Agostini regains world crown on Yamaha four

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33957, 25 September 1975, Page 20

Agostini regains world crown on Yamaha four

Finishing a safe second in the Czechoslovakian grand prix at Brno, Giacomo Agostini (TZSOO Yamaha four), of Italy, regained the world 500 c.c. road racing championship he last held in 1972. He finished the series with 84 points, winning narrowly by eight points from the defending champion. Phil Read (MV Agusta), of Great Britain.

Read took the title from Agostini in. 1973 when they were both riding for MV Agusta. Agostini switched to Yamaha the following season but it was again the

Englishman who triumphed on the classical Italian racer.

This year, with the fourstroke MV Agusta lacking the power of its two-stroke rivals, Read found himself having to ride on the limit to keep in the title hunt. He looked like succeeding in retaining the championship in spite of this until engine failure in the Finnish grand prix forced him to retire while leading. After that. Agostini only had to finish in the first seven in Czechoslovakia to regain the title, irrespective of what Read did. He wisely kept the revs down and virtually cruised around but when the works Suzukis retired with mechanical problems he was left in second place. The very impressive winner of the final round was Read, having the satisfaction of finishing the championship season on a particularly high note. Read completed the 115 miles at an average sp,eed of 107.32 miles an hour Agostini was almost a minute behind. “I’ve won the 500 c.c. world championship back because it’s mine — I only lent it to Phil Read for two years,” Agostini commented afterwards. It was his fifth 500 c.c. title win and represented his fifteenth world championship victory — six more than his closest rivals, Mike Hailwood (Great Britain) and Carlo Übbiali (Italy). However. Agostini regained one title to lose another — the 350 c.c. crown. His chances of retaining this disappeared when he made a. slow start at Brno and retired after a few laps. The young Venezuelan. Johnny Cecotto (Yamaha), won the title, although he, too, was forced to retire from the Czechoslovakian round. Even though there is still one round to go in this class, he cannot now be caught.

Paolo Poleri (Morbidelli), of Italy. broke a leg when he crashed while leading the 125 c.c. race at Brno but cannot be caught for the title. Walter Villa (Har-ley-Davidson) leads the 200 c.c. class.

Championship positions after the Czechoslovakian grand prix were:-

125 cc: P Piieri (Italy, Morbidelli), 90 points nett (115 gross); P Bianchi (Italy, Morbidelli), 72; K. Anderson (Sweden, Yamaha), 67 (75); L. Gustafsson (Sweden, Yamaha) 57 (67); B. Knepbunier (Switzerland, Yamaha), 57 (67); B. Lazzaroni (Italy, Uiovaticci), 40 (41). 250 cc: W Villa (Italy, Harley-Davidson), 85; M. Rougerie (France. HarleyDavidson), 76 (91); J. Cecotto (Venezuela, Yamaha), 54; P. Pons (France, Yamaha), 44 (53); D. Braun

(West Germany, Yamaha), 44 (47); C. Mortimer (G. 8. Yamaha), 35.

350 cc: J. Cecotto (Venezuela, Yamaha), 78; G. Agostini (Italy, Yamaha), 59; D. Braun (West Germany, Yamaha); 47; P. Korhonen . (Finland, Yamaha). 34 P. Pons (France Yamaha), 32; G. Choukroun (France, Yamaha), 28. 500 cc: G. Agostini (Italy, Yamaha), 84; P. Read (G.B. MV), 76 (96); H. Kanaya (Japan, Yamaha) 45; T. Lansivuori (Finland, Suzuki), 40; J. .Williams (G. 8. Yamaha), 42; B. Sheene (G. 8. Suzuki), 30.

Sidecar: R. Steonhausen/S. Huber (West Germany, Pusch Konig), 57, (75); W. Schwarzel/A. Huber (West Germany, Konig), 54; R. Biland/ F. Freiburghaus (Switzerland, Seymag Yamaha), 30; A Pantellini / F. Mazzoni (Switzerland, Konig), 28; M. Hobson/G. Russell (G.B. Yamaha), 22; J. Haller/H. Neumann (West Germany, Konig), 21.