| Iván Palazzese | |
| Nationality: | Venezuelan |
| Birth Date: | 2 January 1962 |
| Birth Place: | Alba Adriatica, Italy |
| Death Place: | Hockenheim, Germany |
| Gp Active Years: | 1977 - 1989 |
| Gp Teams: | Morbidelli, Yamaha, Aprilia |
| Gp Race Starts: | 69 |
| Gp Race Wins: | 2 |
| Gp Podiums: | 9 |
| Gp Total Points: | 239 |
| Gp Poles: | 1 |
| Gp Fastest Laps: | 2 |
| Gp First Race: | 1977 125cc Venezuelan Grand Prix |
| Gp First Win: | 1982 125cc Swedish Grand Prix |
| Gp Last Win: | 1982 125cc Finnish Grand Prix |
| Gp Last Race: | 1989 250cc German Grand Prix |
Iván Palazzese (2 January 1962 - 28 May 1989) was an Italian born Venezuelan professional motorcycle racer. He competed in the Grand Prix road racing world championships from 1977 to 1989.[1] In 1977, he became the youngest person at the time to stand on a Grand Prix podium, when he finished third behind Angel Nieto and Anton Mang at the 125cc Venezuelan Grand Prix at the age of 15.[2] __TOC__
Palazzese was born in Alba Adriatica in the Abruzzo region of central eastern Italy.[3] His family emigrated to Venezuela when he was a child and he became a Venezuelan citizen.[3] Palazzese began his racing career as a teenager, riding a Morbidelli 125 at the San Carlos Circuit.
He returned to Europe to compete in the Grand Prix world championships as a member of the Venemotos Yamaha racing team alongside his teammates, Johnny Cecotto and Carlos Lavado.[3] Palazzese had his best year in 1982 when he won two 125cc Grands Prix and finished the season in third place, behind Angel Nieto and Eugenio Lazzarini.[1] At the 1983 Dutch TT, Lavado and Palazzese finished in first and second place marking the first time that Venezuelan riders had claimed the top two places in a world championship Grand Prix race.[4]
Palazzese was killed in a racing accident at the 1989 German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring.[3] He was closely following Andreas Preining when the latter's motorcycle engine seized and abruptly slowed, causing Palazzese to collide with Preining and subsequently crash.[3] While Palazzese was picking himself up off the ground, he was struck by riders Bruno Bonhuil and Fabio Barchitta who both crashed.[3] It was fellow rider Virginio Ferrari who stopped his bike and first came to Palazzese's aid, but Palazzese was already dead having sustained massive chest injuries.[3] [5] He was 27 years old.
There is a monument erected in his honor in the Italian city of Alba Adriatica, where Palazzese was born.(Photo of the monument).
Source:
Points system from 1968 to 1987
| Position | width=20 | 1 | width=20 | 2 | width=20 | 3 | width=20 | 4 | width=20 | 5 | width=20 | 6 | width=20 | 7 | width=20 | 8 | width=20 | 9 | width=20 | 10 |
| Points | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Position | width=20 | 1 | width=20 | 2 | width=20 | 3 | width=20 | 4 | width=20 | 5 | width=20 | 6 | width=20 | 7 | width=20 | 8 | width=20 | 9 | width=20 | 10 | width=20 | 11 | width=20 | 12 | width=20 | 13 | width=20 | 14 | width=20 | 15 |
| Points | 20 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Class | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Points | Rank | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 125cc | Morbidelli | VEN 3 | AUT - | GER - | NAT - | ESP - | FRA - | YUG - | NED - | BEL - | SWE - | FIN - | GBR - | 10 | 16th | 0 | |||
| 1980 | 125cc | Morbidelli | NAT 6 | ESP 2 | FRA - | YUG - | NED - | BEL - | FIN - | GBR 4 | CZE 8 | GER - | 28 | 7th | 0 | |||||
| 1981 | 125cc | Morbidelli | ARG RET | AUT - | GER - | NAT - | FRA 7 | ESP 2 | YUG 6 | NED 5 | RSM RET | GBR - | FIN - | SWE 3 | CZE - | 37 | 7th | 0 | ||
| 1982 | 125cc | Morbidelli | ARG 5 | AUT RET | FRA - | ESP RET | NAT - | NED 6 | BEL RET | YUG 5 | GBR 5 | SWE 1 | FIN 1 | CZE 2 | 75 | 3rd | 2 | |||
| 1983 | 250cc | Venemotos Yamaha | RSA 10 | FRA 14 | NAT 8 | GER RET | ESP 10 | AUT 18 | YUG RET | NED 2 | BEL 8 | GBR 16 | SWE 15 | 20 | 13th | 0 | ||||
| 1984 | 250cc | Venemotos Yamaha | RSA 8 | NAT RET | ESP RET | AUT - | GER RET | FRA DNQ | YUG 6 | NED 20 | BEL 4 | GBR DNS | SWE 16 | RSM 12 | 16 | 15th | 0 | |||
| 1985 | 250cc | Venemotos Yamaha | RSA 14 | ESP 17 | GER RET | NAT 16 | AUT RET | YUG - | NED - | BEL - | FRA - | GBR - | SWE - | RSM - | 0 | - | 0 | |||
| 1986 | 250cc | Rotax | ESP - | NAT 20 | GER - | AUT - | YUG - | NED - | BEL - | FRA - | GBR - | SWE - | RSM - | 0 | - | 0 | ||||
| 1987 | 250cc | F.M.V. Yamaha | JPN - | ESP - | GER - | NAT - | AUT - | YUG 10 | NED - | FRA - | GBR - | SWE - | CZE 8 | RSM 12 | POR - | BRA - | ARG - | 16 | 9th | 0 |
| 1988 | 250cc | Team Manoca-Yamaha | JPN - | USA - | ESP - | EXP 21 | NAT - | GER - | AUT 9 | NED 13 | BEL - | YUG - | FRA - | GBR 11 | SWE 6 | CZE 17 | BRA - | 25 | 18th | 0 |
| 1989 | 250cc | Aprilia | JPN - | AUS 18 | USA 11 | ESP 11 | NAT 7 | GER - | AUT - | YUG - | NED - | BEL - | FRA - | GBR - | SWE - | CZE - | BRA - | 19 | 22nd | 0 |
