Carlo Ubbiali (22 September 1929 – 2 June 2020) was an Italian professional motorcycle road racer. He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1949 to 1960, most prominently as a member of the MV Agusta factory racing team.[1] In the 1950s, he was a dominant force in the smaller classes of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, winning six 125cc and three 250cc world titles.[2] In 2001, the F.I.M. inducted Ubbiali into the MotoGP Hall of Fame.[3][4]
Ubbiali was born in Bergamo, Lombardy. In 1949, the first year of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, he finished in fourth place in the 125cc class riding an MV Agusta.[1] That year, he also won a gold medal in the International Six Days Trial.[2] He switched to Mondial for the 1950 season, and the following year won his first world championship for Mondial in 1951.[1]
After losing his crown to Cecil Sandford in 1952, he re-signed with MV Agusta. He went on to become their top rider, winning six 125cc titles and three 250cc crowns and scoring double championships in 1956, 1959, and 1960.[1] Ubbiali was also a five-time winner at the prestigious Isle of Man TT races.[5][6] He rarely made a mistake while competing, as evidenced by the fact that he never suffered a serious crash during his 12-year Grand Prix career.[2]
Ubbiali retired at the age of 30 while still in his prime. Until the motorcycle racing career of Giacomo Agostini, he was considered Italy's greatest motorcycle racer.[2] His nine World Championships tie him with Mike Hailwood and Valentino Rossi for third place on the championship win list behind only Giacomo Agostini and Ángel Nieto.
In 2001, the F.I.M. inducted Ubbiali into the MotoGP Hall of Fame.[3][4] In 2019, Ubbiali received the Coni Golden Collar award.[7]
Ubbiali died on 2 June 2020.[8] By the time of his death, he was the last surviving rider from the first season of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.[9]
1949 points system:
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Fastest lap |
| Points | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
Points system from 1950 to 1968:
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Points | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Class | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Points | Rank | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 125cc | MV Agusta | SUI 4 |
NED 3 |
NAT - |
13 | 4th | 0 | ||||
| 1950 | 125cc | Mondial | NED - |
ULS 1 |
NAT 2 |
14 | 2nd | 1 | ||||
| 1951 | 125cc | Mondial | ESP 2 |
IOM 2 |
NED - |
ULS - |
NAT 1 |
20 | 1st | 1 | ||
| 1952 | 125cc | Mondial | IOM 2 |
NED 2 |
GER 2 |
ULS - |
NAT 2 |
ESP - |
24 | 2nd | 0 | |
| 1953 | 125cc | MV Agusta | IOM NC |
NED 2 |
GER 1 |
ULS - |
NAT 3 |
ESP - |
18 | 3rd | 1 | |
| 1954 | 125cc | MV Agusta | IOM 2 |
ULS - |
NED 3 |
GER 3 |
NAT 3 |
ESP - |
18 | 2nd | 0 | |
| 1955 | 125cc | MV Agusta | ESP 3 |
FRA 1 |
IOM 1 |
GER 1 |
NED 1 |
NAT 1 |
32 | 1st | 5 | |
| 250cc | MV Agusta | IOM - |
GER - |
NED - |
ULS - |
NAT 1 |
8 | 7th | 1 | |||
| 1956 | 125cc | MV Agusta | IOM 1 |
NED 1 |
BEL 1 |
GER 2 |
ULS 1 |
NAT 1 |
32 | 1st | 5 | |
| 250cc | MV Agusta | IOM 1 |
NED 1 |
BEL 1 |
GER 1 |
ULS - |
NAT 1 |
32 | 1st | 5 | ||
| 1957 | 125cc | MV Agusta | GER 1 |
IOM 2 |
NED - |
BEL - |
ULS - |
NAT 1 |
22 | 3rd | 2 | |
| 250cc | MV Agusta | GER 1 |
IOM NC |
NED - |
BEL - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
8 | 5th | 1 | ||
| 1958 | 125cc | MV Agusta | IOM 1 |
NED 1 |
BEL 5 |
GER 1 |
SWE 3 |
ULS 1 |
NAT - |
32 | 1st | 4 |
| 250cc | MV Agusta | IOM 2 |
NED 2 |
BEL - |
GER - |
SWE - |
ULS - |
NAT 3 |
16 | 3rd | 0 | |
| 1959 | 125cc | MV Agusta | IOM 5 |
GER 1 |
NED 1 |
BEL 1 |
SWE 2 |
ULS - |
NAT 2 |
30 | 1st | 3 |
| 250cc | MV Agusta | IOM 2 |
GER 1 |
NED 2 |
BEL - |
SWE 2 |
ULS - |
NAT 1 |
28 | 1st | 2 | |
| 1960 | 125cc | MV Agusta | IOM 1 |
NED 1 |
BEL 3 |
ULS 1 |
NAT 1 |
24 | 1st | 4 | ||
| 250cc | MV Agusta | IOM 2 |
NED 1 |
BEL 1 |
GER 2 |
ULS 1 |
NAT 1 |
32 | 1st | 4 |
