Nervi, Italy – Gino Amisano has died at the age of 89 from bronchopneumonia. He founded the world famous helmet company “AGV”. The name Gino Amisano brings back memories of a wonderful moment of Italian motorsports history. Gino lived most of his life in Valenza, the city of gold were he founded in 1946, a manufacturer of saddles for bicycles, and then from 1947 motorcycle helmets first made from leather. He was among the first to believe in sports sponsorship. His AGV helmets were worn by some of the legends of the sport. – Giacomo Agostini, Angel Nieto, Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts, Randy Mamola, Johnny Cecotto, as well as Formula 1 racing drivers such as Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi. Gino had know Valentino Rossi as a little boy and had been believed in him, providing AGV helmets for his first races and to this day Valentino still wears the famous Italian “tricolors” of AGV. Called the “King of the helmets,” Gino Amisano was known to the world of motorsports as one of the pioneers in the sponsorship of professional racers by manufacturers and a true and passionate enthusiast himself. It was important reference point for many pilots. Everyone called him “Ginetto” and was a man loved by the racers. Gino changed the modern helmet industry in ways few today can imagine. After years of success in Amisano sold AGV (agv stands for Amisano Gino Valenza) to the Belgian Imag group to devote himself totally to his new and completely different activity: producer of wine Cortese di Gavi Hills of the estate Novese The Raja. In 2007 the historic AGV brand was then returned to Italian hands, with great satisfaction of its founder, when it was acquired by Dainese.