Franco Uncini should be remembered for his classy victory in the 1982 world 500 championship. Competing in the perhaps biggest field of works bikes in 500 GP racing to date, the 27-year-old from Recanati Macerata in Italy won five races and never finished lower than fourth.
He secured the title for Suzuki with several rounds to spare and, bizarrely, did not finish the last three races. This in a season boasting 13 works bikes, fierce tyre competing between Dunlop and Michelin, and the talents of Kork Ballington, Graeme Crosby, Virginio Ferrari, Takazumi Katayama, Marco Lucchinelli, Randy Mamola, Kenny Roberts, Barry Sheene and Freddie Spencer.
Moving to the 500 class on a Suzuki in 1979, Uncini impressed with his intelligence and pace, only bettered in the championship by four works riders. He finished fourth in 1980 and finally secured a number-one works ride when Lucchinelli left the Roberto Gallina Suzuki team to ride for Honda in 1982.
