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Claudio Castiglioni - A true motorcycle tifoso

More than any other, Claudio was responsible for rescuing the Italian motorcycle industry from its early 1980s downward spiral. Without his passionate belief, as a true motorcycle tifoso, in Italy’s ability to develop unique products of universal appeal, in which innovative engineering was complemented by ground-breaking design, and without his dedicated zeal – supported by his elder brother Gianfranco – in making that happen, Ducati would be making diesel engines and would never have won a world title.

Moreover, MV Agusta would only be a name in the history books, Husqvarna would only be making chainsaws and sewing machines, and Cagiva would never have existed. Without his patron Claudio Castiglioni’s personal drive and unstinting support, let alone the financial wherewithal he provided even in the most difficult of circumstances to fund the CRC design studio, Massimo Tamburini would never have created the Ducati 916 and MV F4, Miguel Galluzzi could not have concocted the Ducati Monster, Pierre Terblanche would never have been asked to create the sublime Ducati Supermono and riders like Carl Fogarty, Troy Bayliss, Doug Polen and Neil Hodgson, might never have become world champions...

Castiglioni was an engaging, charismatic person, who inspired great loyalty and gave it in return – you have only to look at how many of the Cagiva/MV employees stuck with him through thick and thin in equal measure. For them, and others, il presidente was a motorcycle visionary, whose tenacious insistence on producing bikes that weren’t merely superlative examples of Italian design and engineering, but which were rewarding to ride and narrowed the goalposts for their rivals, made working for him hard but rewarding. Claudio’s dedication to achieving this goal meant that on all the motorcycles he created, nothing was ever left to chance. One reason why a new MV took longer to arrive than other brands was that each smallest design detail would be reviewed and revised hundreds of times, in order to be just right. The result was a series of benchmark bikes and behind each so-distinct detail, from the F3’s stacked triple exhausts, or the current F4’s under-seat silencer with its four square-section ‘Castiglioni organ’ exits, sits the soul of the man.

His passion for racing resulted in a succession of GP victories and world titles for his various brands both on and off-road – with Finland’s Pekka Vehkonen and Dutch teenager Dave Strijbos earning successive 125MX world titles in 1985/86 on Cagiva, followed by Edi Orioli’s Cagiva win in the 1990 Paris-Dakar Rally, a victory he repeated in 1994. Husqvarna flourished too under Castiglioni ownership, winning no less than 21 Enduro, four MX and five Supermoto world titles after Cagiva acquired it in 1988.

John Kocinski’s third place in the 1994 500GP title race on his V4 Cagiva, and his two GP wins in many ways provided Claudio’s ultimate satisfaction, by proving that the Castiglioni family marque could compete on equal terms with the greater might of Japan Inc. It was Ducati’s success in winning six World Superbike titles under Cagiva ownership, which mattered most commercially, although it was American Doug Polen’s 1991 title victory on the Team Ferracci bike, run out of the back of a small NCR van, which paradoxically gave Claudio most satisfaction – even though it meant his Ducati factory team riders coming off second best. “This is the true spirit of Superbike racing,” he declared, “where a customer’s bike can beat the factory machines. It’s also good for business – it shows that Ducati can sell you a bike with which you can win a world championship!”

This copious success was achieved by a succession of riders who all gave their best for a man so many continued to hold in high esteem years after they last raced for him, and whose sporting enjoyment at seeing his bikes just lining up on the grid, was matched by a thirst for victory and undoubted satisfaction when that was achieved. The fact that, secretly, Claudio furnished the impecunious Giuseppe Pattoni with a Cagiva race chassis for his quixotic Paton 500GP effort – as well as much else – speaks volumes for his sportsmanship as a person. Yet his insistence on waving the Italian tricolore – often at great personal financial cost – against much bigger companies from Japan, earned the admiration and respect of his rivals, as well as his supporters, all over the world.

Claudio Castiglioni was arguably the single most important person in the European motorcycle industry in the past 30 years, because of the trends he set, the companies he rescued, the riders he supported, and the designers to whom he was patron. We send our sympathies to his widow Enrica and son Giovanni for their sad loss, but we can also celebrate Claudio’s most important legacy, in the array of magnificent motorcycles he leaves behind in the metal – not least the exquisite MV Agusta F3 675 that he was able to have the satisfaction of seeing so acclaimed by the public on its debut at last November’s Milan Show.

It’s a cliché to say that someone is gone but not forgotten – but every time we see an MV F3 on the road or racetrack in coming years, it’ll be hard to avoid thinking of the man responsible for its creation. Claudio Castiglioni, we salute you – your legacy will probably live for ever.

Words by Alan Cathcart