Luigi Taveri (19 September 1929 – 1 March 2018) was a

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professional

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motorcycle road racer. He competed in the

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motorcycle Grand Prix world championships from 1954 to 1966. Taveri is notable for being a three-time 125cc road racing world champion. Although he specialised in the smaller engined machines, Taveri is the only competitor to have scored points in six Grand Prix classes: 50cc, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, 500cc and Sidecars. In 2016, he was named an

Legend for his motorcycling achievements.

Racing career

Taveri made his world championship debut in the 1954 season, racing in the 500 cc class on a

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motorcycle. In

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

, he took his first win in the 125 cc race at the

Spanish Grand Prix The Spanish Grand Prix ( es, Gran Premio de España, ca, Gran Premi d'Espanya) is a Formula One motor racing event currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race is one of the oldest in the world still contested, celebrating it ...

. He took one more win in 1955, in the 250 cc class at the

Dutch TT The Dutch Tourist Trophy, also known as the ''TT Assen'', is an annual Dutch motorsport event established in 1925 for road racing motorcycles held on the TT Circuit Assen, also known as the ‘Cathedral of Speed'. The event attained world champ ...

. He participated in the

Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world ...

on several occasions from 1955 to 1966 with three victories and several second places amongst his results. 06-08-05-RupHoll-LuigiTaveri -119

During his career he rode for

MV Agusta MV Agusta (, full name: MV AGUSTA Motor S.p.A., original name: Meccanica Verghera Agusta or MV) is a motorcycle manufacturer founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in ...

, and became a works rider for

Ducati Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. () is the motorcycle-manufacturing division of Italian company Ducati, headquartered in Bologna, Italy. The company is directly owned by Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini, whose German parent company is Au ...

, MZ,

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 f ...

and in 1961 for

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

. His final Grand Prix victory at the 1966 125cc Italian Grand Prix came 11 years and 133 days after his first win, marking one of the longest winning careers in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing history. Over his racing career Taveri had 30 victories and 89 podiums in all classes, including three Isle of Man TT victories. After retiring from competition, he continued in the sport by demonstrating historic machines. Taveri died on 1 March 2018 of complications from a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

at the age of 88.Luigi Taveri: adieu grand petit homme

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

(

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) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taveri, Luigi 1929 births 2018 deaths Swiss motorcycle racers 500cc World Championship riders 350cc World Championship riders 250cc World Championship riders 125cc World Championship riders 50cc World Championship riders Isle of Man TT riders Swiss-Italian people Swiss people of Italian descent People from Horgen Sportspeople from the canton of Zürich 125cc World Riders' Champions