# Virginio Ferrari > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Virginio_Ferrari > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Virginio_Ferrari.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginio_Ferrari > Source revision: 1321716137 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Italian motorcycle racer For the Italian sculptor, see [Virginio Ferrari (artist)](/source/Virginio_Ferrari_(artist)). This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources: "Virginio Ferrari" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Virginio Ferrari Ferrari in 1979 Nationality Italian Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1976 - 1989 First race 1976 500cc Nations Grand Prix Last race 1989 250cc Czechoslovak Grand Prix First win 1978 500cc West German Grand Prix Last win 1979 500cc Dutch TT Team(s) Suzuki, Cagiva Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 54 2 10 1 3 **Virginio Ferrari** (born 19 October 1952) is an [Italian](/source/Italians) former professional [Grand Prix](/source/Grand_Prix_motorcycle_racing) motorcycle [road racer](/source/Road_racing). His best season was in the [1979](/source/1979_Grand_Prix_motorcycle_racing_season) 500cc world championship, when he finished second to [Kenny Roberts](/source/Kenny_Roberts).[1] ## Motorcycle racing career Ferrari teamed up with [Benjamin Grau](/source/Benjamin_Grau) to win the 1975 1000 km du [Mugello](/source/Mugello_Circuit) [endurance race](/source/Endurance_racing_(motorsport)) riding a [Ducati](/source/Ducati).[2] He began the 1979 season with a string of podium results, finishing second to [Barry Sheene](/source/Barry_Sheene) at the [Venezuelan Grand Prix](/source/1979_Venezuelan_motorcycle_Grand_Prix) and, second to Kenny Roberts in the [Austrian Grand Prix](/source/1979_Austrian_motorcycle_Grand_Prix). He continued to post good results with a third place in Germany and another second place behind Roberts in Italy. Ferrari dropped from the podium with a fourth place in Spain before bouncing back with another second place to Roberts in Yugoslavia. His victory at the [Dutch TT](/source/Dutch_TT) in [Assen](/source/TT_Circuit_Assen) together with an eighth-place finish by Roberts, vaulted Ferrari into the championship lead as the series headed towards Belgium. Ferrari became embroiled in a controversy at the Belgian Grand Prix held at the [Spa](/source/Circuit_de_Spa-Francorchamps) circuit when he, along with Roberts and other top riders refused to race due to unsafe track conditions.[3] The circuit had been paved just days before the race creating a track that many of the racers felt was unsafe due to diesel seeping to the surface.[3] Ferrari along with Roberts, instigated a riders' revolt and refused to race. The [F.I.M.](/source/F%C3%A9d%C3%A9ration_Internationale_de_Motocyclisme) responded by suspending Roberts and Ferrari.[3] The F.I.M. later reduced this to a probation. After the Belgian round, Ferrari suffered a series of disastrous results with a fifteenth place in Finland followed by an improved fourth place in Britain before a crash at the season-ending [French Grand Prix](/source/French_motorcycle_Grand_Prix) handed the world championship to Roberts. In [1986](/source/1986_Grand_Prix_motorcycle_racing_season), Ferrari rode a [Honda NSR250](/source/Honda_NSR250) in a team run by [Takazumi Katayama](/source/Takazumi_Katayama) in the World Championship without much success, with just four top 10 results, his best, a 6th place in [Silverstone](/source/Silverstone_Circuit). He finished 14th in the Championship. Ferrari won the 1987 [TT Formula 1](/source/Formula_TT) title aboard a [Bimota](/source/Bimota) YB4 EI.[4][5] His last Grand Prix season was in [1989](/source/1989_Grand_Prix_motorcycle_racing_season), again in the 250 class, with the Italian made Gazzaniga, failing to score any points and finishing 28th in the Salzburgring and 27th in his last Grand Prix in [Brno](/source/Masaryk_Circuit). Ferrari was the first person on the scene on Kevin Wrettom's and [Iván Palazzese](/source/Iv%C3%A1n_Palazzese)'s fatal accidents, in [1984](/source/1984_Grand_Prix_motorcycle_racing_season) and [1989](/source/1989_Grand_Prix_motorcycle_racing_season) respectively. He attempted to resuscitate them both, but Wrettom died several days later at the hospital, while Palazzese had unsurvivable chest injuries.[6][7] After his Grand Prix career, Ferrari switched to the [Superbike World Championship](/source/Superbike_World_Championship) in [1988](/source/1988_Superbike_World_Championship), riding for the [Ducati](/source/Ducati) factory racing team. He took over as the team manager until 1998, when [Davide Tardozzi](/source/Davide_Tardozzi) took the job. Ferrari briefly managed the [Kawasaki](/source/Kawasaki_Heavy_Industries) PSG-1 team in the World Superbike Championship in 2007. ## Motorcycle Grand Prix results Points system from 1969 to 1987: Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Points 15 12 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1 Points system from 1988 to 1992: Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Points 20 17 15 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ([key](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Motorsport_driver_results_legend)) (Races in **bold** indicate pole position; races in *italics* indicate fastest lap) Year Class Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Points Rank Wins 1976 500cc Suzuki FRA - AUT - NAT 3 IOM - NED - BEL - SWE - FIN - TCH - GER NC 10 21st 0 1977 500cc Suzuki VEN 6 AUT - GER - NAT 2 FRA 8 NED 10 BEL - SWE - FIN - TCH - GBR - 21 12th 0 1978 500cc Gallina-Suzuki VEN - ESP - AUT - FRA - NAT - NED - BEL - SWE 5 FIN - GBR 10 GER 1 22 11th 1 1979 500cc Gallina-Suzuki VEN 2 AUT 2 GER 3 NAT 2 ESP 4 YUG 2 NED 1 BEL DNS SWE - FIN 15 GBR 4 FRA NC 89 2nd 1 1980 500cc Cagiva NAT - ESP - FRA - NED - BEL - FIN - GBR - GER - 0 - 0 1981 500cc Cagiva AUT - GER - NAT - FRA - YUG - NED - BEL - RSM - GBR - FIN - SWE - 0 - 0 1982 500cc HB-Suzuki ARG - AUT - FRA - ESP - NAT - NED - BEL - YUG - GBR 6 SWE - RSM 4 GER 2 25 11th 0 1983 500cc Cagiva RSA 15 FRA NC NAT 11 GER NC ESP - AUT 23 YUG - NED - BEL - GBR NC SWE - RSM NC 0 - 0 1984 500cc Marlboro-Yamaha RSA NC NAT 8 ESP - AUT 14 GER 7 FRA 22 YUG 9 NED NC BEL NC GBR 4 SWE 6 RSM NC 22 10th 0 1985 500cc Cagiva RSA - ESP - GER - NAT - AUT - YUG - NED - BEL - FRA - GBR - SWE - RSM NC 0 - 0 1986 250cc Total-Honda ESP - NAT - GER 24 AUT 12 YUG 7 NED NC BEL NC FRA 9 GBR 6 SWE NC RSM 8 14 14th 0 1987 250cc Total-Honda JPN NC ESP - GER - NAT - AUT - YUG - NED - FRA - GBR - SWE - TCH - RSM - POR - BRA - ARG - 0 - 0 1989 250cc Gazzaniga JPN - AUS - USA - ESP - NAT - GER NC AUT 28 YUG - NED - BEL - FRA - GBR - SWE - TCH 27 BRA - 0 - 0 ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Virginio Ferrari career statistics at MotoGP.com"](https://web.archive.org/web/20181110080234/http://www.motogp.com/en/riders/Virginio+Ferrari). Archived from [the original](http://www.motogp.com/en/riders/profiles/Virginio+Ferrari) on 2018-11-10. Retrieved 2008-09-03. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["1975 World Endurance Racing final standings"](http://racingmemo.free.fr/M%20ENDURANCE/Endurance%201975.htm). racingmemo.free.fr. Retrieved 6 February 2022. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Roberts_Suspended_For_Boycott_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Roberts_Suspended_For_Boycott_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Roberts_Suspended_For_Boycott_3-2) ["Roberts Suspended For Boycott"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Y_8iAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AcwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1305,1794539&dq=kenny+roberts&hl=en). *Modesto Bee*. Modesto Bee. 2 July 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 15 December 2010.{{[cite news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_news)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [bimota corse – bimota racing](http://corse.bimotausa.com/palmares.html) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Italy Italian Motorcycles: Bimota](http://www.lifeinitaly.com/motorcycle/bimota.asp) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Motorsport Memorial -"](http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ms&n=1467). *www.motorsportmemorial.org*. Retrieved 2023-12-20. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Motorsport Memorial -"](http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ms&n=1470). *www.motorsportmemorial.org*. Retrieved 2023-12-20. ## External links [Official Website](http://www.vfracing.com/) Sporting positions Preceded by Joey Dunlop TT Formula One World Champion 1987 Succeeded by Carl Fogarty --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Virginio Ferrari](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginio_Ferrari) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginio_Ferrari?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.