The Top 5 of the best motorcycle circuits according to Giacomo Agostini
Italian supplier Dainese has asked one of its best riders, Giacomo Agostini, to choose his five favorite circuits. The man with the 15 world titles explains himself … and MNC annotates !
In Dainese’s online diary DemoneRosso, Giacomo Agostini reveals "what circuits are etched in him, whether because of technical challenges, speed or stories he will never forget". The "fifteen-tuple" world champion gives and delivers some anecdotes … MNC takes the opportunity to display his thin culture !
Monza (Italy)
"It was on this track that I discovered the MV, it’s a very fast track. The average lap speed was around 190 km / h. I really liked this track. There were corners. thrilling ", recalls Agostini.
"I have an unforgettable memory of it when I won my first world title with the MV 500 cc at Monza in 1966. After the end of the race, the spectators invaded the track and the great warmth and affection that the public testified to me, their clamors have always remained in me ".
MNC Note: This legendary circuit has wrongfortunately lost of his flavor dangerousness with the appearance of three baffles. It should be remembered that Monza is forever linked to the tragic accident which led to the death of Renzo Pasolini and Jarno Saarinen, during the 250 cc race of the GP des Nations in 1973..
The Continental Circus only returned to this pistol-shaped track in 1981, while the 2013 World Superbike round was the last international motorcycle event to be contested there. The first chicane, at the end of the straight line, often generated collective falls and resulted in the raising of the red flags. The organizers and TV channels didn’t like it !
- MNC article :
Snaefell Mountain Course – Tourist Trophy (Isle of Man)
“This is the most difficult, demanding circuit in the world, a track on roads open to traffic the rest of the time. A lap is 60 km and the hardest part is remembering it all. safety is the track that gives you sensations like nowhere else, nowhere ".
“The big clash between Mike Hailwood and I took place in 1967 at the TT. I was on MV and Hailwood on Honda. I have to admit that Hailwood was a specialist in the event. He had won almost every race on the. Isle of Man: 125, 250, 350 and 500 ".
“In the Senior TT 500 class we fought the whole race and I was about seven seconds ahead on the last lap. I was already seeing a big win in the making, but my chain broke at a few miles from the finish line and I lost that big opportunity. At the end and before I got on the podium, Hailwood hugged me and told me I was the moral winner. C is what earned him to be a great sportsman and a true gentleman ".
MNC Note: Leaving the Continental Circus calendar in 1977 following the boycotts of many riders, their federations and teams, the Tourist Trophy is still contested every year, at the end of May beginning of June, on the same route taken by Ago and "Mike the Bike".
Canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the "TiTi" continues to attract some drivers, often specialized in road racing, even if great trackers like the "King" Fogarty have participated. The spectators also like this layout which allows them to stick as close as possible to the "track". Guaranteed chills, small fever possible…
- MNC article :
Assen (Netherlands)
“This race came after the TT (Isle of Man, Editor’s note). It was a relief. The track was safer and very technical, it was about 8 km punctuated by very large technical turns. to ride on a real circuit, although it was also a road normally open to the public. The race took place on Saturday, with about 180,000 spectators. About 60 to 70,000 people were already there on Thursday, for the first tests. The stands were not covered but nobody left their place, even if it was raining often ".
"I have very good memories, mainly because I won 14 times at Assen. I still have a bitter memory, that of my fight against Barry Sheene until the last lap of a 500 race. . I was in the lead on the last two corners but he passed me before the finish line, when I thought it was won. I may have lost my concentration on the last corner , because I was sure that the victory was mine. That’s why I always say: "Never let go" ".
MNC Note: Nicknamed "The Cathedral of Speed" by lovers of motorcycle speed, this fast and undulating course is not what it used to be … In 2006, a first loop of nearly two kilometers was transformed into a ridiculous round -point, sacrificed on the altar of profit to build a parking lot and a recreation area !
Another mischief of modern times: the races that were traditionally held on Saturdays have been (un) stalled on Sundays in order to please, again and again, the organizers, sponsors and television channels! Too bad for Sunday rest, long family lunches followed by rides … on motorbikes of course.
- MNC article :
Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
“The lap average was around 220 km / h, the highest of any circuit in the world championship. There was only one turn in first gear. The rest was between 160 and 250 km / h. As for the Tourist Trophy, there was no question of falling here. The track measured 11 km (rather 14 km in fact, Editor’s note) and was very dangerous, lined with trees and walls ".
“I won a race there in the wet. It was raining so hard I could barely follow the road, I even had trouble seeing the checkered flag. I didn’t know I had won! only realized it after I took off my helmet and my mechanics kissed me ".
MNC Note: The only description by Agostini of this world famous Belgian circuit is enough to understand why the Intercontinental Circus does not stop there. : too fast, too dangerous! On the other hand, it is on the program of Formula 1. A speed car championship, it seems..
Last year, the Walloon Minister of the Economy, Pierre-Yves Jeholet welcomed the government’s approval of its investment plan aimed at the return of major motorcycle events: disappeared in 2004, the endurance race of 24 Hours is scheduled for 2022. According to rumors, the Belgian Motorcycle Grand Prix could even reappear in 2024 (last GP in 1990).
- MNC article :
Imola (Italy)
"It’s a demanding track, with climbs and descents. They nicknamed it the little TT. It was the" country of engines ", where you could feel special feelings, a passion. Before the finish line , there was a small hill called the "human hill" because it was completely covered by the public. It gave incredible energy and excitement. It was especially hard and exciting to get into the Tamburello bend at 220/230 km / h ".
"In 1974 there was a fantastic matchup between yours truly, Read, Bonera and Sheene, which lasted the entire race. On that occasion, I improved my track record three or four times in a row, granting myself a lead of about six seconds over my rivals. Unfortunately, I ran out of gas in the middle of the last lap. I shed many tears of disappointment for failing to win this great battle in front of my home crowd. ".
MNC Note: Only the most old wise MNC readers remember this GP of Nations 74 and the first victory a bit lucky by Gianfranco Bonera. The Italian rider won only a second two years later in the 250 class … on Harley-Davidson !
Slightly younger readers of MNC will remember the fierce 2002 World Superbike final that pitted reigning world champion Troy Bayliss over Ducati and his WSBK throne predecessor Colin Edwards over Honda. Beautiful circuits make for great battles…
- MNC article :
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