The 1971 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 23rd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of twelve Grand Prix races in six classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 50cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 9 May, with Austrian Grand Prix and ended with Spanish Grand Prix on 26 September.
Giacomo Agostini would claim his tenth world championship in 1971, passing Carlo Ubbiali and Mike Hailwood as the all time championship leader. [1] Angel Nieto challenged for the 50cc and 125cc titles. A crash in the final 50cc race handed the title to Dutchman Jan de Vries but, Nieto was able to claim the 125 crown over a young Barry Sheene. [1] Phil Read captured the 250 championship on a private Yamaha-powered Eric Cheney-designed chassis, after falling out with the Yamaha factory. [1] [2]
Agostini won the 350 title for the fourth year in a row but a newcomer served notice when young Finn, Jarno Saarinen, won his first Grand Prix at the Czechoslovakian round then won again in Italy. [1] Agostini had things his way in the 500cc class, winning the first eight rounds of the eleven race series against minimal factory-sponsored opposition. [1] For the second consecutive year a New Zealand rider finished second in the premier class – Ginger Molloy in 1970 and Keith Turner in 1971. [1]
Jack Findlay's victory at the 1971 Ulster Grand Prix not only marked the first victory for a Suzuki motorcycle in the premier 500cc class, but also the first-ever 500cc class victory for a motorcycle powered by a two stroke engine. [3] [4] Kawasaki won their first 500cc class victory at the season ending Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama when Dave Simmonds won the race after Agostini sat out the event after already winning the championship. [1] The inaugural Austrian Grand Prix was held at the new high-speed Salzburgring.
Points were awarded to the top ten finishers in each race. Only the best of six races were counted on 50cc, 125cc, 350cc and 500cc championships, best of seven in 250cc, while in the Sidecars, the best of five races were counted.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Giacomo Agostini | 1 | Italy | MV Agusta | 90 | 6 |
2 | Jarno Saarinen | Finland | Yamaha | 63 | 2 | |
3 | Ivan Carlsson | Sweden | Yamaha | 39 | 0 | |
4 | Theo Bult | Netherlands | Yamaha | 36 | 0 | |
5 | Paul Smart | United Kingdom | Yamaha | 34 | 0 | |
6 | Werner Pfirter | Switzerland | Yamaha | 33 | 0 | |
7 | Bo Granath | 10 | Sweden | Yamaha | 30 | 0 |
7 | László Szabó | Hungary | Yamaha | 29 | 0 | |
9 | Tony Jefferies | United Kingdom | Yamaha | 25 | 1 | |
10 | Teuvo Lansivuori | Finland | Yamaha | 25 | 1 |
Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Phil Read | United Kingdom | Yamaha | 73 | 3 | |
2 | Rodney Gould | 1 | United Kingdom | Yamaha | 68 | 2 |
3 | Jarno Saarinen | 4 | Finland | Yamaha | 64 | 1 |
4 | John Dodds | Australia | Yamaha | 59 | 0 | |
5 | Dieter Braun | West Germany | Yamaha | 58 | 1 | |
6 | Gyula Marsovsky | 7 | Switzerland | Yamaha | 57 | 1 |
7 | Silvio Grassetti | 10 | Italy | MZ | 43 | 2 |
8 | Chas Mortimer | 6 | United Kingdom | Yamaha | 42 | 0 |
9 | János Drapál | Hungary | Yamaha | 26 | 1 | |
10 | Theo Bult | 20 | Netherlands | Yamaha | 22 | 0 |
Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Angel Nieto | 1 | Spain | Derbi | 87 | 5 |
2 | Barry Sheene | United Kingdom | Suzuki | 79 | 3 | |
3 | Börje Jansson | 3 | Sweden | Maico | 64 | 0 |
4 | Dieter Braun | West Germany | Maico | 54 | 0 | |
5 | Chas Mortimer | United Kingdom | Yamaha | 48 | 1 | |
6 | Dave Simmonds | 4 | United Kingdom | Kawasaki | 48 | 1 |
7 | Gert Bender | West Germany | Maico | 41 | 0 | |
8 | Gilberto Parlotti | Italy | Morbidelli | 39 | 1 | |
9 | Kent Andersson | Sweden | Yamaha | 30 | 0 | |
10 | Jurgen Lenk | East Germany | MZ | 27 | 0 | |
Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jan De Vries | 5 | Netherlands | Kreidler | 75 | 5 |
2 | Angel Nieto | 1 | Spain | Derbi | 69 | 3 |
3 | Jos Schurgers | 6 | Netherlands | Kreidler | 42 | 0 |
4 | Herman Meyers | 10 | Netherlands | Jamathi | 41 | 0 |
5 | Rudolf Kunz | West Germany | Kreidler | 36 | 0 | |
6 | Aalt Toersen | Netherlands | Jamathi | 24 | 0 | |
7 | Barry Sheene | United Kingdom | Kreidler | 23 | 1 | |
8 | Gilberto Parlotti | 9 | Italy | Derbi | 22 | 0 |
9 | Federico van der Hoeven | Netherlands | Derbi | 22 | 0 | |
10 | Jan Bruins | Netherlands | Kreidler | 19 | 0 | |
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of the twentieth century and large national events were often given the title Grand Prix. The foundation of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme as the international governing body for motorcycle sport in 1949 provided the opportunity to coordinate rules and regulations in order that selected events could count towards official World Championships. It is the oldest established motorsport world championship.
Giacomo Agostini is an Italian multi-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Nicknamed Ago, he amassed 122 Grand Prix wins and 15 World Championship titles. Of these, 68 wins and 8 titles came in the 500 cc class, the rest in the 350 cc class. For these achievements obtained over the course of a career spanning 17 years, the AMA described him as "...perhaps the greatest Grand Prix rider of all time". In 2000, Agostini was inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame as a MotoGP Legend, while in 2010, he was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements.
Jarno Karl Keimo Saarinen was a Finnish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. In the early 1970s, he was considered one of the most promising and talented motorcycle racers of his era until he was killed during the 1973 Nations Grand Prix in Italy. Saarinen's death led to increased demands for better safety conditions for motorcycle racers competing in the world championships. He remains the only Finn to have won a motorcycle road racing world championship. Saarinen was inducted into the F.I.M. MotoGP Hall of Fame in 2009.
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The 1975 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 27th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
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The 1964 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 16th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of twelve Grand Prix races in six classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 50cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 2 February, with United States Grand Prix and ended with Japanese Grand Prix on 1 November.
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The 1968 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 20th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of ten Grand Prix races in six classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 50cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 21 April, with German Grand Prix and ended with Nations Grand Prix on 15 September. As the sidecar race was cancelled at the Nations Grand Prix, it was announced that a replacement race would be held at Hockenheimring in October alongside the German national championship.
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Dave Simmonds was a British professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He competed in the Grand Prix world championships from 1963 to 1972. Simmonds is notable for winning the 1969 125 cc FIM road racing world championship.
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The 1973 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 25th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
The 1970 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 22nd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of twelve Grand Prix races in six classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 50cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 3 May, with West German Grand Prix and ended with Spanish Grand Prix on 27 September.
Anton "Toni" Mang is a former five-time world champion in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from Germany.
Hideo Kanaya was a Japanese professional motorcycle racer and motorcycle racing team manager. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world championships from 1967 to 1975. He dominated Japanese road racing in the early 1970s and was the first Japanese rider to win a world championship 500cc Grand Prix race. Although Kanaya was a competitive racer, he was never allowed to compete in a full season in the world championships as, his main responsibility was as a test rider in Japan.
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