RACING'S ROLE...
It wasn't long before motorcycles became overwhelmingly popular in Italy. Even early on, the amount of power and nimble handling the machines afforded the rider were a novelty, and what better a way to test the characteristics of the individual bikes than by racing them?
Early races, such as the Milano-Napoli, Giro d'Italia and Targa Florio, were run on public roads. The competition helped attract new enthusiasts to the sport in Italy, as well as encourage other upstart manufacturers to build race-ready machines.

One of these early success stories was Benelli, which was founded after the Benelli brothers built their first motorcycle in 1921. They specialized initially in making small-capacity 2-stroke machines but later developed a 175cc 4-stroke single that became the basis for numerous successful racing bikes that competed well into the 1950s. Early on, however, despite the growth and international recognition Benelli and other Italian companies in the industry were experiencing, little was done to export or race Italian marques outside the country.

Interestingly enough, it was partly due to the efforts of Benito Mussolini that Italian racing machines and their riders started making their presence known, and felt, outside Italy. The ruler wanted to see the country's companies succeed in international competition. As a result, he made funds available to support their efforts.
Both Bianchi and Moto Guzzi - which first built a radical four-valve overhead-cam horizontal single cylinder prototype in 1920, but eventually decided on a more practical two-valve configuration for production - were awarded funding for the Isle Of Man Tourist Trophy Races in 1926. Moto Guzzi and its 250cc machine originally came away with a win in the Lightweight race, but was later disqualified for using illegal parts.

Eight years later, however, Guzzi would return and win again. This time it was the Senior TT with Irishman Stanley Woods aboard the Italian manufacturer's mount.
Other companies were bringing trophies back home to Italy as well. Gilera, with the help of the Rondine design, won the 500cc European Championship in 1939 with Dorino Serafini at the controls. And when the concept of a true World Championship series was introduced in 1949, Italian bikes dominated the competition early on in the 125cc and 250cc classes.



It was at about this time that MV Agusta arrived on the scene. The company first competed in 1950, and achieved great success over the years - the marque took every world title possible between 1958 and 1960. The company's first Grand Prix bikes were four-valve single cylinder 125cc and 500cc machines. They introduced a 350cc model in 1953 which helped lead to the run of consecutive titles that started in 1958.



Sadly, though, MV Agusta was eventually the only Italian manufacturer left competing in Grand Prix racing. As sales of motorcycles dropped in Italy and the cost of backing a race team increased, other manufacturers ultimately backed out completely.
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