Marco Lucchinelli on motorcycle racing: ‘Now there is nothing, no drink, no fuck…’

Marco 'Crazy Horse' Lucchinelli, 500cc motorcycle grand prix racing world champ in 1981 and one of the wildest, most colourful personalities in the paddock at that time...

For their January 2012 issue, the UK-based Fast Bikes magazine have done an interview with Marco Lucchinelli, who won the 500cc motorcycle grand prix racing world championship in 1981, aboard a Roberto Gallina-backed Suzuki. Nicknamed ‘Crazy Horse’ for his wild riding style, Lucchinelli rode in the 500cc class from 1976 to 1985. He got to ride with pretty much every manufacturer present in 500cc GP racing at the time – Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda and Cagiva.

In the Fast Bikes interview, Lucchinelli has some interesting things to say about the current state of MotoGP, World Superbikes and front wheel burnouts. Here are a few excerpts from what he says:

High-res motorcycle pics from the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show 2011

Here's a bunch of high-res pics of bikes and scooters being shown by Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and KTM, at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. This, the 42nd edition of the Tokyo Motor Show, starts today and will end on the 11th of this month

Ducati, Mercedes-AMG to show special edition Streetfighter 848, SLK55 at Bologna Motor Show

Painted in 'Streetfighter Yellow,' the special edition Streetfighter 848 and SLK55 AMG will be shown at the Bologna Motor Show this month...

To showcase their collaboration, Mercedes-AMG and Ducati will stage joint appearances at the Bologna Motor Show, which will take place from the 3rd to the 11th of this month. The new Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG and Ducati Streetfighter 848, both painted in ‘Streetfighter Yellow,’ will be displayed at the north Italian motor show. This, according to the two companies, is “a move set to underscore the importance of the cooperation entered into by Mercedes-AMG and Ducati one year ago.”

The cooperation agreement between Mercedes-AMG and Ducati, which was signed at the Los Angeles Motor Show in November 2010, includes various marketing activities and joint appearances at shows and customer events. The first result of the exchange of ideas between designers and engineers from Affalterbach and Bologna was the joint presentation of the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG and the Ducati Diavel AMG Special Edition, at the 64th International Motor Show in Frankfurt earlier this year.

AMG has been the Official Car Partner of the Ducati MotoGP team this year and AMG logo appears not only on the motorcycles and racing overalls of Ducati riders Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi, but also on the official teamwear and in the Ducati Lounge. However, we do hope this collaboration between AMG and Ducati will, someday in the near future, extend beyond marketing- and PR-driven activities. An AMG-fettled Ducati 1199R Panigale? Now that would be something!