On 15 April 1973 the victory of the Finnish champion at the 200 Miles of Imola, in front of 100,000 spectators. Let’s relive that feat that consecrated him among the greats of motorcycling
April 15, 2023 ( edit April 15, 2023 | 15:07)
– Milan
50 years have passed since April 15, 1973 when Jarno Saarinen triumphed at 200 Miles of Imola, “The race of dreams” invented by Checco Costa with the first edition of the previous year dominated by the Ducatis of Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari. On 20 May 1973, 45 days after the great success on the Emilian “little Nurburgring”, Jarno Saarinen would later lose his life together with Renzo Pasolini at the Monza Nations Grand Prix in the tragic carom of the 250cc triggered at the bend immediately after the start in which six other pilots were involved and seriously injured: Kanaya, Walter Villa, Mortimer, Palomo, Jansson, Giansanti. Saarinen, born in Turku in Finland on December 11, 1945, was 27 years old. Thus ended, tragically, the parable of Jarno the “Viking”, one of the strongest and most loved motorcycling riders of all time, the first racer-engineer capable of fine-tuning his racing cars in the garage and capable of revolutionizing the he rides with the “slip”, making the bike slide around the bend even with the front wheel, a challenge to the laws of balance, a way of gaining ground on his opponents, especially in the wet.
agostini’s forfeit
—
In that edition of the 200 Miglia di Imola on 15 April 1973 in front of more than 100,000 spectators even with the grave absence of James Augustine due to MV Agusta’s controversial forfeit, Saarinen decided to participate not with the Yamaha 750 4-cylinder 2-stroke (or even with the 500 4-cylinder 2-stroke), but with the twin-cylinder Yamaha 350, smaller and less powerful but much lighter and more drivable in the fast Santerno mix. A memorable ride. Of the 62 laps divided into two heats, Saarinen led 61 of them. He was revving above 160km/h on average. There was no story, even if the Italians Guido Mandracci (Suzuki 750), Bruno Spaggiari (Ducati 750), Walter Villa (Kawasaki 750) and a group of wild foreigners led by Yvon Duhamel (Kawasaki 750) tried to catch up with the Finn. After the race, these are the words of Jarno Saarinen interviewed by Pino Allievi, correspondent of La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I am happy to have won the 200 Miglia, because Imola is the capital of motorcycling. It wasn’t easy. The race was long, tiring, full of tension. And now I’m excited as if I had won the World Cup. You can win by force, but I feel like I won because I enjoyed every meter of the run. Driving joy has always been the basis of all my successes. And I hope to always go on like this, otherwise there’s no taste because the obstinacy of the result is not in my philosophy of life, if together there are no other components”.
the prize
—
Saarinen earned 8 and a half million lire (at the time a private rider in Italian races had a daily allowance of 50,000 lire) and was kissed by an exceptional godmother, Sabina Ciuffini, valet of Mike Bongiorno’s television Rischiatutto, who had been hired by Costa for 400,000 lire! Who was Jarno Saarinen? An unmistakable driver, very talented, extraordinary technician, unique in setting up, reckless in the race, a champion. His unmistakable left-handed style, stretched out and taut at the start from a standstill like the lion before leaping on its prey: then on the bike, with his chest welded to the tank, his hands light on the double sloping handlebars as if playing a violin, his legs open with knees out of the hull when cornering, touching the asphalt in anticipation of the style that will make school and full throttle, daring the unbearable. A splendid addictive inimitable fury. He won a lot, a lot. But for the talent shown, too little: 48 world races held, 15 races won, 32 podiums, a title in the 250 (1972). He didn’t get what he deserved because he didn’t have the time. Blond with a rebel tuft, with eyes always looking for wonders, agile and decisive like a lion. Jarno always remained an easy-going boy, available, open, with a bright smile, even if often rippled by a very thin veil of shadow. If the point of reference is Giacomo Agostini, Saarinen met the Italian rider late, in 1971. That year the Yamaha factory Finn beat the MV Agusta champion only in Brno and Monza, finishing second three times and third twice and also winning the 250 in Jarama.
the fire of monza
—
In 1972 the music changed, with Jarno five times on the top step of the podium (Nurburgring 350, Clermont Ferrant 350, Brno 350, and the legendary hat-trick in Pesaro Villa Fastiggi 350 and 500 with the new Benelli 4-cylinder 4-stroke and 250 Yamaha), three times second (Assen 350, Anderstorp 350), three times third (Modena 350, Imola 350, Imatra 350), once fourth (Salzburgring 350), two retirements (Abbazia and Sachsenring). Then the killer epilogue, in 1973, with Jarno dominating with five consecutive victories (Modena 350, Le Castellet 500, Salzburgring 500 and above all at the Nurburgring where he folded Ago after an extraordinary comeback), as well as two retirements when he was leading the 500 at Imola and in Hockenheim. Before the tragic Monza fire, he was dominating the 250 and 500 classes, now looking forward to winning the two new world titles. By now he, Jarno, was the new master of the World Championship. That April 15, 1973 was the confirmation. But fate had other plans.
April 15, 2023 (change April 15, 2023 | 15:07)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED