Angelo Bergamonti's Fatal Crash @ Riccione 1971
Angelo Bergamonti was killed during a race held under heavy rain in a road course using public roads in the Italian city of Riccione. The circuit included the Lungomare, a street along the seashore, which in Riccione is separated from the sidewalk by a small wall, Bergamonti suffered an accident and hit such a wall with his head. His helmet crashed, and Bergamonti was killed. The competition director, Bruno Ronci was charged of manslaughter, in fact according to investigators the weather conditions would have required the suspension of the race.
The Circuito Internationale Perla Verde Dell'Adriatico meeting was originally scheduled to be held on 28 March 1971, but the races were rained out due to the terrible weather conditions and postponed to the next weekend. On Sunday, 04 April the weather appeared to be fair better, but during the 250 cm3 class race it started raining again and by the start of the 350 cm3 class race it was pouring. Track officials decided to go on and the race eventually began, Bergamonti had a bad start and was overtaken by several riders, but in a few laps he returned in second position chasing the leader, his team mate Giacomo Agostini. At sixth lap Bergamonti set the fastest lap and reduced his gap of an entire second to only three seconds from Agostini, then on seventh lap tragedy struck.
Bergamonti's MV Agusta went into a puddle in the roundabout before the start/finish straight, the rider fell and slid for about two hundred meters still clung to his motorbike then hit the poorly protected obstacles at the margin of the road. Bergamonti was immediately taken to hospital in Riccione, where he was diagnosed a severe head trauma and several arm and leg fractures. Later in the evening he was transported to the Bellaria hospital in Bologna, where he died shortly before midnight.
Angelo Bergamonti's fatal accident caused the ban of motorcycle races in street circuits in Italy. Ironically, that same day another well known Italian rider by a very similar name, Antonio Rigamonti lost his life during the Doria-Creto hillclimb, a race in which Bergamonti finished second overall in 1965.
R.I.P
The Circuito Internationale Perla Verde Dell'Adriatico meeting was originally scheduled to be held on 28 March 1971, but the races were rained out due to the terrible weather conditions and postponed to the next weekend. On Sunday, 04 April the weather appeared to be fair better, but during the 250 cm3 class race it started raining again and by the start of the 350 cm3 class race it was pouring. Track officials decided to go on and the race eventually began, Bergamonti had a bad start and was overtaken by several riders, but in a few laps he returned in second position chasing the leader, his team mate Giacomo Agostini. At sixth lap Bergamonti set the fastest lap and reduced his gap of an entire second to only three seconds from Agostini, then on seventh lap tragedy struck.
Bergamonti's MV Agusta went into a puddle in the roundabout before the start/finish straight, the rider fell and slid for about two hundred meters still clung to his motorbike then hit the poorly protected obstacles at the margin of the road. Bergamonti was immediately taken to hospital in Riccione, where he was diagnosed a severe head trauma and several arm and leg fractures. Later in the evening he was transported to the Bellaria hospital in Bologna, where he died shortly before midnight.
Angelo Bergamonti's fatal accident caused the ban of motorcycle races in street circuits in Italy. Ironically, that same day another well known Italian rider by a very similar name, Antonio Rigamonti lost his life during the Doria-Creto hillclimb, a race in which Bergamonti finished second overall in 1965.
R.I.P