When the first GP took place at Mugello in 1976, the Continental Circus frequented certain circuits which were magnificent in terms of layout or environment, such as the Nürburgring, Imatra, Spa, the Isle of Man and the Salzburgring, but where safety had not been clearly not been a priority for their designer. What was the surprise of the drivers when they discovered the superb Mugello route, which followed and highlighted the beautiful surrounding Tuscan hills.
Most of the 500 field was then made up of Suzuki with that of Barry Sheene at the forefront, facing the Yamaha of Johnny Cecotto and the MV Agusta of Giacomo Agostini, who won his last Grand Prix at the last GP of the year at the Nürburgring. personal and that of MV. Suzuki 500s also equipped elite privateers including Marco Lucchinelli, Phil Read, Michel Rougerie, Virginio Ferrari and Tepi Lansivuori.
The first edition of the Mugello race was sublime, Barry Sheene and Phil Read battling like crazy and crossing the finish line of the “Grand Prix of Nations” exactly side by side. There were obviously none of the electronic gadgets at the time that measure your finish to the nearest thousandth, and the video or photo finish was replaced by a well-intentioned, but perhaps slightly less precise, timekeeper. Sheene was declared the winner, with a lump sum award of 0.100 to Read at the finish line. Read never admitted that he had finished second and always strenuously protested that he had been shamefully robbed of his victory. Which made Barry smile for a long time.
The first race to be organized in Mugello took place in 1914 on a dirt road, with a 66 km route that started from Scarperia, passing through Firenzuola, Col de Futa, San Piero, finishing in Scarperia. Then road races, and in particular the “Mille Miglia” disappeared in Italy. There were a few historic events on the dusty paths, but modernity took hold in earnest with a professional asphalt route of 5 m, characterized by an altitude range of 245 m. Its straight line (which is in fact not really straight) is one of the longest of all those used in GP with 41,19 m, compared to 1141 of Austin, 1 of Losail, 200 of Termas de Rio Hondo and 1 from Barcelona. Andrea Iannone reached 068 km/h there last year with his Ducati.
The circuit was built in 1973, inaugurated the following year, then bought by Ferrari to test its GT and F1 cars. There has never been an F1 GP at Mugello, even if the circuit could organize one thanks to its FIA 1st level license.
When the first motorcycle Grand Prix took place there in 1976, the atmosphere in Italy was the same as it is today, with unlimited passion for everything that takes turns: “ Give the motori, the pain and the pain » (women and engines, joys and pains). So once in winter Thierry Tchernine (125 Maïco + 250 Yamaha) and Gérard Debrock (500 Linto) went for a race in Rimini, on the seaside. They found accommodation in a hotel-guesthouse, and prepared their motorcycles in the basement garage. The evening before the first tests, the motorcycles were ready, but they still had to be started to see if they were working correctly. In free exhaust, in an empty underground concrete parking lot, the abundance of decibels was guaranteed. But it was February, there weren't many guests in the hotel, and in any case by the time the boss came screaming, it was calculated that the engines would have been more than hot enough to make them take turns and check their operation.
The boss must have been a sort of Usain Bolt of the descent of the stairs, because, as soon as the engines started, in a flash he was in the garage. He stopped quietly and watched the motorcycles warm up, his hands in his pockets. Then he approached an iron curtain, raised it, and there appeared an Alfa Romeo GTA with a number on the door, a rollbar and real tires. He opened the door, sat at the controls, started the engine and began to rev the throttle, looking at our two French pilots.
The three were smiling from ear to ear.
Photos © Mugello Circuit SpA
