Giacomo Agostini Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Giacomo Agostini

Agostini in 2022

Nationality

Italian

Born

16 June 1942 (age 83)
Brescia, Kingdom of Italy

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
223	122	159	9	117	1577

Isle of Man TT career

TTs contested

8 (1965 – 1972)

TT wins

First TT win

1966 Junior TT

Last TT win

1972 Senior TT

Podiums

British Formula One Championship career

Active years

1979–1980

Races

Championships

Wins

Podium finishes

Career points

Pole positions

Fastest laps

Giacomo Agostini (born 16 June 1942) is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer. He also managed racing teams. People often call him Ago.

He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1963 to 1977. He was a key member of the MV Agusta factory racing team. Agostini won an amazing 122 Grand Prix races and 15 World Championship titles. This includes 68 wins and 8 titles in the 500cc class. The rest were in the 350cc class. Because of his many achievements over 17 years, some call him the greatest Grand Prix rider ever. In 2000, Agostini joined the MotoGP Hall of Fame. He was also named an FIM Legend in 2010.

Ago's Early Racing Days
Becoming a World Champion
- Safety Concerns and New Teams
Racing Cars and Team Management
Images for kids
See also

Ago's Early Racing Days

Giacomo Agostini was born in Brescia, Lombardy, Italy. His family lived in Lovere. His father worked for the town council. Giacomo was the oldest of four brothers.

At first, Agostini had to race secretly. His father did not want him to race motorcycles. He tried hard to stop Giacomo from competing. But Giacomo loved it and kept going. He started with hill climb events, where riders race up a steep road. Then he moved to road racing.

His father eventually accepted his passion. In 1963, Agostini won the Italian 175cc championship. He rode a Morini motorcycle. He got his big chance when another rider left the Morini team. Count Alfonso Morini then hired young Agostini to race for him. In 1964, Agostini won the Italian 350cc title. He also finished fourth in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. This showed everyone how talented he was.

Becoming a World Champion

Agostini's great results caught the eye of Count Domenico Agusta. He signed Agostini to race for his MV Agusta team. Agostini became teammates with the famous rider Mike Hailwood. In 1965, Agostini fought hard against Honda's Jim Redman for the 350cc world championship. He was close to winning the title in the final race in Japan. But his bike broke down, and Redman won the championship.

Agostini in 1968

After the 1965 season, Hailwood left MV Agusta. This made Agostini the top rider for the team. He then won the 500cc title seven years in a row for MV Agusta. He also won the 350cc title seven times in a row. He won 10 races at the famous Isle of Man TT.

The Isle of Man TT and the Ulster Grand Prix were very tough races. Most winners were British riders. But Agostini also won 7 Ulster Grand Prix races. He was one of the few non-British riders to have so much success in these difficult races. In 1967, he had an amazing battle with Mike Hailwood. They both had 5 victories. Agostini won the championship in the very last race.

Agostini (1) and Mike Hailwood (2) racing at the 1967 500cc Dutch TT.

Safety Concerns and New Teams

In 1972, Agostini decided not to race at the Isle of Man TT. He felt the 37.73-mile track was too dangerous for world championship races. At that time, the TT was the most important race for motorcycles. His decision had a big impact. Many top riders also stopped racing there. They criticized the safety of the event.

Because of these concerns, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme decided to remove the Isle of Man TT from the World Championship calendar after the 1976 races. This upset many fans of pure road racing, especially on the Isle of Man. Some people even disliked Agostini for his stance.

However, Agostini always said that riders should not be forced to race at the Isle of Man. He believed they should have the freedom to choose. Over time, most fans understood his reasons. Agostini and other former racers often visit the TT races now. They ride exhibition laps, like the famous "Lap of the Gods" with Valentino Rossi in 2009.

Agostini on his 350cc MV Agusta during practice in 1976.

Agostini surprised everyone when he left MV Agusta. He decided to ride for Yamaha for the 1974 season. In his first race with Yamaha, he won the Daytona 200. This win helped make the Daytona 200 one of the most important motorcycle races. He then won the 1974 350cc World Championship. But injuries and bike problems stopped him from winning the 500cc title that year.

He came back strong and won the 1975 500cc title. This was a historic win because it was the first time a two-stroke motorcycle won the top class.

The 1975 championship was Agostini's last world title. He was 33 years old. In 1976, he rode both Yamaha and MV Agusta bikes in the 500cc class. He only raced once in the 350cc class, winning in Assen. For the challenging Nürburgring race, he chose the 500cc MV Agusta. He won that race, which was the last Grand Prix win for him, for MV Agusta, and for four-stroke engines in the 500cc class.

Agostini retired from motorcycle racing after the 1977 season. He also raced in 750cc endurance races for Yamaha that year.

Agostini in 2003.

Racing Cars and Team Management

After his motorcycle career, Agostini also raced cars. Like other famous racers such as John Surtees, he tried Formula One cars. He competed in some non-championship Formula One races in 1978. He also raced in the European Formula 2 series and the British Aurora Formula 1. He stopped car racing in 1980.

In 1982, Agostini returned to motorcycle racing. This time, he was the team manager for Marlboro Yamaha. As a manager, he helped his riders win many races. He won three 500cc titles with Eddie Lawson. He also managed other successful riders like Graeme Crosby and Kenny Roberts. Under his leadership, riders won the 1982 Daytona Formula 1 (Crosby), 1983 and 1984 Daytona Formula 1 (Roberts), and 1986 Daytona Superbike championships (Lawson).

From 1986 to 1990, he also managed the Marlboro Yamaha 250cc team. Riders like Luca Cadalora and Àlex Crivillé were part of his team.

From 1992 to 1994, he was the team manager for the Cagiva factory racing team. Cagiva then left the world championship. Agostini's last season as a team manager was 1995. He managed a 250cc Honda team with Doriano Romboni as the rider.