We will start with the Motorcycles, because every technical change to the vehicle has imposed new physical challenges on braking systems; then move on to the Champions, central figures in our development, as their unique riding styles have always been the spark that drives us to customize every braking maneuver. We will explore the Innovations that Brembo has introduced over these 50 years, to tell you how continuous research and innovation have been our response to increasingly demanding performance; finally, we will recount the Victories, seen as the ultimate proof on the track of our constant commitment.
Each episode will be a dive into the evolution of speed, technique, and performance because behind every limit-pushing braking maneuver lies a world of insights and extreme tests that have allowed riders to thrill us, transforming their braking into steps of an innovative process that extends to street motorcycles.
To recount the beginnings of Brembo’s history in the Motorcycle World Championship, we need to take a step back and rewind the tape to 1973 when Brembo began producing braking systems for production motorcycles. Twelve years had passed since the birth of the Bergamo-based company, and finally, Brembo entered the homes—or rather, the garages—of Italians. It was a moment of excitement: at the drawing boards, the idea of a complete braking system for the Moto Guzzi Sport 750 was born, centered around an aluminum two-piston brake caliper. The same caliper, within a few months, would also equip the Laverda 750 twin-cylinder and the only six-cylinder motorcycle of the time, the Benelli 750 Sei. And the marketing of the era, with that wonderful 1970s simplicity, wrote: “To race, you must brake safely.” Simple.
The Brembo braking system was so high-performing that it was quickly adopted by the production Moto Guzzis and Laverda motorcycles released in those years, often starring in races reserved for production-derived motorcycles.
For now, let’s note this moment, we’ll return to it later, and move on to understand the 500cc of the 1970s.
The motorcycles of the 1970s
In the motorcycle racing world of the 1970s dominated by four-stroke bikes, the real turning point in history occurred in 1975. Giacomo Agostini, the man who won so much that at one point they had to stop counting, realized before everyone else that the future was not four-stroke, but two-stroke. He left MV Agusta, his "own" MV, for Yamaha.
The premier class, the 500, witnessed something never seen before: Giacomo Agostini won the title with the Yamaha YZR 500. For the first time, a two-stroke engine snatched the crown from the four-strokes that had ruled since 1949. Ago, with that sixth sense that only the destined possess, understood it before everyone else.
It was the first title for a two-stroke, but it was also the beginning of an era: from that 1975 until 2001, the final season of the 500, there would be no room for anything else. The two-stroke would become the only language allowed to win.
The champions of the 70s
That triumph of 1975... is the final act. The last performance of a career that admits no comparison. Giacomo Agostini closes the seventies as the most successful of all: four titles in the premier class, three with the legend of MV Agusta and the last, historic one, with Yamaha. But Agostini dominates until '75, then the British arrive with cigars and rockstar charm: Phil Read, Barry Sheene. And then, from across the ocean, comes Kenny Roberts. Everything changes. The way of riding changes, he puts his knee to the ground, shifts the center of gravity of history. Agostini understands, he takes off his helmet in '77 at 35 years old. He knows the wind has changed. He hangs up his helmet with the awareness of the greats: time waits for no one, and Europe was about to be swept away by a new wave. That of Sheene and the boys of the American school, who are rewriting the rules of the game.
Brembo in the 70s
And Brembo? How does it enter this grand arena? It enters through the service door, with the humility of the greats. In 1976, Roberto Gallina, someone who knew a great deal about racing, purchased a Suzuki RG500 for his private riders. The Japanese brakes of the time? Let’s say... improvable.
To address this limitation, Gallina directly approached Brembo, bringing his RG500 to the workshop to identify the best solution. Brembo then decided to make its debut in the premier class of the World Championship, supplying the Suzuki-Gallina team for the 1976 season with a system directly derived from the one provided to production motorcycles. The heart of the system was the excellent two-piece aluminum caliper, which starting from the following year was improved and lightened by removing material in less critical areas and enriched with titanium components.
Brembo victories in the 70s
In 1976, Team Gallina came close to success several times in the 500cc class: Marco Lucchinelli achieved two second places and a third, while Virginio Ferrari climbed onto the podium at the Nations GP. Even the following year, the victory remained elusive. Despite numerous podium finishes, the final push to reach the top step was still missing.
But then... then came 1978. And destiny chose the most sacred and daunting stage in the world: the Nürburgring. Twenty-two kilometers and eight hundred meters through the Eifel woods. It was here that the taboo was shattered. Virginio Ferrari, on Gallina's Suzuki, outpaced everyone. He beat Johnny Cecotto, who started on pole, by just seven-tenths of a second. Seven-tenths after an eternity of curves.
And if you look closely at that bike, amidst the reflections of the German sun, you'll notice something. There are gold-colored calipers. There's a 15.87 axial pump. And there are two 280-millimeter cast iron discs. It says Brembo. Ferrari would repeat the feat at Assen in '79, the year he came close to the world title. It's the beginning of the legend, a long sequence of victories.
The balance sheet of the 70s
The Seventies end with only two victories. Seems like few, doesn’t it? But in those two victories, everything was already written. There was the promise of a commitment that would make road bikes — the ones you ride every day — safer. Because every time a rider, fifty years ago, pulled that lever at Assen or Jerez, they were writing a piece of your safety.
This is just the first episode. And the best... is yet to come.