Motorcycle sport, as we found out this year at Oulton Park, is a dangerous career. In 1973 there was another double fatality in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, when Italy’s Renzo Pasolini and Finland’s Jarno Saarinen were both killed.
Renzo “Paso” Pasolini was wildly popular with racing fans with his unpredictable and unrehearsed racing style. Pasolini’s rivalry with Giacomo Agostini divided Italian racing fans and while Pasolini’s style brought mixed results, it earned him a place in Italian motorcycling lore.
Jarno Saarinen was already an accomplished Speedway racer as well as the Finnish National ice-racing champion in 1963 before joining the Grand Prix paddock.
Although new chicanes had been installed for cars during the previous year’s Formula One season, they were not used for motorcycle racing at Monza. On the first lap of the 250cc class race Pasolini fell in front of Saarinen. Jarno was unable to avoid him and fell as well, causing a chain-reaction that would involve fourteen riders, resulting in the deaths of Jarno and Renzo, with many of the other 14 riders seriously injured.
In 1986, Ducati introduced the Paso, named after Pasolini and designed by Massimo Tamburini, designer of the legendary 916.
