1973 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

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The 1973 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 25th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.

Contents


Season summary

The 250cc race accident in Monza, where Pasolini and Saarinen died 1973 Nations GP - Monza - 250cc race accident.jpg
The 250cc race accident in Monza, where Pasolini and Saarinen died

MV Agusta teammates Phil Read and Giacomo Agostini battled it out for supremacy of the 500cc class but the season was overshadowed by the deaths of Jarno Saarinen and Renzo Pasolini at the Italian round at Monza. [1] The 500cc title runner-up, Kim Newcombe, also died at a non-championship race at Silverstone late in the year. [1] Agostini claimed his 13th championship in the 350cc class. [1] In the 250cc class, West German Dieter Braun won the crown for Yamaha. Kent Andersson gave Yamaha another title in the 125cc class while Kreidler dominated the 50cc class after the Derbi factory pulled out of racing with Dutchman Jan de Vries taking the crown. [1]

1973 Grand Prix season calendar

RoundDateRaceLocation50cc winner125cc winner250cc winner350cc winner500cc winnerReport
122 April Flag of France.svg French Grand Prix Paul Ricard Flag of Sweden.svg Kent Andersson Flag of Finland.svg Jarno Saarinen Flag of Italy.svg Giacomo Agostini Flag of Finland.svg Jarno Saarinen Report
26 May Flag of Austria.svg Austrian Grand Prix Salzburgring Flag of Sweden.svg Kent Andersson Flag of Finland.svg Jarno Saarinen Flag of Hungary.svg János Drapál Flag of Finland.svg Jarno Saarinen Report
313 May Flag of Germany.svg West German Grand Prix Hockenheimring Flag of the Netherlands.svg Theo Timmer Flag of Sweden.svg Kent Andersson Flag of Finland.svg Jarno Saarinen Flag of Finland.svg Teuvo Länsivuori Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Phil Read Report
420 May Flag of Italy.svg Nations Grand Prix Monza Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jan de Vries Flag of Sweden.svg Kent Andersson Race cancelled [N 1] Flag of Italy.svg Giacomo Agostini Race cancelled [N 1] Report
58 June Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Isle of Man TT Snaefell Mountain Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tommy Robb Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Charlie Williams Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tony Rutter Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jack Findlay Report
617 June Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg Yugoslavian Grand Prix Opatija Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jan de Vries Flag of Sweden.svg Kent Andersson Flag of Germany.svg Dieter Braun Flag of Hungary.svg János Drapál Flag of New Zealand.svg Kim Newcombe Report
723 June Flag of the Netherlands.svg Dutch TT Assen Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Bruno Kneubühler Flag of Italy.svg Eugenio Lazzarini Flag of Germany.svg Dieter Braun Flag of Italy.svg Giacomo Agostini Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Phil Read Report
81 July Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgian Grand Prix Spa Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jan de Vries Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jos Schurgers Flag of Finland.svg Teuvo Länsivuori Flag of Italy.svg Giacomo Agostini Report
915 July Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czechoslovak Grand Prix Brno Flag of Italy.svg Otello Buscherini Flag of Germany.svg Dieter Braun Flag of Finland.svg Teuvo Länsivuori Flag of Italy.svg Giacomo Agostini Report
1021 July Flag of Sweden.svg Swedish Grand Prix Anderstorp Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jan de Vries Flag of Sweden.svg Börje Jansson Flag of Germany.svg Dieter Braun Flag of Finland.svg Teuvo Länsivuori Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Phil Read Report
1129 July Flag of Finland.svg Finnish Grand Prix Imatra Flag of Italy.svg Otello Buscherini Flag of Finland.svg Teuvo Länsivuori Flag of Italy.svg Giacomo Agostini Flag of Italy.svg Giacomo Agostini Report
1223 September Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg Spanish Grand Prix Jarama Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jan de Vries Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Chas Mortimer Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Dodds Flag of Brazil.svg Adu Celso-Santos Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Phil Read Report
Footnotes
  1. 1 2 The 250cc race was stopped, following an accident on the first lap that resulted in the deaths of Jarno Saarinen and Renzo Pasolini. The race meeting was ultimately cancelled.

Final standings

1973 500 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

PlaceRiderNumberCountryMachinePointsWins
1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Phil Read United Kingdom MV Agusta 844
2 Flag of New Zealand.svg Kim Newcombe 10 New Zealand König 631
3 Flag of Italy.svg Giacomo Agostini 1 Italy MV Agusta 573
4 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Werner Giger Switzerland Yamaha 440
5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jack Findlay 8 Australia Suzuki 381
6 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Bruno Kneubühler 3 Switzerland Yamaha 340
7 Flag of Finland.svg Jarno Saarinen 4 Finland Yamaha 302
8 Flag of Japan.svg Hideo Kanaya Japan Yamaha 220
9 Flag of Germany.svg Ernst Hiller West Germany König 190
10 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Alex George United Kingdom Yamaha 190

1973 350 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

PlaceRiderNumberCountryMachinePointsWins
1 Flag of Italy.svg Giacomo Agostini 1 Italy MV Agusta 844
2 Flag of Finland.svg Teuvo Länsivuori 7 Finland Yamaha 773
3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Phil Read 5 United Kingdom MV Agusta 560
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Dodds Australia Yamaha 490
5 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Billie Nelson United Kingdom Yamaha 380
6 Flag of Sweden.svg Kent Andersson Sweden Yamaha 380
7 Flag of Brazil.svg Adu Celso-Santos Brazil Yamaha 331
8 Flag of Germany.svg Dieter Braun 8 West Germany Yamaha 330
9 Flag of Hungary.svg János Drapál Hungary Yamaha 302
10 Flag of Finland.svg Pentti Korhonen Finland Yamaha 250

1973 250 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

PlaceRiderNumberCountryMachinePointsWins
1 Flag of Germany.svg Dieter Braun West Germany Yamaha 804
2 Flag of Finland.svg Teuvo Länsivuori 5 Finland Yamaha 642
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Dodds 6 Australia Yamaha 581
4 Flag of Finland.svg Jarno Saarinen 1 Finland Yamaha 453
5 Flag of France.svg Michel Rougerie France Harley-Davidson 450
6 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Chas Mortimer United Kingdom Yamaha 400
7 Flag of Japan.svg Hideo Kanaya 11 Japan Yamaha 360
8 Flag of Italy.svg Roberto Gallina Italy Yamaha 320
9 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Bruno Kneubühler Switzerland Yamaha 280
10 Flag of Italy.svg Silvio Grassetti 4 Italy Yamaha 210

1973 125 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

PlaceRiderNumberCountryMachinePointsWins
1 Flag of Sweden.svg Kent Andersson 2 Sweden Yamaha 995
2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Chas Mortimer United Kingdom Yamaha 751
3 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jos Schurgers 9 Netherlands Bridgestone 701
4 Flag of Sweden.svg Börje Jansson 4 Sweden Maico 641
5 Flag of Italy.svg Eugenio Lazzarini Italy Maico 591
6 Flag of Italy.svg Otello Buscherini Italy Malanca 512
7 Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg Angel Nieto Spain Morbidelli 460
8 Flag of Germany.svg Rolf Minhoff 4 West Germany Maico 420
9 Flag of Finland.svg Matti Salonen Finland Yamaha 320
10 Flag of Finland.svg Pentti Salonen Finland Yamaha 280

1973 50 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

PlaceRiderNumberCountryMachinePointsWins
1 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jan de Vries 2 Netherlands Kreidler 605
2 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Bruno Kneubühler Switzerland Kreidler 511
3 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Theo Timmer 3 Netherlands Jamathi 471
4 Flag of Germany.svg Gerhard Thurow West Germany Kreidler 360
5 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Henk van Kessel Netherlands Kreidler 270
6 Flag of Germany.svg Herbert Rittberger West Germany Kreidler 220
7 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Ulrich Graf Switzerland Kreidler 210
8 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jan Huberts 8 Netherlands Kreidler 210
9 Flag of Germany.svg Rudolf Kunz 9 West Germany Kreidler 140
10 Flag of Germany.svg Wolfgang Gedlich West Germany Kreidler 130

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Noyes, Dennis; Scott, Michael (1999), Motocourse: 50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix, Hazleton Publishing Ltd, ISBN   1-874557-83-7