win the Italian 350cc title and proved his ability by finishing fourth in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
These results caught the eye of Count Domenico Agusta who signed Agostini to ride for his MV Agusta squad as Mike Hailwood's team-mate. Agostini then fought a season-long battle with Honda's Jim Redman for the 1965 350cc world championship. He seemed to have the title won when he led the final round in Japan at Suzuka when, his bike failed him handing the title to Redman.
Hailwood left to join Honda as he had tired of working for the difficult Count Agusta. Agostini responded by winning the 500cc title seven years in succession for the Italian factory. He would also win the 350cc title seven times in succession and won 10 Isle of Man TTs. In 1967 he battled Hailwood in one of the most dramatic seasons in Grand Prix history. Each rider had 5 victories before the championship was decided in Agostini's favor at the last race of the season.
Agostini dropped a bombshell on the Grand Prix world when, after the death of his close friend, Gilberto Parlotti at the 1972 Isle of Man TT, he announced he would never again race at the event because he considered it unsafe. At the time, the TT was the most prestigious race on the motorcycling calendar. Other top riders joined his boycott of the event and by 1976, the event was stricken from the Grand Prix schedule.
Agostini surprised the racing world when he announced that he would ride for Yamaha in 1974. On his first outing for the Japanese factory, he won the prestigious Daytona 200, the premiere American motorcycle race, becoming the first of would would be seven 500cc or MotoGP world champions to win the event. He went on to claim the 1974 350cc World Championship but injuries and mechanical problems kept him from winning the 500cc crown. He rebounded and won the 1975 500cc title, the first time that a two-stroke machine had claimed the premier class. It would also be his last world title. In 1976, he would win his last Grand Prix, taking an MV Agusta to victory at the Nürburgring. He retired from motorcycle competition after finishing 6th in the 1977 season.
Like John Surtees and Mike Hailwood before him, Agostini began an auto racing career in 1978 but never managed to reach Formula One. He competed in the European Formula 2 series in a Chevron-B42 BMW and British Aurora Formula 1 with his own team and a Williams FW06-1. He ended his auto racing career in 1980.
Ago returned to the motorcycle racing as a Marlboro Yamaha team manager. As team manager he managed many successful riders such as Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer and Eddie Lawson.
Agostini, who was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, is considered one of the greatest Grand Prix riders of all time. In 17 years he won a record 15 Grand Prix World Championship titles and 122 Grand Prix victories. In 2000, the FIM named him a Grand Prix "Legend".
[edit] Complete Grand Prix motorcycle racing 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 | 250cc | Moto Morini | USA DNS |
ESP DNS |
FRA DNS |
IOM DNS |
NED DNS |
BEL DNS |
W.GER 3 |
E.GER DNS |
ULS DNS |
FIN DNS |
NAT 3 |
JPN DNS |
6 | 12th | 0 | |
| 1965 | 350cc | MV Agusta | W.GER 8 |
IOM 4 |
NED 4 |
E.GER DNS |
CZE DNS |
ULS DNS |
FIN 8 |
NAT 8 |
JPN 2 |
32 | 2nd | 3 | ||||
| 1965 | 500cc | MV Agusta | USA DNS |
W.GER 6 |
IOM NC |
NED 6 |
BEL 6 |
E.GER 6 |
CZE 6 |
ULS DNS |
FIN 8 |
NAT 6 |
32 | 2nd | 1 | |||
| 1966 | 350cc | MV Agusta | W.GER DNS |
FRA 6 |
NED 6 |
BEL 8 |
CZE 6 |
FIN DNS |
ULS 6 |
IOM 8 |
NAT 8 |
JPN DNS |
42 | 2nd | 3 | |||
| 1966 | 500cc | MV Agusta | W.GER 6 |
NED 6 |
BEL 8 |
E.GER NC |
CZE 6 |
FIN 8 |
ULS 6 |
IOM 6 |
NAT 8 |
36 | 1st | 3 | ||||
| 1967 | 350cc | MV Agusta | W.GER 6 |
IOM 6 |
NED 6 |
E.GER 6 |
CZE DNS |
ULS 8 |
NAT DNS |
JPN DNS |
32 | 2nd | 1 | |||||
| 1967 | 500cc | MV Agusta | W.GER 8 |
IOM DNF |
NED 6 |
BEL 8 |
E.GER 8 |
CZE 6 |
FIN 8 |
ULS |
NAT 8 |
CAN 6 |
46 | 1st | 5 | |||
| 1968 | 350cc | MV Agusta | W.GER 8 |
IOM 8 |
NED 8 |
E.GER 8 |
CZE 8 |
ULS 8 |
NAT 8 |
32 | 1st | 7 | ||||||
| 1968 | 500cc | MV Agusta | W.GER 8 |
ESP 8 |
IOM 8 |
NED 8 |
BEL 8 |
E.GER 8 |
CZE 8 |
FIN 8 |
ULS 8 |
NAT 8 |
48 | 1st | 10 | |||
| 1969 | 350cc | MV Agusta | ESP 15 |
W.GER 15 |
IOM 15 |
NED 15 |
E.GER 15 |
CZE 15 |
FIN 15 |
ULS 15 |
NAT DNS |
YUG DNS |
90 | 1st | 8 | |||
| 1969 | 500cc | MV Agusta | ESP 15 |
W.GER 15 |
FRA 15 |
IOM 15 |
NED 15 |
BEL 15 |
E.GER 15 |
CZE 15 |
FIN 15 |
ULS 15 |
NAT DNS |
YUG DNS |
105 | 1st | 10 | |
| 1970 | 350cc | MV Agusta | W.GER 15 |
YUG 15 |
IOM 15 |
NED 15 |
E.GER 15 |
CZE 15 |
FIN 15 |
ULS 15 |
NAT 15 |
ESP DNS |
105 | 1st | 9 | |||
| 1970 | 500cc | MV Agusta | W.GER 15 |
FRA 15 |
YUG 15 |
IOM 15 |
NED 15 |
BEL 15 |
E.GER 15 |
FIN 15 |
ULS 15 |
NAT 15 |
ESP DNS |
90 | 1st | 10 | ||
| 1971 | 350cc | MV Agusta | AUT 15 |
W.GER 15 |
IOM DNS |
NED 15 |
BEL 15 |
E.GER 15 |
CZE DNS |
SWE 15 |
FIN 15 |
ULS DNS |
NAT DNS |
ESP DNS |
90 | 1st | 6 | |
| 1971 | 500cc | MV Agusta | AUT 15 |
W.GER 15 |
IOM 15 |
NED 15 |
BEL 15 |
E.GER 15 |
SWE 15 |
FIN 15 |
ULS DNS |
NAT DNS |
ESP DNS |
90 | 1st | 8 | ||
| 1972 | 350cc | MV Agusta | W.GER 12 |
FRA 8 |
AUT 15 |
NAT 15 |
IOM 15 |
YUG DNS |
NED 15 |
E.GER DNS |
CZE DNS |
SWE 15 |
FIN 15 |
ESP DNS |
102 | 1st | 6 | |
| 1972 | 500cc | MV Agusta | W.GER 15 |
FRA 15 |
AUT 15 |
NAT 15 |
IOM 15 |
YUG DNS |
NED 15 |
BEL 15 |
E.GER 15 |
CZE 15 |
SWE 15 |
FIN 15 |
ESP DNS |
105 | 1st | 11 |
| 1973 | 350cc | MV Agusta | FRA 15 |
AUT DNS |
W.GER DNS |
NAT 15 |
IOM DNS |
YUG DNS |
NED 15 |
CZE 12 |
SWE 12 |
FIN 15 |
ESP DNS |
- | 84 | 1st | 4 | |
| 1973 | 500cc | MV Agusta | FRA NC |
AUT NC |
W.GER NC |
IOM DNS |
YUG DNS |
NED NC |
BEL 15 |
CZE 15 |
SWE 12 |
FIN 15 |
ESP DNS |
- | 57 | 3rd | 3 | |
| 1974 | 350cc | Yamaha | FRA 15 |
W.GER DNS |
AUT 15 |
NAT 15 |
IOM DNS |
NED 15 |
SWE DNS |
FIN DNS |
YUG 15 |
75 | 1st | 5 | ||||
| 1974 | 500cc | Yamaha | FRA NC |
W.GER DNS |
AUT 15 |
NAT NC |
IOM DNS |
NED 15 |
BEL 12 |
SWE NC |
FIN DNS |
CZE 5 |
47 | 4th | 2 | |||
| 1975 | 350cc | Yamaha | FRA 12 |
ESP 15 |
AUT DNS |
W.GER NC |
NAT 12 |
IOM DNS |
NED 8 |
FIN 12 |
CZE DNS |
YUG DNS |
59 | 2nd | 1 | |||
| 1975 | 500cc | Yamaha | FRA 15 |
AUT NC |
W.GER 15 |
NAT 15 |
IOM DNS |
NED 12 |
BEL NC |
SWE NC |
FIN 15 |
CZE 12 |
84 | 1st | 4 | |||
| 1976 | 350cc | Yamaha | FRA DNS |
AUT DNS |
NAT DNS |
YUG DNS |
IOM DNS |
NED 15 |
FIN DNS |
CZE DNS |
W.GER DNS |
ESP DNS |
15 | 15th | 1 | |||
| 1976 | 500cc | MV Agusta | FRA 6 |
AUT 5 |
NAT NC |
IOM DNS |
NED NC |
BEL NC |
SWE DNS |
FIN NC |
CZE NC |
W.GER 15 |
26 | 7th | 1 | |||
| 1977 | 350cc | Yamaha | VEN DNS |
W.GER 12 |
NAT 3 |
ESP DNS |
FRA DNS |
YUG DNS |
NED DNS |
SWE DNS |
FIN DNS |
CZE 1 |
GBR DNS |
16 | 16th | 0 | ||
| 1977 | 500cc | Yamaha | VEN DNS |
AUT DNS |
W.GER NC |
NAT 6 |
FRA 12 |
NED NC |
BEL 3 |
SWE 2 |
FIN NC |
CZE 12 |
GBR 2 |
37 | 6th | 0 |
[edit] References
- 50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix. (1999)(1st Ed). Hazelton Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-874557-83-7
- Motorcycle Hall of Fame
| Preceded by Mike Hailwood |
500cc Motorcycle World Champion 1966-1972 |
Succeeded by Phil Read |
| Preceded by Phil Read |
500cc Motorcycle World Champion 1975 |
Succeeded by Barry Sheene |
