1973 Morbidelli GP 125

Lot details
Registration No: N/A
Frame No: Not Visible
Engine No: MBA136
cc: 125

Giancarlo Morbidelli was born in 1938 building up a successful woodworking machinery business in Pesaro during the 1960's. This provided the means for him to indulge in his passion for motorcycle racing and ultimately to build his own competition machines and witness them winning World Championships.
His first machine, built in 1968, was a 50cc racer that secured the marque's first World Championship points. 1970 saw the unveiling of Morbidelli's first 125cc racer designed, like the 50cc single, by Franco Ringhini with which it shared a common stroke of 39.8mm. As with the fifty, disc valve induction and water cooling were employed. The new model quickly demonstrated its value, taking victory in the 1970 Czech Grand Prix with Gilberto Parlotti in the saddle. The following season saw Parlotti securing second places in the Austrian and West German Grand Prixs and winning the home Grand Prix at Monza. 1972 started marvellously for the Morbidelli team with two wins, a second and a third at the first four rounds of the Championship, tragically however, the good fortune disserted the team at the TT when Parlotti crashed, fatally, whilst leading the 125 TT. For 1973 Angelo Nieto was signed to ride both the 125cc and the new 350cc Morbidellis. However, despite the promise of the pairing little came of it and at the end of the season Nieto defected to Bultaco. 1974 was a period of consolidation for the team, Dutch engineer Jorg Muller had joined the team and Pileri had been signed to ride for them demonstrating early promise. This promise was confirmed during the 1975 season when Pileri took seven victories, securing Morbidelli's first World Championship.
The team's success in the World Championship led to a demand for replica machines which resulted in Morbidelli entering into an agreement with Bennelli Armi to manufacture replicas at a new factory in Pesaro. The "production" water cooled disc valve machines generated slightly less horsepower than the factory bikes and can be identified by the absence of the Ferrari mark, present on the works bikes' crankcases.
The example offered dates from 1973 and is described as being in "good overall condition". It is one of the last twin shock machines to be built prior to production being taken over by MBA.