Saarinen and Pasolini were among world's finest riders

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33251, 14 June 1973, Page 20

Saarinen and Pasolini were among world's finest riders

(By

R. O. DEW)

THE tragic crash in the x 250 c.c. race of the Italian grand prix at Monza deprived the motor-cycle road racing sport of two of its greatest riders—Jarno Saarinen, of Finland, and Renzo Pasolini, of Italy—men who were so much a part of the world championship circus that it is difficult to imagine it continuing without them. Saarinen, aged 27 and a university engineering graduate, seemed destined to become one of the most successful road racers of all time. He won the 1972 world 250 c.c. championship and this season was leading both the lightweight and 500 c.c. world championships at the time of his death. Pasolini finished just one point behind Saarinen in last year’s 250 c.c. world title fight, once again failing by the narrowest of margins to become a world champion. This season, although 34, he appeared to have a grand chance of realising his ambition in the 350 c.c. class. His death actually came a short time after one of the finest races of his life. After a poor start in the 350 c.c. race at Monza, he shot into ninth place at the end of the first lap on the new works water-cooled Aermacchi. He then broke the lap record four times as he stormed through the field to finally catch and pass the leader, the multiple wprld champion, Giacomo Agostini (M.V. Augusta). Unfortunately, his tremendous ride came to a premature end after 21 of the 23 laps when the engine of the Aermacchi seized. Pasolini was always interested in motor-cycles and he began working for the Aermacchi factory in 1959. But it was not until six years later that he got his big chance. Benelli asked Aermacchi to lend Pasolini to it when one of its works riders was seriously injured. In 1969 he seemed set to win the world 250 c.c. title before crashing during practice for the West German grand prix and breaking a collarbone. He was ready to race again within

a week but the Italian federation refused to let him do so. By the time he had been cleared, the Australian, Kel Carruthers, had clinched the title. The following year he was third in the 350 c.c. world championship on the four-cylinder Benelli. In 1971 he was recalled to do development work for Aermacchis (now HarleyDavidson). Last year he returned to the circuits on i Aermacchis and with some brilliant riding finished just one point behind Saarinen in the world 250 c.c. chamionship. “Knees out Pasolini,” as he was often termed by the press, was popular with fellow riders and as spectacular and daring as anyone on the track. This year Saarinen was sweeping all before him. He won the Daytona 200mile classic in America and followed it up with another great victory in the Imola international in Italy. These two wins alone netted him about $24,000 in prize money. In both events he rode a 350 Yamaha. Fully supported by Yamaha fbrj the world series, he won three 250 c.c. and two 500 c.c. grand prix events before the Monza crash. He gave the new Yamaha 500 four a fairytale debut by defeating the world champion, Agostini, in the first two rounds of the 1973 series. Yamaha seemed about to win the 500 c.c. crown at its first attempt. Now, this seems unlikely. There is no unattached rider capable of replacing Saarinen in the team. He started racing 10 years ago but it was not until 1969 that he did his first world championship tour. He finished fourth over all. Finance was a problem which he solved in characteristic swashbuckling fashion. He persuaded the managers of four Finnish banks to lend him $4OO each so that he could continue his university studies. The money was used to finance his racing activities. However, the “flying Finn” did not neglect his studies and in 1971 he qualified as an engineer.

He was always very aware of the dangers of road racing and often talked of retiring. He once said that when he won his first world championship he would quit. But this season the offer of a Works contract to race Yamahas in both the 250 and 500 c.c. classes was too good to resist. “It’s possible to race quickly for maybe three or four years without being seriously injured or killed,” he said after his first world championship win. “More than that and the odds become shorter. I think it is impossible to race for 10 years without having a very big crash. I’ll race for one or two years more at the very most.” Saarinen appeared to have a premonition that all would not go well at Monza. A few days before the race he was interviewed by an Italian newspaper and was critical of the track. “It is fast and, above all, it is dangerous,” he said. "The tarmac might be all right for cars, which have four wheels, but not for motorcycles. The irregularities in the surface are at crucial points. “For example, at II Curvone. which you have to take at top speed, there is a mended patch at the start of the bend which can make machines skid and is very dangerous.” It was on II Curvone that Saarinen and Pasolini were killed in the terrible multiple crash which also injured six other riders.