Giacomo Agostini

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Giacomo Agostini

Nationality	Italian

Grand Prix motorcycle racing career
Active years	1964 - 1977
Teams	MV Agusta, Yamaha
Grands Prix	186
Championships	350cc - 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 500cc - 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975
Wins	122
Podium finishes	159
Career points	1493
Pole positions	9
Fastest laps	117
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

Nicknames
Nationality	Italian
TTs contested	8 (1965 - 1972)
TT wins	10
First TT win	1966 Junior TT
Last TT win	1972 Senior TT
Podiums	13

Giacomo Agostini (born 16 June 1942) is an Italian multi-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Nicknamed Ago ("needle" in Italian), he is the all-time leader in victories in motorcycle Grand Prix history.

1 Early career
2 World Championships
3 Non-riding career
4 Complete Grand Prix motorcycle racing results
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Early career

Agostini was born in Brescia, 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.

[edit] World Championships

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.

Practice in 1976 at the Nürburgring with the 350cc MV

Agostini dropped a bombshell on the Grand Prix world when he announced he would never again race at the Isle of Man TT, after the death of his close friend, Gilberto Parlotti during the 1972 TT. He considered the circuit unsafe for world championship competition. 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 leave MV Agusta to ride for Yamaha in 1974 season. On his first outing for the Japanese factory, he won the prestigious Daytona 200, the premiere American motorcycle race. 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, marking the first time a two-stroke machine won the premier class.

The 1975 championship would also be the last world title for the 33 year old Italian. In 1976, he rode both Yamaha and MV bikes in the 500cc class, yet raced only once in the 350cc to win in Assen. For the challenging Nürburgring, he chose the 500cc MV Agusta and took it to victory, winning the last Grand Prix for both himself, the marque and four-stroke engines.

He retired from motorcycle competition after finishing 6th in the 1977 season in which he also raced in 750cc endurance races for Yamaha.

British Formula One Series career
Active years	1979-1980
Races	23
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podium finishes	7
Career points	41
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0

[edit] Non-riding career

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.

In 1982, Ago returned to the motorcycle racing as the Marlboro Yamaha team manager. As team manager he managed many successful riders including Kenny Roberts, 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".

"Ago", who is married and has two children, continues to ride classic bikes at historic events. And in 2008 will be appearing at the Northwich Thundersprint.

Already for several years, he is participating in the 'Yamaha Classic Racing Team' or YCRT, that participates in various historic events all over Europe.

The website of another member of the YCRT, Ludy Beumer (www.classicyams.com), who worked for over 35 years at the European headquarters of the Yamaha Motor Company, has some unique pictures of Giacomo Agostini, e.g. where he signs his first contract with Yamaha in Japan in 1973 and when rides the first test rounds on his Yamaha OW20

[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

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Giacomo Agostini

Giacomo-Agostini.com - Official site
Giacomo Agostini at the 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
Preceded by Mike Hailwood	350cc Motorcycle World Champion 1968-1974	Succeeded by Johnny Cecotto