• Ridden by Eugenio Lazzarini and Alberto Lega
• Minimal restoration
• Largely in 'as-last-raced' condition

"From 1959, when one of the 172cc singles won the Italian Junior racing championships in the hands of Ambrosini, Motobi machines largely dominated this class of racing with another nine titles until their final championship win in 1972." – Mick Walker, Italian Racing Motorcycles.

The now-defunct Italian manufacturer Motobi is closely related to Benelli. Italy's oldest surviving motorcycle manufacturer, Benelli was founded in Pesaro in 1911 by the six Benelli brothers, starting out as a general engineering firm repairing cars and motorcycles before turning to the manufacture of automotive and aircraft components in WWI. The firm diversified into the field of powered transport immediately after hostilities ceased, offering a two-stroke 'clip-on' power unit for attachment to a bicycle, and it was this 98cc engine, installed in a purpose-built set of cycle parts, which was used for the first proper Benelli motorcycle of 1921. Within a few years the firm was actively engaged in competitions, taking the first steps along a path to Grand Prix glory that would see Benelli established as one of Italy's foremost racing marques post-WW2.

In 1949 the eldest of the six Benelli brothers, Giuseppe, left to found his own company: Moto 'B' Pesaro, later Motobi. The latter's first design was a 98cc single-cylinder two-stroke lightweight with horizontal engine, a layout that would characterise its offerings from then onwards. In the early 1950s a new range of all-aluminium engines was introduced whose profile resembled that of an egg or rugby ball, and this style was deliberately retained when Motobi switched to overhead-valve four-strokes towards the decade's end.

Enlarged from 200cc to 250cc, the Spring Lasting two-stroke twin brought Motobi its first major success when Silvano Rinaldi rode a tuned example to a class win in the 1955 Milan-Taranto. However, those multiple Italian Championships referred to by Mick Walker were gained after Motobi had switched to four-strokes, the 125cc single offered here being typical of this new breed.

One of the most popular machines among privateers contesting the Italian Championships, this rare Motobi racer is one of three (the others being a 175 and a 250) bought directly from Marco Benelli. We are advised that this machine won six Italian Championships in the 125cc class ridded by future World Champion Eugenio Lazzarini and Alberto Leva. It has undergone only superficial restoration and remains largely in 'as-last-raced' condition. The machine has been signed by Mr Zanzani, one of the Motobi racing team's former technicians.