Anton "Toni" Mang (; born 29 September 1949 in
Inning (Starnberg) at the
Ammersee) is a former five-time
world champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
in
Grand Prix motorcycle racing from Germany.
Early life
When he was 11 he had his first experience with motorcycles on the DKW RT 125, but soon afterwards he chose
skibobbing
Skibobbing (also called skibiking or snowbiking) is a winter sport involving a bicycle-type frame attached to skis instead of wheels and sometimes a set of foot skis. The use of foot skis is what defines "skibobbing".
Although skibobs are ofte ...
as his favored sport. He was successful at this sport, winning the German National Championship as well as the Junior European Championship in skibobbing at the age of 16.
Still, motorsports kept pulling at him and he took part in a
50cc
The 50 cc class was the ultra-lightweight class in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, and formed part of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) World Championships from 1962 until 1983; when the class was replaced by 80 cc.
History ...
race on a
Kreidler
Kreidler was a German manufacturer of bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles.
Kreidler was originally based in Kornwestheim, between Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart. It was founded in 1903 as "Kreidlers Metall- und Drahtwerke" (Kreidlers metal and wire ...
two years later though he had to pull out of the race due to mechanical difficulties.
Professional racing
In 1970 Mang joined the reigning 125cc world champion
Dieter Braun's team as his mechanic. Together with Sepp Schloegl and Alfons Zender Mang, he developed the "Schloegl Mang Zender" (SMZ 250). With this machine, he took part in a race on an airfield in
Augsburg
Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...
and claimed his first victory. In 1975 he won the German Championship on 350cc
Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below).
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...
. Also in
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
he competed in his first
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
at the Austrian round of the world championship.
His first Grand Prix victory came at the
1976 125cc German Grand Prix at the 22.8 km
Nordschleife Circuit at
Nürburgring on a 125cc
Morbidelli
Morbidelli was an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded by Giancarlo Morbidelli in Pesaro. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the company was particularly successful in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The team won the 125 cc world champi ...
. His success earned him a ride with
Kawasaki riding
Kawasaki KR250 and KR350s for the
1978 season. In
1980 he became World Champion in the 250 cc class and runner-up in the 350cc class behind
Jon Ekerold
Jonathan "Jon" Ekerold (born 8 October 1946) is a South African former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ekerold is one of the few racers in the modern era to have won a world championship as ...
. In
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
he won both the 250cc and 350cc World Championships and became German Sportsman of the Year. In
1982, he became the last ever
350cc World Champion as the class was abolished at the end of the year. He fell just one point short of defending his 250cc championship, despite winning five races.
In
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
Mang moved up to the 500 cc class, but a bad injury sustained in a skiing accident at the start of the season preventing him from competing until the middle of August. He failed to finish above 10th place in any of the races. In the subsequent year,
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
, Mang returned to the 250 cc class and finished 5th in the World Championship on a private 250 cc Yamaha. In
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, a strong performance by
Freddie Spencer
Frederick Burdette Spencer (born December 20, 1961), sometimes known by the nickname Fast Freddie, is an American former world champion motorcycle racer. Spencer is regarded as one of the greatest motorcycle racers of the early 1980s.
Motorcycle ...
left him in second place in the championship.
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal enter ...
saw him finish in 4th place in the series. Moreover, the fruitful collaboration with his chief mechanic and friend Sepp Schloegl came to an end.
In
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
he became
250cc World Champion for the third time with 8 consecutive victories. At 38, he was the oldest 250 cc World Champion in the history of
Grand Prix motorcycle racing history. He started the
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
season with a victory, but injuries sustained in a bad crash in the
Rijeka race in
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
forced him into retirement. Mang retired with a lifetime total of 42 GP wins. The
FIM
FIM may refer to:
Organizations and companies
* Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation
* Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States
* Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media
* ...
named him a Grand Prix "Legend" in 2001.
MotoGP Legends at MotoGP.com
/ref>
Like Angel Nieto
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
on lighter 50cc and 125cc machinery, Mang specialized in medium-sized 250cc and 350cc bikes, winning all 5 of his championships on medium bikes.
Motorcycle Grand Prix results
Points system from 1968 to 1987
Points system from 1988 to 1992
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mang, Anton
German motorcycle racers
125cc World Championship riders
250cc World Championship riders
350cc World Championship riders
500cc World Championship riders
Sportspeople from Augsburg
1949 births
Living people