A superb and rare photo taken on one of motorcyclings great riders, Rhodesian Gary Hocking on the mighty 500cc M.V. Agusta four cylinder works Grand Prix racer.

Gary Hocking was born on September 30, 1937, in the town of Caerleon, Newport, Wales (UK).  However, he grew up in Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe.  As a teenager, he began racing motorcycles on grass tracks.  Before long, he had moved on to road racing circuits.  He left Rhodesia to compete in Europe in 1958 and made an immediate impact, finishing 3rd behind the works MV Agusta ‘s at the illustrious German Nürburgring circuit. In 1959, he was offered a ride by the East German MZ factory and finished 2nd in the 250cc championship.   MV Agusta offered him full factory support for the 1960 season and he repaid their confidence by finishing 2nd in the 125cc, 250cc and 350cc classes. Following the retirement from motorcycle racing by defending champion, John Surtees in 1961, Hocking became MV Agusta's top rider and went on to claim both the World Championships in the 350cc and 500cc classes. Hocking was affected deeply by the death of his friend, Tom Phillis at the 1962 Isle of Man TT. After winning the Senior TT, he announced his retirement from motorcycle racing and returned to Rhodesia.

M.V. Agusta began as an offshoot of the Agusta aviation company which was formed by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923. The Count died in 1927, leaving the company in the hands of his wife and sons, Domenico (on the photo), Vincenzo, Mario and Corrado. Count Vincenzo Agusta together with his brother Domenico formed MV Agusta (the MV stood for Meccanica Verghera) at the end of the Second World War as a means to save the jobs of employees of the Agusta firm and also to fill the post-war need for cheap, efficient transportation. Count Vincenzo and Domenico Agusta had a passion for mechanical workings and for motorcycle racing. They were determined to have the best Grand Prix motorcycle racing team in the world and spared no expense on their passion. They achieved this goal by hiring some of the best riders of the time, namely Carlo Ubbiali, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read, and others, and having the best engineers, most notably Arturo Magni. The fire-engine red racing machines became a hallmark of Grand Prix racing in the 1960s and early 1970s, winning 17 consecutive 500 cc World Championships, and 63 World Championships overall. With the death of Count Domenico Agusta in 1971, the company lost its guiding force. The company won their last Grand Prix in 1976 and by 1980, stopped producing motorcycles altogether. The Agusta aviation branch continued on with its successful helicopter business. Interestingly, MV produced their first prototype, ironically called "Vespa," in 1945. After learning of Piaggio's brand new motorscooter of the same name, it was changed to MV 98. The company successfully manufactured small-displacement, quintessential Café racer style motorcycles (mostly 125-350 cc) through the 1950s and 1960s, followed by the big four cylinder 600cc and 750cc bikes in the 1960s and 1970s.

This is your rare chance to own this non period photo that reflects a very interesting and historic piece of motorcycle and MV ’s history. Therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 10" (ca. 20 x 26 cm).