Sheene Winning the Battle, but Bonera the War at Imola (1974)

• Larry Lawrence
The Nations Grand Prix at Imola in 1974, and this photo was too cool not to share. That of course is Barry Sheene leading on the No. 5 Suzuki. Running second is Phil Read (3) on his MV Agusta, Franco Bonera (4) on another MV, then Teuvo Lansivuori and Giacomo Agostini both on Yamahas. That’s an amazing amount of talent in one shot. Agostini and Yamaha gambled on fuel and came up just short. His bike ran out of fuel in the closing laps while leading. Bonera went on to win his first GP. This photo is from an amazing time in GP racing. It was a changing era. In ’74 Read won the world championship on the MV, with fellow MV rider Bonera finishing second. But the Japanese makers were coming up quickly. In ’75 “Ago” brought Yamaha its first 500cc Road Racing World Championship by edging out Read on the MV. That ended MV’s incredible 17-year run of winning the 500cc GP World Championship. (Cycle News photo) 
#motogp #barrysheene #suzukigp #mvagusta #francobonera #bonerasfirstgpwin #imola #nationsgp

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