Carlo Ubbiali (22 September 19292 June 2020) was an Italian nine-time World Champion

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...

road racer Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

. In the 1950s, he was a dominant force in the smaller classes of

Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of ...

, winning six 125cc and three 250cc world titles.''50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix'' (1st edition). Hazelton Publishing Ltd, 1999.

Career

Ubbiali was born in

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes C ...

, Lombardy. In 1949, the first year of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, he finished in fourth place in the 125cc class riding an

MV Agusta MV Agusta (, full name: MV AGUSTA Motor S.p.A., original name: Meccanica Verghera Agusta or MV) is a motorcycle manufacturer founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in ...

. That year, he also won a gold medal in the International Six Days Trial. He switched to Mondial for the 1950 season, and the following year won his first

world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

for Mondial in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

. After losing his crown to

Cecil Sandford Cecil Charles Sandford (born 21 February 1928) is a British former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He competed in the FIM motorcycle Grand Prix world championships from 1950 to 1957. Sandford is a two-time FIM road racing world ...

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh ...

, he re-signed with

. 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. Ubbiali was also a five-time winner at the prestigious

Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907 Isle of Man TT, 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing ...

races. 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. Ubbiali retired at the age of 30 while still in his prime. Until the motorcycle racing career of

Giacomo Agostini Giacomo Agostini (; born 16 June 1942) is an Italian multi-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Nicknamed Ago, he amassed 122 Grand Prix wins and 15 World Championship titles. Of these, 68 wins and 8 titles came in the 500 ...

, he was considered Italy's greatest motorcycle racer. His nine World Championships tie him with

Mike Hailwood Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, (2 April 1940 – 23 March 1981) was a British professional motorcycle racer and racing driver. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest racers of all time. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycl ...

and

Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi (; ; born 16 February 1979) is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed ''The Doctor'', he is widely considered to be one of the greatest motorcy ...

for third place on the championship win list behind only Giacomo Agostini and

Ángel Nieto Ángel Nieto Roldán (25 January 1947 – 3 August 2017) was a Spanish professional Grand Prix motorcycle racer. He was one of the most accomplished motorcycle racers in the history of the sport, winning 13 World Championships and 90 Grand Pr ...

. In 2001, the F.I.M. inducted Ubbiali into the MotoGP Hall of Fame. In 2019, Ubbiali received the Coni Golden Collar award. Ubbiali died on 2 June 2020. By the time of his death, he was the last surviving rider from the first season of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

1949 points system: Points system from 1950 to 1968: ( key) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

References

External links

Carlo Ubbiali profile at iomtt.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ubbiali, Carlo Italian motorcycle racers 250cc World Championship riders 125cc World Championship riders Isle of Man TT riders Sportspeople from Bergamo 1929 births 2020 deaths 250cc World Riders' Champions 125cc World Riders' Champions