Arturo Magni (Usmate Velate, 24 September 1925 - Samarate, 2 December 2015)[1] was an Italian engineer racing team manager and entrepreneur.
Arturo Magni | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 September 1925 |
| Died | 2 December 2015 (aged 90) Samarate, Lombardy, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation(s) | engineer, entrepreneur racing team manager |
Early life
editArturo Magni was born in Usmate Velate, near Milan in the Lombardy region of Italy on 24 September 1925.[2] His main passion was for model aeroplanes, where he showed great technical creativeness in building them. He built life-size gliders, which he flew himself, and won the 1938 Italian Gliding Championship.[3]
After leaving school, he worked for his father for a while and then joined the aviation industry, working for the Italian manufacturer Bestetti.[4]
Gilera
editThe story of Arturo Magni in the world of two wheels began in 1947 when he joined Gilera.[3] The company had decided to participate in the 500 cc World Championship and had commissioned Pietro Remor to build a new four-cylinder GP engine. Remor was impressed by Magni's talents, and at Remor's insistence, Magni joined the R&D departement to assist in building the new engine.[3] This engine powered Gilera to six world titles in the 500 class with the riders Umberto Masetti, Libero Liberati and Geoff Duke.[2]
MV Agusta
editCount Domenico Agusta was determined to make MV Agusta one of the leading motorcycle marques.[2] In 1950 Augusta hired Pietro Remor to build two GP machines: a four-cylinder 500 cc and a DOHC 125 cc.[5] To assist him in this project, Remor brought Magni with him from Gilera[3] as chief mechanic.[2] Soon Magni became Direttore Sportivo[6] (director of the racing department) under the watchful eye of the Count.[7]
His technical expertise was fundamental in developing the world-beating 350 and 500 cc "Threes" in the 1960s and the "Fours" in the 1970s.[3]
Magni held this position until the marque withdrew from competition in 1976.[2] He had employed riders such as Giacomo Agostini, John Surtees, Carlo Ubbiali, Phil Read, Mike Hailwood, Cecil Sandford and Tarquinio Provini. The Varese-based company, under Magni's guidance, won a total of 75 world titles (37 manufacturers and 38 riders).[2]
After the withdrawal from racing, Magni stayed on at MV as superintendent of the MV Agusta museum.[3]
Cagiva
editIn 1980, Magni was head of the race shop at Cagiva. He was in charge of development of a new four-cylinder racing two-stroke. The engine, which was a development of the Yamaha TZ 500 engine, was first used by Virginio Ferrari the 1980 German motorcycle Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.[8]
Motorcycle manufacturer
editFrom 1977 he began his career as an entrepreneur founding the house that bears his name, along with his two sons. The company, based in a small but fully equipped workshop,[4] was located at Samarate, 20 miles from the MV factory.[7] Initial the company manufactured special parts for the MV Agusta 750 S motorcycles, such as chain drive conversions, big-bore kits and frame kits.[2] Later, in 1980, the company progressed to the construction of complete motorcycles. The first models were power by Honda CB900F engines (models MH1 & MH2). Later BMW R100 (MB1 & MB2) and various Moto Guzzi engines were used. The Sfida 1000 model, introduced in 1989, used a Moto Guzzi engine in a machine styled to reflect the MV racers of the 1960s.[9] (Sfida means "challenge" in Italian).[10] In 1999, models based on the four-cylinder Suzuki Bandit 1200 engine were added.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Arturo Magni". www.magni-bayern.de (in German). Magni Bayern. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Arturo Magni: 80 years of pure passion". www.magni.it. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f dePrato, Bruno (4 December 2015). "ARTURO MAGNI: 1925-2015, MV Agusta Race Manager Dies at 90". Cycle World. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Magni Motorcycles: A Brief History of the Italian Marque". cybermotorcycle.com. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- ^ Walker, Mick (1998). Mick Walker's Italian Racing Motorcycles. Redline Books. p. 209. ISBN 9780953131112.
- ^ Cathcart, Allan. "Moto Magni A Family Affair". www.magzter.com. Magzter. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Arturo Magni, 1925-2015". Motorcycle News. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- ^ Walker, Mick (1998). Mick Walker's Italian Racing Motorcycles. Redline Books. p. 63. ISBN 9780953131112.
- ^ Egan, Peter (January 2000). Australia. Cycle World Magazine. p. 59.
- ^ Alan, Cathcart (January 1996). Cafe-racer Comeback. Cycle World Magazine. p. 67.