Marco Bezzecchi
There has only been one rider in the history of the premier class to have shared a birthday with Christmas Day, and it just so happens that he once tried to take on a formidable 15-time world champion in Giacomo Agostini.
Giacomo Agostini is widely regarded as the most dominant rider in Grand Prix history. Competing in the 1960s and 1970s, his 15 titles spanned across 350cc and 500cc classes, often winning multiple titles in the same calendar year.
The partnership between Agostini and MV Agusta was a formidable one and came during arguably the sport’s most dangerous era.
The Italian won all but two of his titles with the legendary manufacturer and amassed 122 Grand Prix victories over the course of a 15-year career. Not many competitors were able to put a stop to his continual dominance.
During the 1970 season, a New Zealander named Ginger Molloy was the latest candidate to take a stab, having just celebrated his 33rd birthday on Christmas Day of the prior year.
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Ginger Molloy took on Giacomo Agostini for the 1970 500cc world title
Heading into the 1970 Grand Prix motorcycle season, Agostini was in a period of sheer invincibility. The Italian hadn’t lost a single race he had entered since the 1967 season-closer, which shows how unbelievably dominant he was.
Molloy, on the other hand, hadn’t won a race since the 1966 350cc Ulster Grand Prix. In a 2016 interview with Australian Motorcycle News, Molloy recalled seeing himself in the newspapers the following day, saying, “I won the Ulster 250cc Grand Prix in 1966.
“I remember The Motorcycle or Motorcycle News had ‘Bultaco Fairytale Win’, with a big photo of Tommy Robb on the front page. And a small photo inside of ‘Ginger Molloy at speed winning at the Ulster Grand Prix’.”
Unfortunately, the victory in Northern Ireland would be the only Grand Prix win of his career. Agostini would continue to dominate the world of two-wheeled racing, winning every single race that year as well.
Molloy ended the season as the runner-up, the best end-of-season standing of his career. During his interview, he described the season as ‘magic’ whilst highlighting the limitations of the Kawasaki machinery that he was racing atop.
He said, “It blew the centre carburettor off at Opatija going up the hill! So the ignition was firing badly. One day it would drive good, but the next day it wouldn’t.
“It was a great year, a magic year. In Finland, I had a new Krober ignition fitted. We were camped by the road in the rudimentary pits, and we had to find a lathe and put the ignition on.
“We got it going just in time to go out in practice, and the bike was very lively, a totally different bike!”
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Ginger Molloy was described as a ‘terrifically experienced and stylish rider’ by his rivals
Molloy was a big part of the road-racing community in New Zealand, and was never left short of praise for his antics on two wheels.
John Woodley, a rival of Molloy’s during his early racing career, noted how the now 87-year-old was always a step ahead of him during high-speed battles.
He recalled, “He had a [Yamaha] TZ350 when I had one, but he was usually miles ahead, then.
“I remember seeing Ginger race at Wigram on his Kawasaki H1R, in white leathers coming through the sweepers, and he was so stylish and smooth.”
One of Molloy’s finest attributes, according to Woodley, was his aggressive riding style, who added, “I really liked the fact he was really tough on the track.
“He was a hard man to race against, and he didn’t give any quarter. He was a terrifically experienced and stylish rider.”
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