1978 FIM Motocross World Championship

Last updated April 26, 2025

The 1978 FIM Motocross World Championship was the 22nd F.I.M. Motocross Racing World Championship season.

Summary

Heikki Mikkola successfully defended his 500cc world championship for Yamaha, finishing ahead of Honda's Brad Lackey. Mikkola dominated the season with 14 moto victories in 24 outings. Roger De Coster had a serious accident during pre-season training and ended up having his spleen removed but, recovered to finish the season in third place.^[1]

Gennady Moiseyev was also successful in defending his 250cc title despite a strong challenge from Kawasaki's Torleif Hansen. In the 125cc championship, Akira Watanabe ended the three-year reign of his Suzuki teammate, Gaston Rahier. Watanabe's championship marks the first and only motocross world championship for a Japanese competitor. Gerard Rond won four Grand Prix overall victories for Yamaha and finished in third place, one point behind Rahier.

Grands Prix

500cc

Round	Date	Grand Prix	Location	Race 1 Winner	Race 2 Winner	Overall Winner	Report
1	April 9	Swiss Grand Prix	Payerne	Heikki Mikkola	Heikki Mikkola	Heikki Mikkola	Report
2	April 16	Austrian Grand Prix	Sittendorf	Brad Lackey	Roger De Coster	Brad Lackey	Report
3	April 30	French Grand Prix	Gaillefontaine	Brad Lackey	Heikki Mikkola	Heikki Mikkola	Report
4	May 7	Danish Grand Prix	Næstved	Heikki Mikkola	Heikki Mikkola	Heikki Mikkola	Report
5	May 21	Finnish Grand Prix	Ruskeasanta	Heikki Mikkola	Heikki Mikkola	Heikki Mikkola	Report
6	May 28	Swedish Grand Prix	Västerås	Herbert Schmitz	Heikki Mikkola	Roger De Coster	Report
7	June 4	United States Grand Prix	Carlsbad	Herbert Schmitz	Heikki Mikkola	Heikki Mikkola	Report
8	June 11	Italian Grand Prix	Gallarate	Brad Lackey	Heikki Mikkola	Heikki Mikkola	Report
9	July 2	British Grand Prix	Farleigh Castle	Heikki Mikkola	Brad Lackey	Brad Lackey	Report
10	August 6	Belgian Grand Prix	Namur	Heikki Mikkola	Heikki Mikkola	Heikki Mikkola	Report
11	August 13	Luxembourg Grand Prix	Ettelbruck	Roger De Coster	Heikki Mikkola	Heikki Mikkola	Report
12	August 27	Dutch Grand Prix	Sint Anthonis	Gerrit Wolsink	Gerrit Wolsink	Gerrit Wolsink	Report

^[2]^[3]

250cc

Round	Date	Grand Prix	Location	Winner	Team	Report
1	April 9	Spanish Grand Prix	Sabadell	Harry Everts	Bultaco	Report
2	May 7	Italian Grand Prix	Serramazzoni	Fritz Schneider	KTM	Report
3	May 21	Czechoslovak Grand Prix	Holice	Torleif Hansen	Kawasaki	Report
4	May 28	Yugoslavian Grand Prix	Tržič	Torleif Hansen	Kawasaki	Report
5	June 4	Austrian Grand Prix	Schwanenstadt	Jaroslav Falta	ČZ	Report
6	June 11	West German Grand Prix	Beuern	Torleif Hansen	Kawasaki	Report
7	June 18	British Grand Prix	Kilmartin	Gennady Moiseyev	KTM	Report
8	July 2	French Grand Prix	Ahun	Vladimir Kavinov	KTM	Report
9	July 30	United States Grand Prix	Unadilla	Marty Tripes	Honda	Report
10	August 13	Swedish Grand Prix	Barkarby	Neil Hudson	Maico	Report
11	August 20	Finnish Grand Prix	Hyvinkää	Torleif Hansen	Kawasaki	Report
12	August 27	Russian Grand Prix	Leningrad	Torleif Hansen	Kawasaki	Report

^[4]

125cc

Round	Date	Grand Prix	Location	Winner	Team	Report
1	April 9	Austrian Grand Prix	Launsdorf	Gaston Rahier	Suzuki	Report
2	April 16	Italian Grand Prix	San Severino	Gaston Rahier	Suzuki	Report
3	April 23	Belgian Grand Prix	Lanklaar-Dilsen	Gerard Rond	Yamaha	Report
4	April 30	Dutch Grand Prix	Apeldoorn	Gerard Rond	Yamaha	Report
5	May 7	French Grand Prix	Vesoul	Gaston Rahier	Suzuki	Report
6	May 21	Yugoslavian Grand Prix	Orehova vas	Gerard Rond	Yamaha	Report
7	May 28	West German Grand Prix	Laubus-Eschbach	Akira Watanabe	Suzuki	Report
8	June 4	Swiss Grand Prix	Meyrin	Gerard Rond	Yamaha	Report
9	June 11	Polish Grand Prix	Szczecin	Akira Watanabe	Suzuki	Report
10	July 27	United States Grand Prix	Lexington	Broc Glover	Yamaha	Report
11	August 13	Spanish Grand Prix	Montgai	Akira Watanabe	Suzuki	Report
12	August 27	Czechoslovak Grand Prix	Stříbro	Gaston Rahier	Suzuki	Report

^[5]

Final standings

500cc^[6]^[7]
Pos	Rider	Team	Points
1	Heikki Mikkola	Yamaha	299
2	Brad Lackey	Honda	214
3	Roger De Coster	Suzuki	172
4	Herbert Schmitz	Maico	127
5	Gerrit Wolsink	Suzuki	124
6	André Malherbe	KTM	109
7	Graham Noyce	Honda	92
8	Jaak van Velthoven	KTM	78
9	Jean-Jacques Bruno	KTM	41
10	Yvan van den Broeck	Maico	40
11	André Vromans	Suzuki	38
12	Håkan Andersson	Husqvarna	36
13	Bengt Åberg	Yamaha	33
14	Fritz Köbele	Maico	21
15	Mike Bell	Yamaha	14
15	Frans Sigmans	Maico	14
17	Adolf Weil	Maico	14
18	Frank Svendsen	Husqvarna	10
19	Peter Herlings	Maico	9
19	Arne Lindfors	Yamaha	9
21	Mat Ghielen	Maico	8
22	Rick Burgett	Yamaha	8
23	Bob Wright	CCM	8
24	Lars Axelsson	Maico	5
24	Terry Clark	Maico	5
24	Danny LaPorte	Suzuki	5
24	Afro Rustignoli	Maico	5
28	Rex Staten	Yamaha	4
28	Franco Perfini	Montesa	4
30	Gary Semics	Can-Am	4
30	Torbjörn Winzell	Maico	4
30	Robert Wilkinson	Maico	4
33	Åke Jonsson	Kramer-Rotax	4
34	Ad Verstegen	Yamaha	3
34	Italo Forni	Montesa	3
34	Raymond Heeren	Maico	3
37	Tommy Croft	Honda	3
37	Francois Wellens	Yamaha	3
39	Søren Mortensen	Kramer-Rotax	2
39	Franco Picco	Montesa	2
39	Johan Scheele	Maico	2
42	Toon Karsmakers	Husqvarna	1

250cc^[8]
Pos	Rider	Team	Points
1	Gennady Moiseyev	KTM	183
2	Torleif Hansen	Kawasaki	153
3	Hans Maisch	Maico	152
4	Vladimir Kavinov	KTM	151
5	Neil Hudson	Maico	130
6	Harry Everts	Bultaco	126
7	Håkan Carlqvist	Husqvarna	88
8	Torao Suzuki	Montesa	63
9	Jaroslav Falta	ČZ	61
10	Jean-Claude Laquaye	Bultaco	43
11	Raymond Boven	Montesa	42
12	Fritz Schneider	KTM	38
13	Chuck Sun	Husqvarna	35
14	Valéry Korneev	KTM	33
15	Jean-Paul Mingels	Montesa	32
16	Rolf Dieffenbach	Kawasaki	26
16	Daniel Péan	Maico	26
18	Jimmy Ellis	Honda	25
19	Marty Tripes	Honda	24
20	Erkki Sundström	Husqvarna	24
21	Bob Hannah	Yamaha	21
22	Willy Bauer	Sachs	21
23	Rob Hooper	Maico	21
24	Patrick Boniface	KTM	11
25	Kent Howerton	Suzuki	8
26	Fernando Munoz	Montesa	6
27	Matti Tarkkonenn	Honda	6
28	Guy Huynen	Sachs	5
28	Kees van der Ven	Maico	5
30	Jan Kristoffersen	Husqvarna	5
31	Arne Lodal	Husqvarna	5
32	Dario Nani	Gilera	3
32	Zdenek Velky	ČZ	3
34	Alberto Ribo	Montesa	2
34	John Savitski	Yamaha	2
36	Tony DiStefano	Suzuki	1
36	Tony Elias	Bultaco	1
36	Magnus Nyberg	KTM	1
36	Dimitar Rangelov	Husqvarna	1
36	Jaroslav Vojtech	ČZ	1

125cc^[9]
Pos	Rider	Team	Points
1	Akira Watanabe	Suzuki	267
2	Gaston Rahier	Suzuki	249
3	Gerard Rond	Yamaha	248
4	Siegfried Lerner	KTM	90
5	Matti Autio	Suzuki	81
6	Ivan Alborghetti	Aprilia	78
7	Göte Liljegren	Aprilia	78
8	André Massant	Honda	76
9	Jiry Churavy	ČZ	70
10	Corrado Maddii	Beta	53
11	Yuri Khudiakov	ČZ	41
12	Michele Rinaldi	TGM	31
13	Broc Glover	Yamaha	30
14	Roger Harvey	Suzuki	19
15	Pauli Piippola	Husqvarna	17
16	Marty Moates	Suzuki	14
17	Peter Groeneveld	Suzuki	14
18	Gaylon Mosier	Kawasaki	12
19	Robert Greisch	Yamaha	12
20	Warren Reid	Honda	10
21	Miroslav Jirka	ČZ	9
21	Henk Van Mierlo	Kawasaki	9
23	Steve Wise	Honda	8
24	Mark Gregson	Suzuki	8
25	Anatoly Ovchinikov	ČZ	8
26	Mike Guerra	Yamaha	7
27	Dinand Ziljlstra	Kawasaki	5
27	Dan Turner	Yamaha	5
29	Geoff Mayes	Kawasaki	5
30	Marc Velkeneers	Yamaha	4
31	François Minne	Aprilia	4
32	Michel Leclerq	KTM	3
32	Miroslav Novacek	ČZ	3
32	Ron Turner	Yamaha	3
35	Bernd Betzelbacher	Maico	2
35	Victor Popenko	ČZ	2
35	Emil Schwarz	Suzuki	2
35	David Taylor	Suzuki	2
39	Jonny Bjurström	Suzuki	1
39	Michel Fischer	Portal	1
39	Alain Fura	Yamaha	1
39	Antonin Gorus	ČZ	1
39	Ole Svendson	KTM	1

References

↑ "Roger Decoster Interview, covering 1971 thru 2001". supercross.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
↑ "1978 500cc motocross world championship race results". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
↑ "1978 500cc motocross world championship". jwvanessen.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
↑ "1978 250cc motocross world championship race results". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
↑ "1978 125cc motocross world championship race results". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
↑ "1978 500cc motocross world championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
↑ "1978 500cc motocross world championship final standings". jwvanessen.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
↑ "1978 250cc motocross world championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
↑ "1978 125cc motocross world championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 3 February 2016.

External links

Official website

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[1] "Roger Decoster Interview, covering 1971 thru 2001". supercross.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2016.

[2] "1978 500cc motocross world championship race results". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 13 February 2016.

[3] "1978 500cc motocross world championship". jwvanessen.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.

[4] "1978 250cc motocross world championship race results". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 13 February 2016.

[5] "1978 125cc motocross world championship race results". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 13 February 2016.

[6] "1978 500cc motocross world championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 13 February 2016.

[7] "1978 500cc motocross world championship final standings". jwvanessen.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.

[8] "1978 250cc motocross world championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 13 February 2016.

[9] "1978 125cc motocross world championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 3 February 2016.

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