The World Championship has lost one of its legends. Phil Read passed away at 83, after struggling for a long time with an illness. To communicate the disappearance of the seven-time world champion was the family, entrusting a short press release to social networks.
Born in Luton on January 1, 1939, Read is destined to remain one of those unforgettable two-wheel champions, having defended the colors of prestigious brands such as Yamana, Benelli, Norton, Gilera and MV Agusta in his 16-year career divided between 125cc , 250cc, 350cc and 500cc, in which he took home the beauty of 52 wins, eight of which in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.
The first of his world titles will remain indelible, the one he won in 1964 on the saddle of Yamaha, because it is the first ever even with the Iwata manufacturer, with which he hit the mark on four other occasions between 125cc (1968) and 250cc (1965, 1968 and 1971).
Phil Read
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The flagship of his career, however, are probably the two consecutive laurels in the premier class, when in 1973 and 1974 he imposed himself on the MV Agusta, stopping the streak of seven consecutive titles of Giacomo Agostini, who in the first case drove as him an MV, before going to join Yamaha the following year. Since 2002 he had also joined the MotoGP Legends, the hall of fame of motorcycling established by Dorna.
Read had been hospitalized several times because he had been fighting cancer for years now, as he himself admitted long ago, after also defeating the coronavirus. Today, however, his race has come to an end, but peacefully and surrounded by his family in his home in Canterbury.
Phil Read
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
#MotoGP #mourning #farewell #7time #world #champion #Phil #Read