The Stuff of Legends
The Stuff of Legends
RACE WATCH
Agostini, Rossi, Schwantz: the real boys of summer
PAUL CARRUTHERS
KEVIN SCHWANTZ DOESN’T SCARE EASILY. BUT THE 1993 500cc world champion was ashen-faced when he hopped off his motorcycle after just one flying lap of Italy’s Mugello Circuit. A hard-fought battle on a screaming, ill-handling 500cc two-stroke? Hardly. But the lap took place at night in the rain with Italian mega-gods Valentino Rossi and Giacomo Agostini—and 60 or so others who were foaming at the mouth to get as close as possible to their racing heroes.
“That would never happen any place in the world other than right here and right now,” says Schwantz, shaking his head.
But this is Italy, where motorsport rules. And this is Mugello. And this is a night with Agostini and Rossi and Schwantz. And the guests invited by AGV/Dainese to the second annual Italian Legendary Tour were going to get their lap, weather and daylight be damned.
These hardcore motorcycle enthusiasts, most of whom had won the trip via a drawing created by Dainese for its customers, had already ridden a virtual 175-mile Grand Prix from the Italian protective-apparel company’s headquarters in Vicenza down through the twists and turns that snake through places with names such as Monti Berici, Polesine and Ferrara to get to Mugello—a circuit most of them had previously only seen on television. Now, they were ready to ride the racetrack with the legends, even though it was dark and raining and Rossi had made them wait.
Rossi was late because he, well, he’s Rossi. Schwantz, meanwhile, met the
group at Dainese that morning, rode with them all day and dined with them that night because, well, he’s Kevin Schwantz. There’s a reason the Texan is thought of on the same level as Agostini and Rossi despite having won “only” one world title to their combined 24. He’s the people’s champion, the man Rossi calls his hero, the man Agostini once courted for his Yamaha GP team.
Then, there’s Agostini. He spent the following day with the group, riding his MV Agusta as you would expect of a 15time world champion as the tour headed south through Tuscany to Maremma, with a stopover (with wine tastings, of course) in a small town where its residents were waiting to give him the key to the city—okay, village. At every gas station and café on our 170-mile Day 2 route, Ago held court like the 24-hourper-day Italian hero that he is. Dos Equis hired the wrong guy.
At lunch in San Donato in Poggio, the heart of Chianti, Ago took a break from being hero and heartthrob to every 50-year-old woman in the country to discuss Rossi, Schwantz, MotoGP racing and even Harley-Davidson. He did so seated on a stone wall that he covered with a cloth napkin to keep his Dainese trousers clean. This man oozes class...
“You know, sometimes in life, you like to change,” Agostini says of Rossi’s move from Yamaha to Ducati. “I think he doesn’t like to stay with other riders.
I think he likes to do his job for himself because maybe he says, T set up the bike, I do all this and the other rider use—and I don’t want.’ We must understand that he doesn’t like this, and he decides to go with Ducati.
“Of course, for Ducati it is very hard. Ducati is a small company and to compare with Honda and Yamaha, it’s difficult. But the Ducati is a good bike, and I think Valentino can help with the setting. Not to make the bike; the rider doesn’t make the bike. But he can say to his engineer, ‘Okay, we must do this one and try that one, and I have this sensation. Maybe we try more in the front.’
“I think Valentino is very good at setting up the bike, so I think he can help Ducati with this. I think in MotoGP now
the bikes are about the same, and it’s just the setting. And he is very good at the setting.”
When Agostini went rider shopping for the 1989 500cc GP season, Schwantz was at the top of his list. “I can remem-
ber when we sign the contract with him—we have it signed—but the Suzuki president called the president of Yamaha and said, ‘Why? This is not good.’ They make an agreement and say no.
“I like Kevin a lot,” continues Agostini. “Everybody likes Kevin because he is so spectacular. I remember in Hockenheim when he is sliding the bike everywhere and passing [Wayne] Rainey. He is like a cowboy.”
Agostini, 68, hasn’t slowed down much since leaving GP racing as a team owner in the early 1990s. He’s part of the Yamaha Classic Racing team that sees him “parading” around racetracks
several times a year. He does promotional work for MV Agusta. He’s a father of two children—a 21-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son—and he owns a home-building company.
“Before, I used to miss not having a team, but not now,” he says. “But I have many things to do. It is important to have things to do because if you have nothing to do and you stay home all day, sure, you will have regrets. But I have a lot of things.”
If you are more than 40 years old, chances are that when you think of Agostini, you think of MV Agusta—and vice versa. Ago won 10 championships with the Italian marque, and a big chunk of his heart is colored red, silver and green.
“Of course, everybody thinks that Harley-Davidson could improve MV, but the problem is with the [economic] crisis. Harley doesn’t put any money in, and we don’t have any changes from before,” he says. “The bike is the same. It is all the same.
“MV is a big brand—an Italian brand— and everybody knows it. We must do something. We must keep this brand, we must keep this name. It is like Ferrari. I hope now that MV has enough resources to improve the motorcycles. They have a lot of things, a new three-cylinder, for example, and I hope now the drawer can be opened and they can start.”
Agostini and Rossi are a natural pairing for the Dainese Legendary Tour. Both are Italian legends, and both have worn AGV helmets and Dainese leathers their entire careers. And then
there are the records: When Rossi breaks a record, it’s a mark that once belonged to Agostini. The big one that remains—122 GP victories; Rossi has 104—may never be broken.
“Unfortunately, I never see Giacomo race, except for the tape,” says Rossi. “But he’s always the name at the top. He is the best. He is the number one in all of Italy. So when it is time for me to race, I never think I will ever come close to Giacomo’s number of victories and championships. So, for me, it is great.” Agostini is a legend, but to Rossi, Schwantz is a true American hero. “When I am growing up, it is with him [Schwantz] when I am following the races,” he grins. “I remember the races when Kevin and the other guys were riding 500cc two-strokes. I have said a lot of times that Kevin was my hero and my favorite rider. He was one of the greatest talents and the rider who gave me a lot of motivation in this sport.” Admiration is a two-way street.
“Agostini is a legend, but to Rossi, Schwantz is a true American hero.”
Schwantz views Rossi as the best, though he also says that in his prime he would have beaten Rossi in a straight fight on two-stroke 500s. Schwantz saw Rossi’s talent early in pocketbike races. He witnessed the Italian’s progression, even sharing the track for a season when Rossi was beginning in the 125cc class.
“When I was asked before Rossi’s first season on a 500 if I thought he could win the championship, I said he could if he didn’t lose too many points early on,” Schwantz recalls. “He gave up some and ended up second, but there was no stopping him from then on.”
At that stage in the conversation, Schwantz’s phone rings and one word appears on its screen: “Doctor.” Rossi is in the house. After confirmation from Schwantz that the coast is clear, Rossi sneaks in the back door and takes a seat next to his heroes in the corner of the bar. They are no longer legends signing autographs. They are three men from three eras of GP racing sharing a beer and a laugh. □
