Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125840
• • • • :I t .-,40 (Agostini interview continued) AGO: It's many things. Condition, good training, good bike, chance... Chance? (Asking if this is correct) Lucky... Luck? Good luck. All together. AF: How do you train? Do you do any training? AGO: Just during the winter. I motocross. (Indicates his forearms.) Strong. AF: Do you ride. at all for recreation, just ride for pleasure? AGO: Yes, I racing because I like motorbikes. A F: Do you ride motocross for pleasure? AGO: Yeah, Yeah. Just for training. JH: Che tipo di macchina utilizare per il cro..? (What kind of bike do you use for MX?) AGO: Adesso, a hora... Yamaha. (Well, now...Yamaha.) JH: Ed en avan ti? (Before?) AGO: Bultaco, KTM, Triumph ...but for next year I have Yamaha for cross and Yamaha for streeL AF: Were you approached by Honda? AGO: Honda? (We ran into a pronunciation difficulty here. Agostini was used to "Honda" being pronounced with a long 0 sound. I pronounced it the American way with a short 0.) GOULD: Honda. (Long 0.) AGO: Honda. Honda. (Short 0.) GOULD: That's just an American accent. AGO: Honda. -·--ing American. (Laughter.) Honda. Honda. Hmm. Honda. OK.. Yes I had a contact with Honda (long 0), but after I decided to race with Yamaha. JH: Do you have plans about getting married any time soon? (Ago shakes his head). GOULD: You don't need to buy the cow when you have all the milk. The last week's not been very good. JH: In Los Angeles that should hardly be a problem. ' GOULD: I don't know. I've never found that to be true. JH: Really? AF: What's your relationship with Phil Read? AGO: We have some disagreement, but iL is not important. AF: I don't know, just the British press ' has played it up so. AGO: Just a little, but after blah blah blah and the press...but it is not importanL AF: What do you feel would have happened this year if Saarinen had lived? I AGO: I think that we would have had a very good championship. Saarinen was very good rider and Yamaha have very quick machine. AF: How do you feel the Yamaha and MV compare? AGO: Two very good machines. Next year I hope the Yamaha is faster than the MV. (Laughter,) AF: Who do you feel is the strongest opposition you'D have in this country from the American riders? (Huetter translates.) AGO: The American riders, I think, are very, very good riders, very fast. I know two or lhree riders. Cal Raybom ...Kent Roberts... GOULD: Ken. Ken Roberts. AGO: Ken Roberts...Gene Romero. JH: Sono tutti' in Yamaha, da vero? (They're all on Yamahas, right?) AGO, Tutti in Yamaha, yeah. Allora in famiglia. (All on Yamahas, yeah_ In the family, then.) JI{; Famiglia veloce. AGO: (Laughs.) We have the fast family. AF: Yeah. It looks like Yamaha wants to win all the number one plates that there are around. GOULD: Well, you go racing for two reasons. Developmen t and success. If you go racing you might as well try to get success as well as development. AF: I've covered most of what I have. JH: Quando partire d'America? (When do you leave America?) AGO: Domain mattina parto per ltalia (I leave tomorrow morrring for Italy.) JH: Dove vive en ltalia? (Where do you live?) . AGO: Bergamo. Vecino Milano. (Near Milan.) JH: En i montagne? (In the mountains?) AGO: No,' pero da Bergamo piu comence i montagne. (No, but from Bergamo the,DIOuntains begin.) JH: Ha un circuito per Ia prova cerca a la cas? (1s there a practice/test track near your home?) AGO: No. JH: Do you practice during the week or times just before the race? AGO: Yes. JH: How many times? Once? Twice? AGO: It depends. Sometimes once, sometimes twice, sometimes nothing. Depend. GOULD: It depends on the country's schedule as well. You can be in Austria - at Salzburg - and it's no problem. In Germany, you've only got two: Nurburgring and Hockenheim. JH: Where did you learn your English? (Ago shrugs.) GOULD: Mike Hailwood, mostly. All the bad stuff. AGO: He was my first teacher. JH: It's very good. AF: What classes are you going to con tend in the Grand Prix? AGO: Three-fifty and five hundred. JR: You'll not try two-fifty? AGO: Maybe it's possible. Maybe not. One·two-five, two-fifty. One time I want to try two-fifty. Just forfeel. Feel? And maybe one-two-five one time. I never tried one-two·five. GOULD: Yeah. You can use Kent's one day. (Refers -to Kent Andersson, the 125 World Champion, also on Yamaha.) AGO: I think it's not so easy, eh? It's easy for the horsepower. It's easy, but, you're used to the big bikes, and with the small bikes it's necessary to open the throttle before ... GOULD: Much sooner and brake much later. And also this (indicates feathering the throttle, backing off for a moment). you can't do. AGO: No? GOULD: If you shut off on a small bike, you'...., got no honepower to get back to speed again. JH: Cambiare molto. (Lots of gear-changing.) Ago nods. AGO: Look! Look! Look! (We all tum to see a girl walking aWay from us, wearing one of those things with a single narrow strap across the back.) GOULD: Yeah, the FIM regulations, all bikes, one-two-five, two-fifty, three-fifty, and five-hundred, have six speeds. That" hurt MV because they've got seven. Did MY ever have eight? AGO: No. Seven. JH: A fare foto, mi permite? (OK to take some photos?) AGO: Sure, sure. (Straightens his collar.) GOULD: That's all more work (for MV)