Walter Villa

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Walter Villa

Motorcycle Grand Prix Career
Nationality	Italian
Active years	1967 - 1980
Team(s)	Harley-Davidson
Grands Prix	72
Championships	250cc-1974, 1975, 1976 350cc- 1976
Wins	24
Podium finishes	36
Pole positions	21
Fastest laps	20
First Grand Prix	1967 125cc West German Grand Prix
First win	1974 250cc Nations Grand Prix
Last win	1979 250cc Venezuelan Grand Prix
Last Grand Prix	1980 350cc British Grand Prix

Walter Villa (August 13, 1943 - June 18, 2002) was a four-time Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion. He was known for his quiet, unassuming nature off the bike who became a ruthless competitor once the races began.

He was born in Castelnuovo Rangone in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, between Maranello and Modena, the heart of Italian motor sport country. Villa began racing at 13, on a 175cc Moto Morini. In his first race, he finished third, beating Giacomo Agostini, who went on to become Italy's greatest-ever bike racer.

In the early 1970s, Harley-Davidson bought the ailing Aermacchi factory near Milan, with the aim of selling a range of bikes from 125cc machines to the traditional big V-twins. First, they marketed Aermacchi's horizontal single cylinder four-strokes, and then began to develop their own two-strokes. They hired Villa for their racing effort in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing circuit. The Italians developed winning machines that took Villa to victory in the 1974, 1975 and 1976 250cc world championship, and the 350cc in 1976.

In addition to the world championships, he won eight Italian championships. When he finally quit racing, Villa became a key player in the grand prix nostalgia circuit, riding in high speed demonstrations and becoming his country's top trainer.

[edit] References

• 50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix (1st edition). Hazelton Publishing Ltd, 1999. ISBN 1-874557-83-7

Preceded by Dieter Braun

250cc Motorcycle World Champion 1974-1976

Succeeded by Mario Lega