Page 82 - Australian Motorcycle News (January 2020)

LINO TONTI

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In 1956 Tonti moved to replace the Ducati- Some of Lino Tonti’s motocross and road racing models.
bound Fabio Taglioni at FB-Mondial as chief classic designs; These were headed by the MT-61 model (standing
engineer Alfonso Drusiani’s assistant in charge 1. The 1956 Linto for Motociclo Tattico, or Tactical Motorcycle – 1961),
of the GP racing team. There, he was responsible 75 Bialbero a 318cc four-stroke single replete with features
for developing the potent DOHC singles which 2. Tonti overees wind allowing it to be ridden across rough ground and
won both 125cc and 250cc World titles in 1957, in tunnel testing of Moto through deep water, like a high-mounted air filter,
the hands of Tarquinio Provini (125) and Cecil Guzzi’s V7 Sport for the raised mudguards, a water-resistant engine and
Sandford (250). But at the end of that season, 1972 Imola 200 electrics, and a snorkel exhaust. This duly won a
Mondial owner Count Boselli withdrew from racing 3. Lino Tonti with the standoff with Moto Guzzi and Gilera to win Bianchi
alongside Moto Guzzi and Gilera, leaving Tonti Linto 500 and sponsor an Italian Army contract for 4000 bikes.
redundant. But the classy Count not only paid the Umberto Premoli (L) and Tonti was also given the budget to develop
members of his title-winning team a handsome mechanic Alcide Biotti a 250cc DOHC parallel-twin Bianchi GP racer,
bonus, he also allowed Tonti and Sandford’s race 4. Tonti enjoys which when it appeared early in 1960 with central
mechanic Giuseppe Pattoni to have free access to remembering some of gear camdrive inevitably held an uncanny
the Mondial parts shelves to continue racing under his designs resemblance to the Mondial/Paton 250, but was
the Paton (PAttoni/TONti) name. 5. The 1959 Mondial better engineered. In the hands of Tino Brambilla,
This resulted in the 125GP Paton, essentially a Paton Dicky Dale, Derek Minter and Silvio Grassetti, the
single-cam Mondial production racer with a Tonti- 6. The 1960 Bianchi 5GP Bianchi 250 twin suffered from the same handicap
designed twin-cam head, of which around a dozen Bicilindrica as the Mondial, and was too heavy to compete
were made in 1958, including a pair supplied to 7. The 1969 Linto 500 effectively in the quarter-litre class.
British millionaire Stan Hailwood for his then 8. Tonti (R) at Moto But by scaling it up to 350cc and eventually to
18-year-old son Mike to ride in his inaugural TT Guzzi’s 750 V7 Sport 500cc, Tonti created a very competitive contender,
that year, finishing seventh. launch at Monza, with with a good power to weight ratio and compact,
Tonti also took over the porky, overweight racers Mike Hailwood wind-cheating build. For 1961 Bianchi mounted a
Mondial 250 twin which Drusiani had built in 1955 (centre) and Roberto full-on assault on the 350cc World Championship,
but never raced, redesigned the cylinder head and Patrignani (L) with Scottish riders Bob McIntyre and Alistair
sheded some kilos. Pattoni entered it as the first
Paton twin in the 1959 Italian GP at Monza, ridden TONTICREATED A
by Giampiero Zubani, who DNF’d. But this was still
saw him produce several new civilian, military, COMPETITIVECONTENDER
a work in progress when Tonti was hired by Bianchi
that same year, heralding a five-year period which

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