Walter Villa

Walter Villa
Walter Villa in 1976 at the Nürburgring
Nationality	Italian
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1967 - 1980 First race 1967 125cc West German Grand Prix Last race 1980 250cc Czechoslovakian Grand Prix First win 1974 250cc Nations Grand Prix Last win 1979 250cc Venezuelan Grand Prix Team(s) Harley-Davidson Championships 250cc-1974, 1975, 1976 350cc- 1976 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 72 24 36 14 20

Walter Villa (born August 13, 1943 in Castelnuovo Rangone - June 18, 2002) was a four-time Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world champion. He was known for his quiet, unassuming nature off the bike who became a ruthless competitor once the races began.

Villa was born in Castelnuovo Rangone in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, between Maranello and Modena, the heart of Italian motor sport country. Villa began racing at 13, on a 175cc Moto Morini. In his first race, he finished third, beating Giacomo Agostini, who went on to become Italy's greatest-ever bike racer.

In the early 1970s, Harley-Davidson bought the ailing Aermacchi factory near Milan, with the aim of selling a range of bikes from 125cc machines to complement the traditional big V-twins built in the USA. First, they marketed Aermacchi's horizontal single cylinder four-strokes, and then began to develop their own two-strokes.

The Aermacchi / Harley-Davidson factory hired Walter Villa for their racing effort in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing circuit after the death of Renzo Pasolini at Monza in May 1973. During the winter of 1973 -1974, the factory under the direction of Dr. Sandro Colombo, made huge progress in developing their machines in order to compete with Yamaha. This progress allowed Villa to take victory in the 1974 championship, with Villa winning the first 250 cc championship race of the year - in Italy by 45 seconds.

He went on to win the 1975 and 1976 250cc world championship together with the 350cc title in 1976.