Renzo Pasolini

Renzo Pasolini (18 July 1938 – 20 May 1973), nicknamed "Paso", was an Italian professional motorcycle road racer. He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1964 to 1972.

Although he never won a world championship, Pasolini was a popular competitor due to his fearless and passionate riding style. He was notable for racing with an open-face helmet and black horn-rimmed glasses at a time when most competitors had adopted full-face helmets. after having shown great interest in boxing and football as well. A smoker and incorrigible party-goer, he was an uncommon athlete, as was his approach to corners while racing—a dangerous combination of balance and speed which always made him seem about to fall off his bike.

Pasolini was well into his twenties when he made the decision to switch from motocross to road racing. Much of the 1971 season was lost to testing the Aermacchi/Harley-Davidson 250cc bike, which took much longer in development than had been anticipated. The resulting bike was not superior to most, and a number of up-and-coming racers increased competition; among them was Jarno Saarinen, to whom Pasolini lost the 250cc world championship in 1972 by a single point.

Death Pasolini lost his life at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on 20 May 1973. He was not able to finish the 350cc race because of mechanical problems, retiring from the race with four laps remaining, and fell during the first lap of the 250cc race. Jarno Saarinen, immediately behind him, was unable to avoid him and fell as well, causing a chain reaction ultimately involving twelve riders and resulting in Pasolini's and Saarinen's deaths.

Much debate has surrounded the probable causes of the accident, with the most common explanation suggesting that a spill left on the track during the 350cc race (when Walter Villa's Benelli leaked on the penultimate lap, but the urge to collect championship points led the rider to continue racing despite the leak) likely caused the bike to slide. While it has been ascertained that race officials did neglect to order clean up of the track prior to the 250cc race—one rider, John Dodds, made his concerns known to authorities, only to be met with threats—Pasolini's fall and the damage sustained by his vehicle are consistent with an engine problem, likely a seizure of the pistons.

Pasolini was buried in the Monumental Cemetery of Rimini. His motorbike helmet and some testimonies of his victories are sited at his tomb.

The Ducati Paso In 1986, Ducati Motor Holding, then under the ownership of Cagiva, introduced the Ducati Paso, named after Pasolini and designed by Massimo Tamburini, co-founder of Bimota.

Motorcycle Grand Prix results Source:

Points system from 1964 to 1968: Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 Points 8 6 4 3 2 1

Points from 1969 onwards: Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Points 15 12 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1

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

(key)

Year Class Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Points Rank Wins 1964 350cc Aermacchi IOM- NED- GER- DDR- ULS- FIN- NAT4 JPN- 3 13th 0 1965 250cc Aermacchi USA- GER- ESP- FRA- IOMNC NED- BEL- DDR- CZE- ULS- FIN- NAT- JPN- 0 – 0 350cc Aermacchi GER4 IOMNC NED4 DDR- CZE5 ULS- FIN- NAT6 JPN- 9 8th 01966 250cc Aermacchi ESP3 GER- FRA- NED- BEL- DDR- CZE- FIN- ULS- IOM- NAT- JPN- 4 14th 0 350cc Aermacchi GERDNS FRA5 NED3 BEL4 CZE5 FIN- ULS- IOM- NAT2 JPN- 17 3rd 01967 350cc Aermacchi GER3 IOMNC NED3 DDR- CZE- ULS- NAT- JPN- 8 8th 0 500cc Benelli GER- IOMNC NED- BEL- DDR- CZE- FIN- ULS- NAT- CAN- 0 – 01968 250cc Benelli GER- ESP- IOM2 NED3 BEL- DDR- CZE- FIN- ULS- NAT- 10 6th 0 350cc Benelli GER2 IOM2 NED- DDR- CZE- ULS- NAT2 18 2nd 0 500cc Benelli GER- ESP- IOM- NED- BEL- DDR- CZE- FIN- ULS- NAT2 6 12th 0 1969 250cc Benelli ESPDNF GER- FRA- IOM- NED1 BEL- DDR1 CZE1 FIN- ULS- NAT- YUG- 45 4th 3 1970 350cc Benelli GER- YUG- IOMNC NED2 DDR2 CZE2 FIN- ULS- NAT3 ESP- 46 3rd 0 1971 250cc Aermacchi AUT- GER- IOM- NED- BEL- DDR- CZE- SWE- FIN- ULS- NAT- ESP5 6 28th 01972 250cc Aermacchi GER- FRA2 AUT- NAT1 IOM- YUG1 NED2 BEL- DDR2 CZE2 SWE3 FIN- ESP1 93 2nd 3 350cc Aermacchi GER5 FRA3 AUT3 NAT2 IOM- YUG- NED3 DDR2 CZE2 SWE4 FIN3 ESP2 78 3rd 0 1973 250cc Aermacchi FRA3 AUT- GER- IOM- NATDNF – – – – – – – – 10 19th 0