CARLO UBBIALI: THE FIRST CHAMPION
The name may not mean much to you, as Italian motorcycling is dominated by the two phenomenons Giacomo Agostini and Valentino Rossi. However, Carlo Ubbiali deserves to be placed next to these two icons, because his statistics and prizes make him one of the greatest motorcyclists of all time, and certainly the greatest of the late post-war years. Although media coverage was much less than the two wonder boys mentioned above (10 championship titles for Agostini, one more than 46 from Tavullia), Ubbiali, just like Rossi, can boast 9 World Championship titles, which he won in the eleven years between 1949 and 1960. Those were different times compared to those of Agostini, who rode from the late 60’s to the early 70’s, and Valentino Rossi (who may be riding for the last time this year), and maybe that’s why the name Ubbiali doesn’t carry as much weight, even for Italian fans, as that of the other two World Champions. Nevertheless, Carlo Ubbiali wrote the history of Italian and international motorsport, entering by right into the encyclopedia of this discipline when it was still in its infancy after the Second World War.
“I was born a mechanic,” he explained in an interview some time ago, “and if a good mechanic is also good at riding motorcycles, that’s even better, because if you want to ride really fast, you have to understand something about mechanics. At that time, it was even more important than today to know about all the components of the bike”.
Ubbiali’s riding style was clear headed. On the track he put aside everything superfluous and concentrated only on the essentials: no big appearances, many important placings and 39 victories. He earned his nickname “la volpe”, the Fox, given to him for this very reason: once he had drawn up the race tactics on the track he strictly followed them, following his plan to the end (which he worked out with his brother), he studied his opponents until the middle of the race, and then carried out decisive attacks in the final stages of the race. As good rankings were more important to him than a victory at any price, he gradually collected the points with which he finally won 9 world championship titles.
Ubbiali, was awarded the “Collare d’oro” for sporting merit, the highest honor presented by the Italian Olympic Committee in 2019, one of the most important sporting acknowledgements, he will forever be one of the greatest Italian racers in the motorcycling world. Carlo Ubbiali passed away June 2, 2020, after weeks of illness. He was 90 years old.