Giacomo Agostini

Giacomo Agostini
Agostini at the 2010 Dutch TT, where he rode a Yamaha YZR500 and a Yamaha YZR-M1.
Nationality	Italian
Born	16 June 1942 (1942-06-16) Brescia, Lombardy
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1964 - 1977 First race 1963 250cc Nations Grand Prix Last race 1977 500cc British Grand Prix First win 1965 350cc German Grand Prix Last win 1976 500cc German Grand Prix Team(s) MV Agusta, Yamaha, Suzuki Championships 350cc - 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 500cc - 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 186 122 159 9 117 1493 Isle of Man TT career 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 in Brescia, Lombardy) 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, with 122 Grand Prix wins and 15 World Championships titles. Of these, 68 wins and 8 titles came in the 500cc class, the rest in the 350cc class.

Early career

Agostini was 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 had 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.

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.

At the end of the 1965 season, Hailwood left to join Honda as he had tired of working for the difficult Count Agusta. With Agostini now the top MV Agusta rider, he 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 37 mile 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 1977, the event was struck 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 the last for four-stroke engines in the 500cc class.

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

Non-riding career

Like John Surtees and Mike Hailwood before him, Agostini raced in Formula One cars. He competed in non-championship Formula One races in 1978. 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. 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. He also served as the Cagiva race team manager in 1992.

Complete Grand Prix motorcycle racing results

Points system from 1964 to 1968:

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6
Points	8	6	4	3	2	1

Points system from 1969 onwards:

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Points	15	12	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1

Year	Class	Bike	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Pts	Pos
1963	250cc	Moto Morini	ESP	GER		IOM	NED	BEL	ULS	DDR		NAT Ret	ARG	JPN		0	NC
1964	250cc	Moto Morini	USA	ESP	FRA	IOM	NED	BEL	GER 4	DDR	ULS		NAT 4	JPN		6	12th
1965	350cc	MV Agusta		GER 1	IOM 3	NED 3		DDR Ret	CZE Ret	ULS	FIN 1	NAT 1	JPN 5			32	2nd
	500cc	MV Agusta	USA	GER 2	IOM Ret	NED 2	BEL 2	DDR 2	CZE 2	ULS	FIN 1	NAT 2				32	2nd
1966	350cc	MV Agusta	GER Ret	FRA 2	NED 2		DDR 1	CZE 2	FIN Ret	ULS 2	IOM 1	NAT 1	JPN			42	2nd
	500cc	MV Agusta	GER 2		NED 2	BEL 1	DDR Ret	CZE 2	FIN 1	ULS 2	IOM 2	NAT 1				36	1st
1967	350cc	MV Agusta	GER 2	IOM 2	NED 2		DDR 2	CZE 7		ULS 1	NAT Ret		JPN			32	2nd
	500cc	MV Agusta	GER 1	IOM Ret	NED 2	BEL 1	DDR 1	CZE 2	FIN 1	ULS 20	NAT 1	CAN 2				46	1st
1968	350cc	MV Agusta	GER 1		IOM 1	NED 1		DDR 1	CZE 1		ULS 1	NAT 1				32	1st
	500cc	MV Agusta	GER 1	ESP 1	IOM 1	NED 1	BEL 1	DDR 1	CZE 1	FIN 1	ULS 1	NAT 1				48	1st
1969	350cc	MV Agusta	ESP 1	GER 1		IOM 1	NED 1		DDR 1	CZE 1	FIN 1	ULS 1	NAT	YUG		90	1st
	500cc	MV Agusta	ESP 1	GER 1	FRA 1	IOM 1	NED 1	BEL 1	DDR 1	CZE 1	FIN 1	ULS 1	NAT	YUG		105	1st
1970	350cc	MV Agusta	GER 1		YUG 1	IOM 1	NED 1		DDR 1	CZE 1	FIN 1	ULS 1	NAT 1	ESP		105	1st
	500cc	MV Agusta	GER 1	FRA 1	YUG 1	IOM 1	NED 1	BEL 1	DDR 1		FIN 1	ULS 1	NAT 1	ESP		90	1st
1971	350cc	MV Agusta	AUT 1	GER 1	IOM Ret	NED 1	BEL 1	DDR 1	CZE Ret	SWE 1	FIN 1	ULS	NAT Ret	ESP		90	1st
	500cc	MV Agusta	AUT 1	GER 1	IOM 1	NED 1	BEL 1	DDR 1		SWE 1	FIN 1	ULS	NAT Ret	ESP		90	1st
1972	350cc	MV Agusta	GER 2	FRA 4	AUT 1	NAT 1	IOM 1	YUG Ret	NED 1		DDR Ret	CZE Ret	SWE 1	FIN 1	ESP	102	1st
	500cc	MV Agusta	GER 1	FRA 1	AUT 1	NAT 1	IOM 1	YUG Ret	NED 1	BEL 1	DDR 1	CZE 1	SWE 1	FIN 1	ESP	105	1st
1973	350cc	MV Agusta	FRA 1	AUT Ret	GER Ret	NAT 1	IOM	YUG	NED 1		CZE 2	SWE 2	FIN 1	ESP		84	1st
	500cc	MV Agusta	FRA Ret	AUT Ret	GER Ret	NAT C	IOM	YUG	NED Ret	BEL 1	CZE 1	SWE 2	FIN 1	ESP		57	3rd
1974	350cc	Yamaha	FRA 1	GER	AUT 1	NAT 1	IOM	NED 1		SWE DNS	FIN		YUG 1	ESP		75	1st
	500cc	Yamaha	FRA Ret	GER	AUT 1	NAT Ret	IOM	NED 1	BEL 2	SWE Ret	FIN	CZE 6				47	4th
1975	350cc	Yamaha	FRA 2	ESP 1	AUT Ret	GER Ret	NAT 2	IOM	NED 4			FIN 2	CZE Ret	YUG		59	2nd
	500cc	Yamaha	FRA 1		AUT Ret	GER 1	NAT 1	IOM	NED 2	BEL Ret	SWE Ret	FIN 1	CZE 2			84	1st
1976	350cc	MV Agusta	FRA Ret	AUT Ret	NAT Ret	YUG Ret	IOM	NED 1			FIN Ret	CZE Ret	GER Ret	ESP		15	15th
	500cc	MV Agusta	FRA 5	AUT 6									GER 1			26	7th
		Suzuki			NAT Ret		IOM	NED Ret	BEL Ret	SWE	FIN Ret	CZE Ret
1977	350cc	Yamaha	VEN		GER 2	NAT 8	ESP -	FRA 11	YUG -	NED -		SWE 13	FIN -	CZE 10	GBR -	16	16th
	500cc	Yamaha	VEN	AUT	GER	NAT 5		FRA 2		NED Ret	BEL 8	SWE 9	FIN Ret	CZE 2	GBR 9	37	6th

Complete British Formula One Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Pos	Pts.
1979	Giacomo Agostini	Williams FW06	Cosworth	ZOL 9	OUL 6	BRH 5	MAL Ret	SNE 2	THR 6	ZAN 3	DON 9	OUL 3	NOG Ret	MAL Ret	BRH Ret	THR 6	SNE 7	SIL 7	8th	19

External links

• 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