ITALIAN RIDERS

Many Italian TT enthusiasts were pleased to see the renewed interest by Italian riders in the Isle of Man TT Races in the last few years.
The last big Italian presence in the Isle of Man TT was in the early ‘70s when the TT was still part of the World Championship. For the 2004 TT there will be the largest participation of Italian riders in the last 30 years.
Seven Italian riders plan to put their wheels on Glencrutchery Road for 2004.
The riders with previous TT experience are Giuseppe ‘Pino’ Barachetti, Giorgio Cantalupo, Franco Martinel, and Umberto Rumiano with the newcomers being Stefano Bonetti, Stefano Manici, and Massimo Temporali.
Last year ‘Pino’ Barachetti rode Yamahas in the Production TTs, but for 2004 he is switching to Suzuki machinery. There are big changes for top Italian road racer Giorgio Cantalupo as he hopes to have sponsorship from Moto World Magazine. Giorgio will use a new Aprilia RSV 1000R in the Formula 1, Production 1000, and Senior TTs; if the deal fails to materialise, he will have the use of a Yamaha R1. Giorgio is a very skilful rider, and is currently the fastest ever Italian rider on the IOM Mountain Course.
Franco Martinel will be making a comeback to the Sidecar TT, having last participated in 1999. Franco first raced in the IOM in 1980, for many years keeping the Italian flag flying. He represents the Italian link from the past to the present, and has built a new F2 Sidecar frame for his return to the Island. Very best wishes to evergreen 63 year old Franco for a successful TT.
There is big news about 27 year old Umberto Rumiano from Brescia. For the 2004 TT Umberto will ride a MV F4 SPR in the Production 1000 TT. The fantastic combination of an Italian rider on a MV after a lapse of 32 years at the IOM TT is a dream come true for Italian TT fans - wonderful. Umberto will also ride a new Kawasaki ZX10 in the Formula 1, and hopefully the Senior TT. For the Lightweight 400 TT, he will ride either a Honda NC35 or a Honda CBR 400R. Last year Umberto rode a Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the Production 1000 TT, and also rode in the prestigious Senior Race. Apart from Umberto being a very skilful rider, he has also done much to promote the TT in Italy, with articles about his 2003 debut being published in many magazines. His website can be found at www.rumiano.com
With respect to the newcomers, we are very pleased to see 28 year old Stefano Bonetti from Bergamo making his debut. Stefano is a Hill Climb Specialist, and in 2003 was the runner up in the Italian 600cc Hill Climb Championship. Looking at his racing career, we find that he has been a past winner of the 125cc and 250cc class in the Italian Hill Climb Championships. For the 2004 TT, Stefano will race his GSX-R 600 in the Junior and Production 600 TTs. Another top Italian Hill Climb Specialist at the 2004 TT is Stefano Manici, 29 years old from Parma. Last year he won the Open Class in the Italian Championship for the 6th time. Stefano will race either a Suzuki GSX-R1000 or a GSX-R750 in the Production 1000 TT.
Last, but by no means least, is Massimo Temporali, 30 years old from Milan. Massimo is a professional journalist, writing for the Italian Motorcycle Magazine “Tuttomoto” and also for “Griglia di Partenza”, a weekly motor programme on TelenovaTV.
Massimo has previously won two Italian Championships, the 1996 Yamaha 660 Trophy, and the 2003 ‘Naked Cup’ for over 650cc machines; he won the ‘Naked Cup’ riding an Aprilia Tuono R Factory machine. He hopes to ride a MV in the 2004 Production 1000 TT.
All the Newcomers, and Umberto Rumiano, have visited the Isle of Man in the winter to study the Mountain Course. This visit was made possible thanks to the assistance of Adrian Earnshaw, of the “Mike Hailwood Foundation”. The Foundation organise laps of the Course from experienced TT competitors, the Italian riders find their knowledge of the Course most helpful.
The Italian Branch of the TT Supporters Club has worked hard to promote the Isle of Man TT, and other road races. The Branch has it’s own website: www.ttsupportersitaly.com . Their website includes useful information for road race fans, such as how to get to the IOM, accommodation, a spectators guide to the TT Course, the Race Regulations for the TT and other popular road races.
At the moment the website is only in the Italian language, but shortly it will also be in English. For the 2004 TT, the Italian Branch hope to use their website to provide ‘live’ news from the Grandstand during and after the races.
It is hoped that the renewed interest by Italian Riders and fans will continue in the future and will help to keep the IOM as the Road Racing Capital of the World.
Wishing everyone a very good and safe TT; yours in sport

Pier Ortalda