A special tribute to two Belgian riders, not champions, but for Bimota they were:

Francis Hollebecq and Jean-Paul Van Zuylen.
In August 1977, they had the distinction of lining up at the start of the "24 Hours" of Spa-Francorchamps aboard the BIMOTA SB2, a newly launched motorcycle, not designed for that type of race.
They had problems during testing with the engine prepared by Termignoni, so they purchased a Suzuki 750 from a spectator on the circuit, and the strictly stock engine (disassembled and reassembled on the track) qualified and placed with honors.
The bike sparked a lot of buzz; Bimota needed it due to difficulties caused by "government customs" issues that were penalizing production.
Episodes from a technical, sporting, and human history, recounted in detail in the book "The Golden Era of Bimota"