Famous Faces - Part 4

Thursday 15 December: At the MXoN in France there were famous faces I recognised, there were some I didn't. I knew who this was, I snapped this pic during Saturday's Qualifying races.

Italian Michele Rinaldi, is team owner of the Yamaha Factory Team. He raced for the world title in a very tough era. It was in 1978 that Japanese rider Akira Watanabe of the almighty Suzuki factory team won the World 125cc championship. A young Italian by the name of Rinaldi finished 13th in the World. Rinaldi finished with just 30pts from a handful of points in several of the rounds and an impressive 13 from his home Grand Prix.

The following season Rinaldi would capture eighth place in the world with 55pts and in 1980 he would climb to second in the world behind Harry Everts, losing out on the title by just five points. The high-light of his season being his 1-1 result at the Grand Prix of Italy. A year later he would finish third behind Everts and Eric Geboers again winning his home GP (this time with 2-1 results). In 1982 he claimed third again behind Geboers and Corri Maddi, and in 1983 was again second behind Geboers (again winning in Italy with 1-1).

1984 was his title winning year, and in 1985 he moved to the 250cc class were he finished in fourth place. A second place finish to Jacky Vimond in 1986 in the 250cc class and a fourth in the 1987 250cc title would bring an end to his championship challenge. Soon after he moved into the team manager roll where he picked up more than a dozen World championships with his factory Suzuki and Yamaha teams.

Monster Energy Yamaha factory team principal (and head of the mighty Yamaha Rinaldi Research and Development) Michele Rinaldi was surprised by a dedicatory cake for twenty years of alliance with the factory at St Jean D’Angely during the 65th Motocross of Nations.

The gesture from Yamaha Motor Europe caught the former world champion and one of the most renowned names in the sport off-guard Sunday morning but the occasion was entirely fitting as it celebrated a small landmark in Yamaha’s very successful off-road racing activities.

Michele has overseen world championships in 125, 250, 500cc classes and MXGP and MX1 in what has been an immensely fruitful partnership. The factory team is still the most decorated squad in the history of MX1 with four titles in eight years and two different riders.

In 2011 Monster Energy Yamaha were the only team in the FIM Motocross World Championship paddock to have won Grand Prix with all of their riders: Steven Frossard (MX1-GP in France and Sweden), David Philippaerts (MX1-GP in Brazil) and Gautier Paulin (MX1-GP in Italy).

Michele Rinaldi: "I feel proud to have been with Yamaha so long and also that I have been able to keep the company happy, this means we must have been doing things in the right way and it gives motivation for more years together."

Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp: "Two decades is a long time but it feels like it has passed in a moment thanks to the hard work and all the success of Michele and his team and group. Yamaha Motor Europe are very proud and also grateful for the association and friendship over the years and we hope for many more seasons of first-class collaboration ahead.”

Copy and image courtesy of Yamaha Europe.