Randy Mamola will be the newest edition to the list of “MotoGP Legends” – an honor roll that serves as the World Championship Hall of Fame for motorcycle racing.
Racing alongside some of the greatest names in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Mamola is known best as the winningest GP rider never to win a GP championship, with 13 race wins and 57 podiums credited to his name.
Mamola is as famous for his aggressive on-track riding style during the 1970s and 1980s, as he is for his generous contributions to the sport and world at large, which continue to this day as a co-founder to the Riders for Health charity.
A GP staple, you can often find Mamola in the MotoGP paddock, rider-coaching for several racers, interacting with his legion of fans, and occasionally brow-beating unwieldy motorcycle journalists.
An immensely popular rider with GP fans, Mamola raced back when men were men, and there were some of the biggest names in the sport, such as Wayne Gardner, Freddie Spencer, and Kenny Roberts Sr.
A four-time runner-up in the 500GP Championship, Randy Mamola retired from motorcycle racing in 1992.
“I didn’t expect it but it was a pleasant surprise to start my day when I got the call!” said Randy Mamola. “When I told my wife and son, as you can imagine it was huge congratulations but then ‘Oh no! Now we have to live with a legend!'”
“MotoGP is my life and I’ve been in the paddock for 39 years. I’ve seen so many things from when I was first in the paddock at 19 and it’s an honor and a privilege for me to be included in such a high level group of riders.”
“I’m also excited I’ll be inducted in Texas with my family and friends coming. After the ‘wow!’, eventually you have to absorb what it is, and then you think about how this is such an honour to be accepted by your peers as well as the people who have run Dorna for the past 25 years.”
“I hope somewhere along the line I am able to pay this back even more with the work I continue to do in the paddock. I believe and I think I’m the first Legend who has never been a World Champion.”
“I think the accomplishments I’ve had and being a such a part of charity work is another part to add. Spreading the sport, supporting the sport…you are an ambassador whether that’s the title you have or not. It’s a privilege to work in the paddock and I don’t take it lightly.”
Mamola will be inducted later this season, at the MotoGP round in Austin, Texas.
Source: MotoGP
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