Agostini reunited with title winner

From Yamaha Racing

The Fiat Yamaha Team, the Yamaha Classic Racing Team and multiple-World Champion Giacomo Agostini joined together for a very special celebration at Assen Friday evening, ahead of the 80th edition of the historic Dutch TT.

Agostini, Shigeto Kitagawa, President of Yamaha Motor Racing and Ferry Brouwer, owner of the Yamaha Classic Racing Team presented the celebrated 1975 YZR500 OW23 on which Agostini won his last ever world title in 1975 and also the Dutch TT in 1974. In addition Yamaha unveiled a surprise ‘Agostini' 2010 YZR-M1 in Fiat Yamaha Team colours, with the Italian's famous Number One stickers.

Yamaha legend Agostini will ride a display lap of Assen on both motorcycles on Saturday to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the TT.

"I am very pleased to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the Dutch TT with Yamaha's first and latest premier class championship-winning bikes," Kitagawa said. "It is going to be a great pleasure to see both machines ridden by the great and legendary champion Giacomo Agostini."

Agostini added, "It's a double pleasure and honour for to be here at Assen on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Dutch TT. First of all, I was honoured to be invited by the TT for this important occasion and secondly I am very excited to celebrate this event riding for Yamaha, to whom I gave a first world title in the 500cc series.

"I have a beautiful memory of this TT race and of these fans. I remember that when I used to ride here, many years ago, there were 160,000 fans all around the track. Unbelievable! Tomorrow I will have the chance to ride the 'past' and the 'present,' the first and the latest world champion bikes. My OW23 was like a bicycle with 120bhp, but used to get power at 6000rpm...whilst the M1 has 240bhp! When you ride the M1 for the first time, it seems that it's very easy: engine, gear, brakes, it seems that it does everything itself, but then when you open the throttle you discover its power and you realize how difficult it is to control such a force!"