Virginio Ferrari

Virginio Ferrari (born October 19, 1952 in Pellegrino Parmense ) is a former Italian motorcycle racer . His greatest success was winning the TT-F1 World Championship on Bimota in 1987 .

Career

Virginio Ferrari slipped into the world of motorcycle racing by accident at the age of 18. A friend took him to a motorcycle club in Milan because he wanted to get his pilot's license there.

He began his career in the Modena 500 km race in 1973 and other endurance races that he also won. Among them were the Trophy Moto 1000 on the Misano circuit in 1975 on a Laverda 750 SFC . Together with Marco Lucchinelli , Franco Uncini and Graziano Rossi , he was the star of the so-called blue patrol in the 1970s and 1980s. From 1975 to 1985 Ferrari drove in the 500cc class of the motorcycle world championship on Paton , Suzuki , Cagiva and Yamaha . His first podium, third place was in 1976 at the Grand Prix of Nations in Mugello behind Barry Sheene and Phil Read . In 1978 he won two Italian championships in the 500cc class on Suzuki and in the 750cc class on Yamaha . That year he also achieved his first Grand Prix victory at the German Grand Prix on the Nürburgring - Nordschleife . In the 1979 season he was runner-up in the 500 cc class on Suzuki, behind Kenny Roberts sr. , and he won his second Grand Prix at the Dutch TT in Assen .

In 1985 he won the Italian F1 championship on a Ducati . In the 1986 season he drove a Honda NSR250 in the team of Takazumi Katayama and finished 14th at the end of the 1986 season. In 1987 and 1989 he also drove in the 250 cc class of the motorcycle world championship , but without points. During these two years he drove a Honda and a Gazzaniga . 1987 was his most successful year when he became F1 world champion on a Bimota YB4 R Formula TT . With his three victories at the Hungaroring , in Assen and at the Hockenheimring , he was world champion ahead of Joey Dunlop and Paul Iddon . In the 250 cc class at the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring in the 1989 motorcycle world championship , he tried in vain to save Iván Palazzese 's life. In 1988 and from 1991 to 1994 he competed in the Superbike World Championship , but without success.

After retiring as a driver, he began his career as a manager with the Ducati Corse and Bimota team in the Superbike World Championship . He was director of the team for, among others, Carl Fogarty , Giancarlo Falappa , Mauro Lucchiari , John Kocinski , Neil Hodgson , Pierfrancesco Chili , Troy Corser , Freddie Spencer and Anthony Gobert . In 2007 he managed the Kawasaki PSG-1 team in the Superbike World Championship.

In the 2014 season he took over the Moto3 team Italia as sports director to replace the fatally injured Doriano Romboni .

Virginio Ferrari now lives in Monaco and has his own racing team VFRacing . He achieved a total of ten podium places, including two Grand Prix wins, six second and two third places and one pole position.

statistics

title

• 1978 - Italian 500cc champion on Suzuki
• 1978 - Italian 750cc champion on a Yamaha
• 1979 - 500 cc vice world champion in a Suzuki
• 1985 - Italian F1 champion in a Ducati 750 F1
• 1987 - TT-F1 world champion in a Bimota YB4 R
• 2 Grand Prix victories
• 3 wins in Formula TT
• 1 win in Formula 750

More victories

Virginio Ferrari achieved further victories in long-distance races and inter-races.

• 1975 - 1000 km from Mugello on Ducati with Benjamín Grau
• 1975 - Trofeo Moto 1000 from Misano on a Laverda 750 SFC
• 1979 - Moto Journal 200 miles by Paul Ricard on a Suzuki 653
• 1979 - 200 miles from Mugello on Suzuki
• 1987 - 6-hour race from Monza on a Bimota with Davide Tardozzi

References

Web links

• Official website (French)
• Virginio Ferrari on the official website of the Motorcycle World Championship (English).
• Virginio Ferrari on the official website of the Superbike and Supersport World Championship
• lifeinitaly.com (Italian)
• Vincent Glon: 1975 - COUPE FIM D'ENDURANCE. racingmemo.free.fr, accessed June 4, 2013 (French). 
• Vincent Glon: 1987 - CHAMPIONNAT DU MONDE D'ENDURANCE. racingmemo.free.fr, accessed June 4, 2013 (French). 
• cesenabikers.blogspot.de (Italian)
• wikideep.it article Trofeo Moto 1000 (Italian)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ www.speedweek.de Team Italia Virginio Ferrari looks after Matteo Ferrari
2. ↑ insella.it article Virginio Ferrari Direttore Sportivo Team Italia (Italian)
3. ↑ wikideep.it article Laverda 750 SFC (Italian)
4. ↑ Vincent Glon: MOTO FRANCE MY200. racingmemo.free.fr, accessed on 19 September 2013 (French).