Tarquinio Provini
Tarquinio Provini (* May 29, 1933 in Roveleto di Cadeo (PC ); † 6 January 2005, Bologna ) was an Italian motorcycle racer and entrepreneur.
In his career he was two world titles in the Motorcycle World Championship, winning four victories at the Isle of Man TT and eleven Italian championships.
Racing career
Tarquinio Provini was born the son of a motorcycle dealer who promoted the motorcycle passion of his son from an early age. At the age of ten he began to ride the motorcycle, in 1949, at age 16, he played his first race. Since that time he was too young for a license, he joined with his uncle and the so won the regional championship. His father later gave him a spot on a FB- Mondial - machine with which he played the Italian championship and asserted itself there against the then very strong competition.
In the 1954 season Tarquinio Provini debuted at Mondial finally in the 125 cc class of the Motorcycle World Championship. In his first race, the Grand Prix of Nations at Monza, he could immediately enter the second place. His second race, the Grand Prix van Spain, he could even win. In the years 1955 and 1956 season Provini went to only a few World Championship races, instead he focused on the national championship, in which he won four titles 1955-1957.
The season 1957 was the most successful in Provinis career. In addition to the titles in the classes up to 125 cc and 250 cc of the Italian championship he won the 125cc World Championship. With three wins and two second places from five contested races he won the title before the superior MV Agusta pilots Luigi Taveri from Switzerland.
After Mondial had retired at the end of 1957 season for financial reasons from the World Cup, Provini had to find a new employer and opted for the supply of MV Agusta. Since the Italian manufacturer dominated at that time and the best riders in the world had contracted to Provini had to prove there first. With the World Champion title in the 250 cc class in 1958, he succeeded brilliantly at first. With four wins in as many races contested he secured superior to the title before Horst Fügner from East Germany, who started for MZ.
In the season of 1959, however, remained to him in both the 125cc and the 250cc class only the runner-up behind team-mate Carlo Ubbiali. The public discharged rivalry between the two eventually led to the fact that Provini end of the season to decided to switch to Morini, for which he took up in the 250 cc class. The 1960 season was dominated by the MV - pilots Carlo Ubbiali and Gary Hocking. In the Tourist Trophy Provini was third. Later, at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa- Francorchamps, he crashed heavily and ended the season only to ninth place overall.
1961 had Tarquinio Provini to do with the exceedingly powerful Honda four- cylinders, which ultimately took the top five places in the world championship and with Mike Hailwood presented the superior world champion. Provini was sixth World Cup and thus best non - Honda rider. Also in 1962 dominated the Honda phalanx the 250cc class and placed with Jim Redman again the world champions. For Provini on its single-cylinder Morini jumped with fifth place out again only a disappointing result.
In the 1963 season Tarquinio Provini started with wins in Spain and the Grand Prix of West Germany at the Hockenheimring. After two more victories in the course of the season he was runner-up with just two points behind Jim Redman. For season 1964 Provini joined Benelli, who used a four-cylinder engine, since he believed that the Honda four-cylinder could no longer be struck with a single cylinder. After a good start to the season with a win in Spain, however, the season for Provini was only mediocre. Be played at the top a battle between Redman on Honda and Yamaha riders Phil Read, who was finally able to win the title from. Tarquinio Provini could not intervene in the title decider with his fifth place.
In the 1965 season Provini could retract his last win in the Motorcycle World Championship in the 250cc Grand Prix of Nations at Monza. Nevertheless, it was only enough for seventh place overall.
Also in 1966 Tarquinio Provini stepped in with the Benelli. The 250 - cc racing machine was equipped with an air-cooled four-cylinder with a displacement of 247 cc and a seven-speed gearbox. The engine with four Dell'Orto carburettors made 55 hp (40 kW) at 15.000/min. With a curb weight of 116 kg (including oil, no fuel) this racing machine had a top speed of 240 km / hr. In a terrible fall during training for Tourist Trophy ( blinded by the sun ) he retired as serious injuries to the spine that the doctors put in his views, he would throughout his life remain a paraplegic, which turned out to be a mistake. Nevertheless, this accident Provini forced to end his active career, in which he made 50 Grand Prix and it reached 20 victories and 39 podium finishes.
Career as an entrepreneur
After his playing career Tarquinio Provini had the idea to create miniature models of motorcycles, with which he and his opponent had fought for years for victories and world titles. He founded the company in Bologna Protar, which he headed for many years and produces model kits today.
Tarquinio Provini died on 6 January 2005, at the age of 71 years, in Bologna from cancer.