Giacomo Agostini Back For More at Festival of Speed
AGOSTINI HEADS ALL-STAR TWO-WHEELED LINE UP AT FESTIVAL OF SPEED
The most successful grand prix motorcycle racer of all time, Giacomo Agostini, heads an all-star line-up on two wheels at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The legendary Italian, a crowd favourite at Goodwood in recent years, encapsulates the 2014 Festival of Speed theme of ‘Addicted to Winning’, having taken a record 15 world titles and 122 race victories from 1964-77, and continued in the sport as a successful Superbike team manager after his retirement from riding.
Fellow 500cc world champions Wayne Gardner and Freddie Spencer will also play a significant role in the June 26-29 event’s proceedings. Spencer’s feat in 1985 of winning both the 250 and 500cc titles in the same season – the only time any rider has achieved this double – will be celebrated by Honda.
Meanwhile Gardner, who took the 500cc crown in 1987 at the peak of what many consider the toughest years of grand prix racing, will wow the expected mass crowds on a number of iconic Honda grand prix bikes.
Suzuki will pay tribute to the RG500, a machine that brought world title success for Barry Sheene and paved the way for future championships scored by its RGA, RGB and RGV bikes by Marco Lucchinelli, Franco Uncini, Kevin Schwantz and Kenny Roberts Jr.
The RG, which turns 40 in 2014, is two years younger than John McGuinness, but the road racing legend, who racked up his 20th Isle of Man TT victory last year, shows no signs of slowing up. His incredible run of success on the Island will be marked by Honda, which will bring along his first TT winning 250cc machine from 1999 as well as his most recent winner.
Goodwood owner Lord March said: “It’s fantastic to be able to welcome names like Agostini, Spencer and Gardner back to the Festival of Speed. They have shown their addition to winning in a huge way during their careers and have achieved unprecedented success. I’m sure they will all be hugely popular additions to a fantastic line-up.”
