Giacomo Agostini is widely regarded as the best rider of all time and his spectacular career in the second half of the 1960s and first part of the 1970s saw him become the first true World star of motorcycle racing.
During his 14 years in the World Championship the sensational Italian won 15 titles (eight in 500cc and seven in 350cc), earning a remarkable total of 122 Grand Prix victories along the way.
He very rarely crashed and was the dominant force on both 350cc and 500cc machinery for most of his racing life.
Making his name in European hillclimb events Agostini made two World Championship appearances for the Morini team in 1964 in the 250cc class and was recruited by MV Agusta for a full time ride the following year, as understudy to Mike Hailwood on 350cc and 500cc bikes.
He enjoyed race wins in both classes during that first season with MV Agusta and was runner-up in both categories, but it would not be long before he became a World Champion for the first time - as he secured the 500cc crown in the last race of 1966. History repeated itself in 1967 as Agostini was second in the 350cc championship and the 500cc title-winner again at the last round of the season.
Honda's 1967 departure from Grands Prix marked the beginning of a golden period for MV Augusta with Agostini taking double World title glory for the Italian marque – in the 350cc and 500cc classes – for five consecutive season from 1968 to 1972, in an incredible period of total domination.
In 1973, he took the 350cc title again, the last of his 13 championships with MV Augusta, whilst his team-mate Phil Read ended his 500cc title winning sequence.
Moving to Yamaha for the 1974 season, Agostini won the Daytona 200 event early that year, beating the likes of Kenny Roberts Snr., for his first taste of glory on Japanese machinery – a triumph he backed up for the Far Eastern manufacturers with the 1974 350cc crown and his final World title in 1975 on 500cc machinery.
The brilliant Italian undertook his final season in 1977, having recorded Grand Prix victories in both the 350cc and 500cc classes the previous year - his last ever race win coming at Germany’s Nurburgring in 1976.