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Franco Uncini

{{short description|Italian motorcycle racer (born 1955)}}

{{Infobox motorcycle rider

|image= Franco Uncini.jpg

|caption = Franco Uncini

|name = Franco Uncini

|nationality = Italian

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|3|9}}

|birth_place = Recanati, Province of Macerata

|GP Active years = 1976 - 1985

|GP Teams = Suzuki

|GP Race Starts = 79

|GP Championships = 500cc - 1982

|GP Race Wins = 7

|GP Podiums = 21

|GP Total Points = 446

|GP Poles = 3

|GP Fastest laps = 3

|GP First race = 1976 350cc Nations Grand Prix

|GP First win = 1977 250cc Nations Grand Prix

|GP Last win = 1982 500cc British Grand Prix

|GP Last race = 1985 500cc San Marino Grand Prix

}}

Franco Uncini (born 9 March 1955) is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer. He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1976 to 1985. He won the {{MGP|1982}} world championship with the Roberto Gallina-Suzuki team. He was inducted into the F.I.M. MotoGP Hall of Fame in 2016.{{cite web |url=https://www.motogp.com/en/legends |title=MotoGP Legends |publisher=motogp.com |access-date=5 December 2024 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2016/09/09/uncini-becomes-a-motogp-legend/210019 |title=Uncini becomes a MotoGP Legend |publisher=motogp.com |access-date=26 April 2017 }}

__TOC__

Career

Uncini was born at Recanati, province of Macerata. He made his debut as professional motorcycle road racer in the 750cc class with Laverda, moving later to Ducati, with whom he earned various titles as Italian champion.{{cite journal |title=Franco Uncini – World Champion – Team Manager – Top Official |last=DeWitt |first=Norm |issue=157 |pages=22–28 |date=September–October 2012 |journal=Classic Racer |issn=1470-4463 }} His first year in the Grand Prix World Championship was with Yamaha in 1976, in both the 250cc and the 350cc classes. The following year he continued to race in both classes, this time with the Harley-Davidson team, winning two Grands Prix in 250cc (Grand Prix of Nations and Czechoslovakia) and finishing second in championship behind Mario Lega. However, his quarrelsome relationship with teammate Walter Villa forced him to move back to Yamaha.

File:TT in Assen 500 cc v.l.n.r. Kenny Roberts (3), Jack Middelburg (4) en Franco Un, Bestanddeelnr 932-2261.jpg (4) and Kenny Roberts (3) at the 1982 Dutch TT]]

After some disappointing years with a privateer Yamaha team, in 1979 he purchased a Suzuki RG500 and launched a private team of his own in the 500cc class. He was the top-ranking privateer both in 1979 and 1980, with 5th- and 4th-place finishes. Accidents hindered his 1981 season, but after Marco Lucchinelli left Suzuki to join Honda, Suzuki offered Uncini an official factory-sponsored race bike run by Roberto Gallina's team. Finally, with a competitive vehicle, Uncini won the World Championship in 1982, scoring five victories (GPs of Austria, Netherlands, Yugoslavia, Great Britain and GP of Nations). He was the last Italian rider to win the 500cc crown until Valentino Rossi won in 2001, and for almost two decades the last European rider to win 500cc before Alex Criville won his title in 1999.

In 1983, he was severely injured at TT-Assen (The Netherlands), when he fell off his bike and was struck in the head by competitor Wayne Gardner's bike.{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bqd6AF2LKdoC&q=wayne+gardner+1982+formula+tt&pg=RA7-PA63 |title=Wayne Gardner |author=Cathcart, Alan |year=1986 |work=Cycle World |access-date=30 January 2016 }} He went into a coma, but eventually recovered. He retired from motorcycle competition after the 1985 season.

Today, Uncini acts as Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Safety Officer in MotoGP.

Career statistics

Grand Prix motorcycle racing results {{cite news | url=http://www.motogp.com/en/riders/profiles/Franco+Uncini | title=Rider Statistics - Franco Uncini | publisher=MotoGP.com | access-date=2008-08-16 | archive-date=2017-02-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225211807/http://www.motogp.com/en/riders/Franco+Uncini | url-status=dead }}

Points system from 1969 to 1988:

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
Position

| width=20| 1

| width=20| 2

| width=20| 3

| width=20| 4

| width=20| 5

| width=20| 6

| width=20| 7

| width=20| 8

| width=20| 9

| width=20| 10

Points

| 15

| 12

| 10

| 8

| 6

| 5

| 4

| 3

| 2

| 1

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"

! Year

! Class

! Team

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! 10

! 11

! 12

! 13

! Points

! Rank

! Wins

rowspan=2|1976

! 250cc

! Yamaha

| FRA
-

|

| NAT
-

| IOM
-

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NED
10

| BEL
-

| SWE
-

| FIN
-

| CZE
-

| GER
-

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ESP
-

|

|

| 6

! 21st

| 0

350cc

! Yamaha

| FRA
-

| AUT
-

|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| NAT
2

| IOM
-

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NED
6

|

|

| FIN
-

| CZE
-

| GER
-

|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| ESP
3

|

|

| 27

! 9th

| 0

rowspan=2|1977

! 250cc

! Harley Davidson

| VEN
-

|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| GER
3

|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| NAT
1

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| ESP
13

| FRA
-

| YUG
-

|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| NED
2

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| BEL
7

| SWE
-

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| FIN
4

|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| CZE
1

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GBR
4

|

| 72

|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2nd

| 2

350cc

! Harley Davidson

| VEN
-

| GER
-

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NAT
6

| ESP
-

| FRA
-

| YUG
-

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NED
5

|

| SWE
-

| FIN
-

| CZE
-

| GBR
-

|

| 11

! 20th

| 0

rowspan=2|1978

! 250cc

! Yamaha

| VEN
-

|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| ESP
3

|

| FRA
-

|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| NAT
3

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NED
4

|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| BEL
2

| SWE
-

| FIN
-

| GBR
-

| GER
-

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| CZE
9

| YUG
-

| 42

! 8th

| 0

350cc

! Yamaha

| VEN
-

|

|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| AUT
2

| FRA
-

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NAT
5

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NED
10

|

| SWE
-

| FIN
-

| GBR
-

| GER
-

| CZE
-

| YUG
-

| 19

! 12th

| 0

1979

! 500cc

! Suzuki

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| VEN
4

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| AUT
6

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GER
6

| NAT
-

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ESP
5

|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| YUG
3

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NED
6

| BEL
-

| SWE
-

| FIN
-

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GBR
7

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| FRA
4

|

| 51

! 5th

| 0

1980

! 500cc

! Suzuki

|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| NAT
2

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ESP
7

| FRA
-

|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| NED
3

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| BEL
6

|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| FIN
3

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GBR
6

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GER
7

|

|

|

|

|

| 50

! 4th

| 0

1981

! 500cc

! Suzuki

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| AUT
7

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GER
10

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NAT
8

| FRA
-

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| YUG
NC

| NED
-

| BEL
-

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| RSM
NC

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| GBR
16

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| FIN
NC

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| SWE
7

|

|

| 12

! 13th

| 0

1982

! 500cc

! Suzuki

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ARG
4

|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| AUT
1

|style="background:#FFFFFF;"| FRA
WD

|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| ESP
3

|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| NAT
1

|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| NED
1

|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| BEL
3

|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| YUG
1

|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| GBR
1

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SWE
NC

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| RSM
NC

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| GER
NC

|

| 103

|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 1st

| 5

1983

! 500cc

! Suzuki

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| RSA
6

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| FRA
NC

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NAT
4

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GER
5

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ESP
5

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| AUT
5

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| YUG
NC

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| NED
NC

| BEL
-

| GBR
-

| SWE
-

| RSM
-

|

| 31

! 9th

| 0

1984

! 500cc

! Suzuki

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| RSA
NC

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NAT
5

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ESP
NC

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| AUT
11

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GER
6

| FRA
-

| YUG
-

| NED
-

| BEL
-

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| GBR
11

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SWE
NC

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| RSM
8

|

| 14

! 14th

| 0

1985

! 500cc

! Suzuki

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| RSA
11

| ESP
-

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| GER
NC

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NAT
8

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| AUT
13

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| YUG
NC

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| NED
13

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| BEL
13

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| FRA
12

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| GBR
18

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| SWE
15

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| RSM
6

|

| 8

! 15th

| 0

References

{{commons category}}

{{reflist}}

{{500 cc/MotoGP Motorcycle World Champions}}

{{MotoGP Legends}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uncini, Franco}}

Category:1955 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Recanati

Category:People from Civitanova Marche

Category:Italian motorcycle racers

Category:250cc World Championship riders

Category:350cc World Championship riders

Category:500cc World Championship riders

Category:Sportspeople from the Province of Macerata

Category:500cc World Riders' Champions