Somebody's gotta do it. And it's easy to spot your board.
Here's a picture of Mrs. Solei Saarinen from the other direction.
In 1972 Jarno Saarinen was World Champion in the 250cc class on a Yamaha, and was second to Agostini (MV Agusta) in the 350 class, again on a Yamaha. At the Pesaro Italy circuit, he switched to Benelli 350cc and 500cc four-cylinder bikes, and he beat Agostini (MV Agusta) in both races for first place.
1973 looked like it was going to be a dominant year for the "Flying Finn,' winning the Daytona 200 against much larger displacement bikes. He also won the Imola 200 for Yamaha, won both the 250cc and 500cc races at the French GP at Paul Ricard on Yamahas and both the 250cc and 500cc races at the Austrian GP at Salzburgring (Yamaha); and won the 250cc GP at Hockenheim, Germany (Yamaha), and nearly winning the 500cc GP event at the same meeting but his Yamaha's chain broke.
Saarinen was now leading the 250cc and 500cc GP classes and had shown the world his riding skills were second to none. The GP 'circus' now went to Italy.
At Monza, Saarinen tragically lost his life during the 250cc GP race when Renso Pasolini (Aermacchi Harley-Davidson) went down and in a chain-reaction, a total of 14 riders were involved. Pasolini also was killed. It was fifty years ago at the end of May, 1973. Ago is still around, who knows what wins Saarinen would have accomplished if his career hadn't ended tragically, and so-early?
Note the huge twin leading shoe front drum brake, the raised rim-edge wheels (Akronts?) and the dents in the expansion chamber from his lean angles.
Saarinen on his 4-cylinder Benelli. They were supposed to be working on a 250cc V-8! However, the FIM's rulebook was changed to disallow such exotic mechanical marvels.
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