Last February 10, after a long illness, Giancarlo Morbidelli, born 1934, passed away. He was a very popular person, not only because he created the Morbidelli company, but for his crazy passion for motorbikes, which led him to shift his focus away from woodworking machinery to become one of the most charismatic and innovative figures of the two-wheel scene. His woodworking machinery achieved immediate success, and in fifteen years he became the top figure of a company exporting to 40 countries, with 300 employees, and one of the first significant takeovers by Scm. “To me and Alfredo, Giancarlo was like a brother”, said Adriano Aureli, who needs no introduction. “We went a long way together, until in 1990 we acquired 75 percent of his business, as he had already decided that he want to dedicate most of his energy to motorcycling: he remained the technical director of Morbidelli, as well as a business partner… “. He had started to build motorbikes in 1965 and he never stopped: his racing department has created bikes running in the world championship from 1969 to 1981, and winning four world titles. A friend of Enzo Ferrari, he was depicted as David against Goliath, because he dared defeat the big Japanese brands, Yamaha and Kawasaki on top of all.
He died at the Fano hospital, leaving his wife Augusta and two children, Letizia and Gianni, the latter a Formula 1 driver. His heritage is great, including masterpieces like the 850 bike with V8 engine, a unique creation, with a few exemplars displayed at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, in Bilbao and in Las Vegas. (l.r.)
