In the July 2020 issue of Roadracing World:
Morbidelli is unique in the history of Grand Prix racing; it’s the only non-motorcycle company to win a Grand Prix race. In 1959 Giancarlo Morbidelli founded the Morbidelli Woodworking Machinery Company in Pesaro. An avid road racing enthusiast, Giancarlo became an entrant in 1968 with Luciano Mele riding a modified Benelli 60cc two-stroke to win the Junior Italian Championship.
Encouraged by this, Giancarlo decided to build his own 50cc machine with help from designer/rider Franco Ringhini. The following year Ringhini scored Morbidelli’s first World Championship points with sixth place at the East German GP! For 1970, Giancarlo had Ringhini design a Twin to contest the 125cc World Championship with Giberto Parlotti as rider …
—Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1975 Morbidelli 125, by Mick Ofield
Morbidelli followed a simple, effective route to racing success—build a proven design with the highest-quality components and materials available. It worked— the company’s 125cc Grand Prix machines utterly dominated the class at the world level for the last part of the 1970s. Read the story of these fascinating machines, designed (literally, sometimes) by racers and fueled by passion – it’s all in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
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