Walter Villa

Walter Villa 1976 on the Nürburgring

Walter Villa (born August 13, 1943 in Castelnuovo Rangone (MO) , † June 18, 2002 in Modena ) was an Italian motorcycle racer .

Between 1974 and 1976 he won a total of four world championships in the classes up to 250  cm³ and up to 350 cm³ of the motorcycle world championship on Harley-Davidson .

Villa was known for his calm and humble nature away from the racetracks, but he always became a ruthless fighter on the slopes. His aggressive and reckless driving style earned him several serious falls.

Career

Walter Villa grew up as the second of five brothers in Emilia-Romagna , the region that is considered to be the heart of Italian motorsport. At the age of 13 he competed in his first motorcycle races on a 175 cc Morini , beating the young Giacomo Agostini . In 1966 he won the Italian 125 cc championship on FB Mondial in front of his brother Francesco , who had won this championship several times.

In the 1967 season , Walter Villa made his debut on Montesa in the 125cc class of the motorcycle world championship , but in the following years he only contested a few Grand Prix races. In 1973 he won the Italian 250cc championship on Yamaha .

From the 1974 season he started for Harley-Davidson , who used motorcycles built by Aermacchi , in the 250 cc and 350 cc class. Already in the first year Villa was superior 250cc world champion ahead of the German Dieter Braun , although he had contested only six of eleven races and won four. In addition, he decided the Italian 250 cc championship for himself.

In the following season he repeated his World Cup success. Villa drove seven of the eleven grands prix this year and won five of them. He also successfully defended his Italian championship title in the 250s.

In the 1976 season , Walter Villa managed to defend his 250 cc title again and also to become 350 world champion. He won a total of eleven of 16 races this year and made it onto the podium 13 times.

In 1977 Villa, despite three victories, was only third in the 250 cc World Championship behind Mario Lega and Franco Uncini . In the following year he only managed to finish third and Villa decided to part with Harley-Davidson after finishing 16th in the overall ranking of the 250cc class.

In 1979 and 1980 Walter Villa started for Yamaha in the 250 and 350 class, but could no longer build on the successes of the past. He won his only Grand Prix for the Japanese manufacturer - and thus also the last of his career - at the 1979 Venezuela Grand Prix in the 250 cc class. At the end of the 1980 season, Villa retired from professional racing.

Walter Villa died on June 20, 2002 at the age of 58 in his home in Modena as a result of a heart attack . In his career he contested a total of 87 Grands Prix, of which he won 24; He placed in the top three 36 times. He also achieved 21 pole positions and 20 fastest race laps.

successes

• 1966 - Italian 125 cc champion on FB Mondial
• 1967 - Italian 125cc champion on FB Mondial
• 1968 - Italian 125cc champion on FB Mondial
• 1973 - Italian 250cc champion on a Yamaha
• 1974 - 250 cc world champion on a Harley-Davidson
• 1975 - 250 cc world champion on a Harley-Davidson
• 1975 - Italian 250cc champion on a Harley-Davidson
• 1976 - 250 cc world champion on a Harley-Davidson
• 1976 - 350 cc world champion on a Harley-Davidson
• 1976 - Italian 250cc champion on a Harley-Davidson
• 1976 - Italian 350cc champion on a Harley-Davidson
• 1979 - Italian 250cc champion on a Yamaha
• 24 Grand Prix victories

References

Web links

• Walter Villa on the official website of the Motorcycle World Championship (English).
• Photos of villa at highsider.com
• Walter Villad. www.motorsportmemorial.org, accessed on May 15, 2020 (English). 

Individual evidence

1. ^ Frank Melling: Walter Villa - Motorcycle racer ruthless in pursuit of victory. www.guardian.co.uk, July 16, 2002, accessed June 18, 2013 .