Ago in Conference with Arturo Magni BELOW LEFT: in a GP Career That
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LEFT: Ago in conference OW31 (for F750 events), fettled by Mac Mackay impossible to win on this bike, but in fact the lap with Arturo Magni and Nobby Clarke. times were fantastic." "We took the Suzuki 500 and the MV Agusta Unfortunately, the MV 350 was as fragile as the BELOW LEFT: In a GP career that spanned 500 to every race," recalls Ago. "The Suzuki was RG500. Ago dropped out of seven of eight 350 GPs 14 years, Ago won 122 faster, but I thought that maybe the MV would be with all kinds of gremlins: holed pistons, dropped races and 15 World better at some circuits, and for sure if it rained I valves, clutch slip and ignition failure. But he Championships, the most would use the MV, because the power was so totally dominated at Assen, where he beat Patrick of any rider in history much smoother." Pons' TZ by 24 seconds. "Everyone wants to win The MV had hardly changed since Read had at Assen and that day the engine was running so chased Ago home the previous year. The 56 x good. It was fantastic to win there, with so many 48mm engine made 77kW (103hp) at 14,300rpm spectators and everything." Historic too, because a and the bike weighed 155kg, with a new duplex four-stroke would never again win a 350 GP. cradle frame and upswept megaphones. The Two months later the Continental Circus production RG made around 10 more horsepower set up camp at the Nurburgring for the season and weighed 15kg less, but it was also incredibly finale. By then Ago was outside the top 10 in both fragile in Ago's hands - he failed to finish a single championships, so he had nothing to lose. He rode GP on the bike. "The Suzuki engine was very easy the Suzuki and the MV during 500 practice. He was to break," he notes. faster on the RG around the epic 14-mile 'Ring, Agostini had a better, though not much better, but when threatening clouds rolled across the Eifel time with MV's 350 four. The smaller engine was mountains on race day he chose the four-stroke. a new design with steeply inclined valves and a Yet this was not entirely a practical decision. 16,000rpm red line. "Okay, for sure the MV would be better in the "The MV 350 had a little more power than a rain. But also I knew this was almost the end of TZ350, but the Yamaha was very light and very my career and my last chance to win with an MV easy to handle in the corners and on the brakes. I Agusta, so it was also an emotional choice." It think the MV engine weighed sixty kilos while the was also Ago's way of thanking Magni and the MV TZ's weighed forty. The first time I rode the MV350 mechanics, who had helped make him the most after I'd raced the TZ in 1974 and 1975,1 thought, successful motorcycle racer in history. oh, it's so slow. My feeling was that it would be RG rider Virginio Ferrari started from pole .