Legends of MotoGP (Part 1)
Every sport has its legends. Basketball has Michael Jordan, Ice Hockey has Wayne Gretzky and Baseball has Nolan Ryan. Being a legend is not an easy feat to perform. One has to be on top of his game, to be the best of the best in
their respective sport. Attaining this status is even more difficult when the sport involves moving at the speed of light on machines that are basically rockets with wheels. It takes a special kind of talent to attain the status of a legend in MotoGP. With
its rich history, it is no surprise that this sport managed to lift 19 undoubtedly brilliant athletes who were deemed capable of being given the title of a legend, and no, Valentino Rossi isn’t on the list. He is still a legend in making. Racers such as Giacomo
Agostini, Daijiro Kato and Angel Nieto carved and moulded the MotoGP into what it is today. This article is a tribute to the Legends of MotoGP.
Giacomo Agostini
Let’s start by giving a salute to a rider who went by the name of Giacomo Agostini (Ago to his friends). Agostini was born in Brescia, Lombardy on the 16 June of the year 1942. He grew up to be one of MotoGP’s most memorable riders
by winning 122 Grands Prix and 15 world champions (these statistics include both the 500cc and 350cc classes). Agostini’s father was an Italian industrialist, who did not approve of his son racing motorbikes. This did not discourage Agostini, who would compete
in events by sneaking out of his house.
Giacomo Agostini started his career by racing bikes for Count Alfonso Morini. He went on to win the Italian 350cc title and came in 4th position in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. These wins caught the attention of
Count Domenico Agusta, who hired Agostini to ride along side Mike Hailwood. Agostini got his chance when Hailwood left the team to ride for Honda. Since then, Giacomo Agostini won the 500cc title for 7 years consecutively. He also won the 350cc title 7 times
and 10 Isle of Man TT titles. The Isle of Man TT was the most prestigious race of its time. He moved on to Yamaha in 1974 and won the Daytona 200 in his first run. After a fruitful career as a motorcycle racer, Giacomo Agostini retired in 1977.
Mick Doohan
Perhaps one of the most regarded riders in MotoGP history was Michael “Mick” Doohan. He was born on 4th June, 1965 and raced until 1999. He won 5 world championships (a figure beaten by Giacomo Agostini and the more
recent Valentino Rossi). Doohan is one of the few MotoGP racers to have ever won the “Superbike World Championship”.
Mick Doohan started his career by first riding for Honda in 1989. He was about to win his first championship, but was involved in a crash where he badly injured his leg (so much that the doctors thought they might have to amputate
it). Doohan struggled to get better through 1993, and made a remarkable recovery. He inaugurated his comeback by winning his first 500cc championship in 1994. After his first victory, Doohan dominated MotoGP for 4 years. For his excellent skills and his awesome
ability to control his bike, Doohan was awarded the “Order of Australia” in 1996. In 1999, Doohan suffered from another crash, and announced he was going to retire from the motoring world (he did however try formula1 racing for a little time, but found that
the car was too hard to control and crashed into a wall).
Geoff Duke
The third legend in our tribute comes from Britain. Geoff Duke was born in St. Helens, Lancashire on 29th, March 1923. He won 3 world champions for his “Norton” team and 3 more for his “Gilera” team. Duke started his
career as a trails rider. He was later picked up by Norton and given a decent machine to ride on. Duke was the first rider in MotoGP history to have his image used to promote the world championship. He won the Isle of Man TT in 1950, setting a new lap record
and a new race time. His faced his first championship the same year, and came in second place. The next season though, was very different. Duke won 4 victories in the 500cc class, and destroyed every single race in the 350cc class. Duke remained undefeated
the following season in the 350cc class but his winning streak for the 500cc class was cut short. Duke decided that it was time for a change. He shifted to another team which went by the name of Gilera. This decision did not please the British people, even
though he took the premier class title 3 times in a row! In 1959, Duke came back to his previous company, ‘Norton’ but retired soon after at the age of 36.
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