If Ducati, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and MV Agusta make up the vast majority of the history of our sport, many small manufacturers have also tried to conquer the premier category. Among them: Cagiva.
After repeated failures, the Castiglioni brothers decided to hire Marco Lucchinelli in 1984, without success. The latter, after two years of hard work, even stopped his Grand Prix career to concentrate on Superbike. But in the meantime, the bike changed again. We now moved to a – classic – V4 open at 90° with a perimeter frame similar to the famous Yamaha Deltabox.
There are countless different engine and frame configurations in just five years, but it obviously doesn't pay off. Miraculously, Kenny Roberts himself agreed to test the 500cc in question on the Misano circuit during the summer of 1985. Although retired for two years, he has lost none of his analytical skills and manages to pinpoint the bike's weak points.
The 500 Cagiva GP10 C1986, in the hands of the young Joan Garriga (Ferrari had left again in the meantime) finished eighth in the Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama. For the first time ever, a result was amply encouraging and there seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel. But hey, there was still a way to go.
Despite having put his all into it and collecting good results, Randy Mamola did not shine as much as that at Cagiva. Here photographed in 1990 in Hungary, the latter seemed to have lost all trace of motivation quite quickly. As proof, he fell in the formation lap at Assen a year earlier. Photo: Inedit2
When the bike is better, then why not change riders for the umpteenth time? Lucchinelli is no longer in the game, and Garriga prefers to go down to 250cc with Yamaha. The Belgian Didier de Radiguès would experience his worst season that year, and no better for his teammate Raymond Roche. Everything has to be done again. But for the following year, Castiglioni decided to strike a big blow. He accepts a new sponsor, the tobacco company Bastos, in order to color his fairings. This naturally helps the team, which also wears the magnificent bright red dress that we all know.
It was from 1988 that the machine truly became competitive. The new engine (!), a V4 opened at 58°, spits out the horses, especially when it is driven by Randy Mamola himself. It marks the firm's very first podium at Spa Francorchamps, but could not do better than 12th overall due to a nasty injury which handicapped him at the start of the season. This new C588 was designed by the brilliant Massimo Tamburini, father of the original MV Agusta F4 today. New look, new driver, new performance.
But in 1989, new disillusionment. The bike is clearly no longer at the level of 1988, and while Lawson and Rainey give it in front, the four-time vice-world champion is demotivated. He no longer has the heart to work, and the results do not follow. Even if the young Alex Barros is recruited for 1990, that doesn't matter. Impossible to find the “trick” to go fast without falling. Moreover, it was described as dangerous: Mamola was seriously injured in the United States and Barros did not go far from correctional facilities on numerous occasions.
The situation therefore seems to be stagnating for the Varese manufacturer, despite the numerous decisions taken by the directors. Will developments be enough to defeat the demons of the past?
Cover photo: Rikita
