Carlo Ubbiali
| Carlo Ubbiali | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Ubbiali in 1960 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Italian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 September 1929 Bergamo, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 2 June 2020 (aged 90) Bergamo, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Carlo Ubbiali (22 September 1929 – 2 June 2020)[1] was an Italian nine-time World Champion motorcycle road racer.[2] In the 1950s, he was a dominant force in the smaller classes of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, winning six 125cc and three 250cc world titles.[3] In 2001, the F.I.M. inducted Ubbiali into the MotoGP Hall of Fame.[4][5]
Career[edit]
Ubbiali was born in Bergamo, Lombardy. In 1949, the first year of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, he finished in fourth place in the 125cc class riding an MV Agusta.[2] That year, he also won a gold medal in the International Six Days Trial.[3] He switched to Mondial for the 1950 season, and the following year won his first world championship for Mondial in 1951.[2]
After losing his crown to Cecil Sandford in 1952, he re-signed with MV Agusta. He went on to become their top rider, winning six 125cc titles and three 250cc crowns and scoring double championships in 1956, 1959, and 1960.[2] Ubbiali was also a five-time winner at the prestigious Isle of Man TT races.[6][7] He rarely made a mistake while competing, as evidenced by the fact that he never suffered a serious crash during his 12-year Grand Prix career.[3]
Ubbiali retired at the age of 30 while still in his prime. Until the motorcycle racing career of Giacomo Agostini, he was considered Italy's greatest motorcycle racer.[3] His nine World Championships tie him with Mike Hailwood and Valentino Rossi for third place on the championship win list behind only Giacomo Agostini and Ángel Nieto.
In 2001, the F.I.M. inducted Ubbiali into the MotoGP Hall of Fame.[4][5] In 2019, Ubbiali received the Coni Golden Collar award.[8]
Ubbiali died on 2 June 2020.[1] By the time of his death, he was the last surviving rider from the first season of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.[9]
Motorcycle Grand Prix results[edit]
1949 points system:
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Fastest lap |
| Points | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
Points system from 1950 to 1968:
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Points | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Class | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Points | Rank | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 125cc | MV Agusta | SUI 4 |
NED 3 |
NAT - |
13 | 4th | 0 | ||||
| 1950 | 125cc | Mondial | NED - |
ULS 1 |
NAT 2 |
14 | 2nd | 1 | ||||
| 1951 | 125cc | Mondial | ESP 2 |
IOM 2 |
NED - |
ULS - |
NAT 1 |
20 | 1st | 1 | ||
| 1952 | 125cc | Mondial | IOM 2 |
NED 2 |
GER 2 |
ULS - |
NAT 2 |
ESP - |
24 | 2nd | 0 | |
| 1953 | 125cc | MV Agusta | IOM NC |
NED 2 |
GER 1 |
ULS - |
NAT 3 |
ESP - |
18 | 3rd | 1 | |
| 1954 | 125cc | MV Agusta | IOM 2 |
ULS - |
NED 3 |
GER 3 |
NAT 3 |
ESP - |
18 | 2nd | 0 | |
| 1955 | 125cc | MV Agusta | ESP 3 |
FRA 1 |
IOM 1 |
GER 1 |
NED 1 |
NAT 1 |
32 | 1st | 5 | |
| 250cc | MV Agusta | IOM - |
GER - |
NED - |
ULS - |
NAT 1 |
8 | 7th | 1 | |||
| 1956 | 125cc | MV Agusta | IOM 1 |
NED 1 |
BEL 1 |
GER 2 |
ULS 1 |
NAT 1 |
32 | 1st | 5 | |
| 250cc | MV Agusta | IOM 1 |
NED 1 |
BEL 1 |
GER 1 |
ULS - |
NAT 1 |
32 | 1st | 5 | ||
| 1957 | 125cc | MV Agusta | GER 1 |
IOM 2 |
NED - |
BEL - |
ULS - |
NAT 1 |
22 | 3rd | 2 | |
| 250cc | MV Agusta | GER 1 |
IOM NC |
NED - |
BEL - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
8 | 5th | 1 | ||
| 1958 | 125cc | MV Agusta | IOM 1 |
NED 1 |
BEL 5 |
GER 1 |
SWE 3 |
ULS 1 |
NAT - |
32 | 1st | 4 |
| 250cc | MV Agusta | IOM 2 |
NED 2 |
BEL - |
GER - |
SWE - |
ULS - |
NAT 3 |
16 | 3rd | 0 | |
| 1959 | 125cc | MV Agusta | IOM 5 |
GER 1 |
NED 1 |
BEL 1 |
SWE 2 |
ULS - |
NAT 2 |
30 | 1st | 3 |
| 250cc | MV Agusta | IOM 2 |
GER 1 |
NED 2 |
BEL - |
SWE 2 |
ULS - |
NAT 1 |
28 | 1st | 2 | |
| 1960 | 125cc | MV Agusta | IOM 1 |
NED 1 |
BEL 3 |
ULS 1 |
NAT 1 |
24 | 1st | 4 | ||
| 250cc | MV Agusta | IOM 2 |
NED 1 |
BEL 1 |
GER 2 |
ULS 1 |
NAT 1 |
32 | 1st | 4 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Addio a Carlo Ubbiali, leggenda del motociclismo italiano". gazetta.it (in Italian). 2 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Carlo Ubbiali career statistics". motogp.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d 50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix (1st edition). Hazelton Publishing Ltd, 1999. ISBN 1-874557-83-7
- ^ a b "Carlo Ubbiali at MotoGP Legends". motogp.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Carlo Ubbiali at Italy On This Day". italyonthisday.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ Daily Express page 7 Tuesday 14 June 1960
- ^ a b "Carlo Ubbiali Isle of Man TT results". iomtt.com. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
- ^ Thiel, Wade (2 June 2020). "Carlo Ubbiali, A Motorcycling Legend, Dies At 90 Years Old". WebBikeWorld.com.
- ^ "Ex-world motorcycling champion Carlo Ubbiali dies aged 90". wheels24.co.za. 2 June 2020.