ANGELO BERGAMONTI

Racing on closed public roads had a long tradition in Italy, but Alfonso de Portago’s accident in the 1957 Mille Miglia brought about sufficient pressure from officialdom to put a stop to such events for four-wheelers.

Racing on two-wheels managed to keep going into the 1970s, until the accident that claimed the life of Angelo Bergamonti, MV Agusta’s then new recruit and team-mate to Giacomo Agostini, at Riccione in April 1971. And that effectively put an end to motorcycle racing on public roads as well.

Staged as ‘shake-down’ races before the World