Morbidelli
Encyclopedia
Morbidelli was an Italian motorcycle
manufacturer founded by Giancarlo Morbidelli in Pesaro
, whose 125 cc racing motorcycles were particularly successful from 1975 to 1980. The team was 125 cc world champion in years 1976, 1977 and 1978, and 250 cc champion in 1977. The son of Giancarlo, Gianni Morbidelli
, was a Formula One
race driver.
, he entered a team in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing
world championships with a 50 cc machine. He also commissioned the construction of a water-cooled disc valve 125 cc two-stroke of Rhingini design. The team won two 125 cc Grand Prix races with Italian rider Gilberto Parlotti
at the beginning of the 1972 season
but tragedy struck when Parlotti was killed during the Isle of Man TT
race.
Despite Parlotti's death, Morbidelli persevered with his racing effort. Starting in 1974 Jorg Muller, previously the designer for Van Veen Kreidler
, took over development. In 1975
, he was rewarded with his first World Championship when Paolo Pileri
won the 125 cc crown. His Morbidelli team-mate, Pier Paolo Bianchi
finished in second. Bianchi won the 125 cc championship a year later
. The 1977 Grand Prix season
would mark the height of Morbidelli's accomplishments when the team won both the 125 and 250 classes. Mario Lega
won the 250 crown and Pier Paolo Bianchi
would take the 125 honors.
Up until 1976 Morbidellis were not available for sale to private racers - only the team's own works riders could race on them. A new factory was built with help from Benelli at Pesaro, called the MBA factory (Morbidelli-Benelli-Armi), to produce Morbidelli motorcycles of 123 cc and 248 cc in quantity. These were raced successfully for several more years.
The MBA team won the 125 cc World Championship in year 1978 with Eugenio Lazzarini
and in 1980 with Pier Paolo Bianchi
. Morbidelli continued in Grand Prix competition until the 1982 season
.
Giancarlo Morbidelli's son, Gianni Morbidelli
became a successful racecar driver, reaching Formula One
where he achieved a podium finish.
motorcycle, but its high price meant it would not be economically feasible to produce. The Guinness Book of World Records listed it in 2001 as the world's most expensive motorcycle. Because of the bike's exotic design, it was displayed in The Art of the Motorcycle
at the Guggenheim Museums in New York
, Bilbao
and Las Vegas
. An example can also be seen at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Alabama
, USA.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
manufacturer founded by Giancarlo Morbidelli in Pesaro
Pesaro
Pesaro is a town and comune in the Italian region of the Marche, capital of the Pesaro e Urbino province, on the Adriatic. According to the 2007 census, its population was 92,206....
, whose 125 cc racing motorcycles were particularly successful from 1975 to 1980. The team was 125 cc world champion in years 1976, 1977 and 1978, and 250 cc champion in 1977. The son of Giancarlo, Gianni Morbidelli
Gianni Morbidelli
Gianni Morbidelli is a racing driver from Italy. He is the son of Giancarlo Morbidelli, the founder of Morbidelli motorcycle company which had success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Morbidelli participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 11, 1990. He achieved one podium, and...
, was a Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
race driver.
History
The firm began as a woodworking shop building furniture and wooden coach bodies for automobiles. Morbidelli's business grew to have 300 employees, however his greater passion lay in motorcycles and motorcycle racing. He used the woodworking business to finance his racing interests.Racing
In 19691969 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1969 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 21st F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of twelve Grand Prix races in six classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 50cc and Sidecars 500cc...
, he entered a team in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
world championships with a 50 cc machine. He also commissioned the construction of a water-cooled disc valve 125 cc two-stroke of Rhingini design. The team won two 125 cc Grand Prix races with Italian rider Gilberto Parlotti
Gilberto Parlotti
Gilberto Parlotti was born in Zero Branco, Treviso, Italy and was an Italian motorcycle racer competing in the FIM World Championship between 1969 and 1972 racing with Benelli, Derbi, Morbidelli and Tomos motor-cycles....
at the beginning of the 1972 season
1972 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1972 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 24th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of twelve Grand Prix races in six classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 50cc and Sidecars 500cc...
but tragedy struck when Parlotti was killed during the Isle of Man TT
Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
race.
Despite Parlotti's death, Morbidelli persevered with his racing effort. Starting in 1974 Jorg Muller, previously the designer for Van Veen Kreidler
Kreidler
Kreidler was a German manufacturer of small motorcycles and mopeds, based in Kornwestheim, between Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart. The company was founded in 1903 as "Kreidlers Metall- und Drahtwerke" by Anton Kreidler and started to build motorcycles in 1951. In 1959 one third of all German...
, took over development. In 1975
1975 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1975 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 27th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:1975 represented a changing of the guard in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, both for riders as well as machines. Giacomo Agostini would claim his final 500cc World Championship...
, he was rewarded with his first World Championship when Paolo Pileri
Paolo Pileri
Paolo Pileri was an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion.Born at Terni, he won the FIM 125cc world championship in 1975 as a member of the Morbidelli factory racing team. After retiring, he became a race team manager, guiding Loris Capirossi, Alex Barros and others...
won the 125 cc crown. His Morbidelli team-mate, Pier Paolo Bianchi
Pier Paolo Bianchi
Pier Paolo Bianchi is an Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion.He won consecutive FIM 125 cc world championships in 1976 and 1977...
finished in second. Bianchi won the 125 cc championship a year later
1976 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1976 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 28th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:1976 marked the beginning of the era of Suzuki domination with the Japanese firm taking 11 of the first 12 places in the premier class. Angel Nieto would take his fifth world title...
. The 1977 Grand Prix season
1977 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1977 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 29th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Suzuki saw off a strong challenge from Yamaha to take their second consecutive 500cc crown. Angel Nieto made it three 50cc titles in a row on a Bultaco while Morbidelli would win...
would mark the height of Morbidelli's accomplishments when the team won both the 125 and 250 classes. Mario Lega
Mario Lega
Mario Lega was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion. He won the FIM 250cc world championship in 1977 as a member of the Morbidelli factory racing team.- Grand Prix motorcycle racing results :...
won the 250 crown and Pier Paolo Bianchi
Pier Paolo Bianchi
Pier Paolo Bianchi is an Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion.He won consecutive FIM 125 cc world championships in 1976 and 1977...
would take the 125 honors.
Up until 1976 Morbidellis were not available for sale to private racers - only the team's own works riders could race on them. A new factory was built with help from Benelli at Pesaro, called the MBA factory (Morbidelli-Benelli-Armi), to produce Morbidelli motorcycles of 123 cc and 248 cc in quantity. These were raced successfully for several more years.
The MBA team won the 125 cc World Championship in year 1978 with Eugenio Lazzarini
Eugenio Lazzarini
Eugenio Lazzarini is an Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion.Lazzarini began his Grand Prix career in 1969 in the 250 class on a Benelli. He won his first Grand Prix at the 1973 Dutch TT on a Maico. He captured the FIM 1978 125cc world championship riding an MBA...
and in 1980 with Pier Paolo Bianchi
Pier Paolo Bianchi
Pier Paolo Bianchi is an Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion.He won consecutive FIM 125 cc world championships in 1976 and 1977...
. Morbidelli continued in Grand Prix competition until the 1982 season
1982 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1982 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 34th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Italian Franco Uncini on the Roberto Gallina backed Suzuki took a well-earned championship in the 500cc class. Yamaha introduced a new V4 bike for Kenny Roberts but suffered from...
.
Giancarlo Morbidelli's son, Gianni Morbidelli
Gianni Morbidelli
Gianni Morbidelli is a racing driver from Italy. He is the son of Giancarlo Morbidelli, the founder of Morbidelli motorcycle company which had success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Morbidelli participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 11, 1990. He achieved one podium, and...
became a successful racecar driver, reaching Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
where he achieved a podium finish.
Morbidelli V8
In 1994, Morbidelli constructed an innovative shaft-drive, five-speed, 32-valve, liquid-cooled, 847 cc, 90° V8, sport touringSport touring
A Sport touring motorcycle is a type of motorcycle that blends the performance of a sport bike with the long-distance capabilities of a touring motorcycle, while providing comfort and relative safety to the rider....
motorcycle, but its high price meant it would not be economically feasible to produce. The Guinness Book of World Records listed it in 2001 as the world's most expensive motorcycle. Because of the bike's exotic design, it was displayed in The Art of the Motorcycle
The Art of the Motorcycle
The Art of the Motorcycle was an exhibition that presented 114 motorcycles chosen for their historic importance or design excellence in a display designed by Frank Gehry in the curved rotunda of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, running for three months...
at the Guggenheim Museums in New York
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
, Bilbao
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art, designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, built by Ferrovial, and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast. The...
and Las Vegas
Guggenheim Hermitage Museum
The Guggenheim Hermitage Museum was a museum in The Venetian, one of the world's largest hotels in Paradise, Nevada, located on the Strip in Las Vegas, USA. It was designed by Rem Koolhaas, opened October 7, 2001, and added three more collections and exhibits subsequent to its opening...
. An example can also be seen at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, USA.