1975 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

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This article recaps the 1975 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season.

Contents

[edit] Season summary

1975 represented a changing of the guard in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, both for riders as well as machines. Giacomo Agostini would claim his final 500cc World Championship aboard a Yamaha two-stroke machine. This would also mark the first time a two-stroke machine had won the premier division.

Angel Nieto claimed his fourth world title for Kreidler in the 50cc class. In the 125cc division, The Morbidellis of Pileri and Bianchi dominated, finishing first and second in six of the ten events. Despite Michel Rougerie scoring more points, his Harley-Davidson team-mate Walter Villa would take the 250cc title because of the "best of six finishes" rule. A young Venezuelan, Johnny Cecotto claimed the 350cc title, becoming the youngest-ever World Champion at the age of 19.

In the premier division, MV Agusta with Phil Read aboard, refused to go down easily. The Championship was not resolved until the tenth and final round in Czechoslovakia, when Agostini emerged triumphant to claim his fifteenth world title and the first in the class for a two-stroke. Barry Sheene would also serve notice that he was an up and comer with victories at Assen and Sweden. The writing was on the wall for four-stroke machinery as eight of the top ten riders in the points standings were aboard two-stroke machines.

[edit] 500cc Season review

Round Race Location Winning rider Winning team Report
1 France French Grand Prix Paul Ricard Italy Giacomo Agostini Yamaha Report
2 Austria Austrian Grand Prix Salzburgring Japan Hideo Kanaya Yamaha Report
3 Germany West German Grand Prix Hockenheimring Italy Giacomo Agostini Yamaha Report
4 Italy Nations Grand Prix Imola Italy Giacomo Agostini Yamaha Report
5 United Kingdom Isle of Man TT Isle of Man United Kingdom Mick Grant Kawasaki Report
6 Netherlands Dutch TT Assen United Kingdom Barry Sheene Suzuki Report
7 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix Spa United Kingdom Phil Read MV Agusta Report
8 Sweden Swedish Grand Prix Anderstorp United Kingdom Barry Sheene Suzuki Report
9 Finland Finnish Grand Prix Imatra Italy Giacomo Agostini Yamaha Report
10 Czech Republic Czechoslovakian Grand Prix Brno United Kingdom Phil Read MV Agusta Report

[edit] 1975 500cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins
1 Italy Giacomo Agostini 4 Italy Yamaha 84 4
2 United Kingdom Phil Read 1 United Kingdom MV Agusta 76 2
3 Japan Hideo Kanaya Japan Yamaha 45 1
4 Finland Teuvo Länsivuori 3 Finland Suzuki 40 0
5 United Kingdom John Williams United Kingdom Yamaha 32 0
6 United Kingdom Barry Sheene 7 United Kingdom Suzuki 30 2
7 United Kingdom Alex George United Kingdom Yamaha 30 0
8 United Kingdom John Newbold United Kingdom Suzuki 24 0
9 Italy Armando Toracca Italy MV Agusta 24 0
10 Australia Jack Findlay 5 Australia Suzuki 23 0

[edit] 350cc Season review

Round Race Location Winning rider Winning team Report
1 France French Grand Prix Paul Ricard Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Yamaha Report
2 Spanish Grand Prix Jarama Italy Giacomo Agostini Yamaha Report
3 Austria Austrian Grand Prix Salzburgring Japan Hideo Kanaya Yamaha Report
4 Germany West German Grand Prix Hockenheimring Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Yamaha Report
5 Italy Nations Grand Prix Imola Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Yamaha Report
6 United Kingdom Isle of Man TT Isle of Man United Kingdom Charlie Williams Yamaha Report
7 Netherlands Dutch TT Assen Germany Dieter Braun Yamaha Report
8 Finland Finnish Grand Prix Imatra Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Yamaha Report
9 Czech Republic Czechoslovakian Grand Prix Brno Italy Otello Buscherini Yamaha Report
10 SFR Yugoslavia Yugoslavian Grand Prix Opatija Finland Pentti Korhonen Yamaha Report

[edit] 1975 350cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins
1 Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Venezuela Yamaha 78 4
2 Italy Giacomo Agostini 1 Italy Yamaha 59 1
3 Finland Pentti Korhonen 7 Finland Yamaha 48 1
4 West Germany Dieter Braun West Germany Yamaha 47 1
5 France Patrick Pons France Yamaha 32 0
6 United Kingdom Chas Mortimer 5 United Kingdom Yamaha 31 0
7 France Gerard Choukroun France Yamaha 28 0
8 Italy Otello Buscherini Italy Yamaha 27 0
9 United Kingdom Tom Herron United Kingdom Yamaha 26 0
10 Japan Hideo Kanaya Japan Yamaha 25 1

[edit] 250cc Season review

Round Race Location Winning rider Winning team Report
1 France French Grand Prix Paul Ricard Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Yamaha Report
2 Spanish Grand Prix Jarama Italy Walter Villa Harley-Davidson Report
3 Germany West German Grand Prix Hockenheimring Italy Walter Villa Harley-Davidson Report
4 Italy Nations Grand Prix Imola Italy Walter Villa Harley-Davidson Report
5 United Kingdom Isle of Man TT Isle of Man United Kingdom Chas Mortimer Yamaha Report
6 Netherlands Dutch TT Assen Italy Walter Villa Harley-Davidson Report
7 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix Spa Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Yamaha Report
8 Sweden Swedish Grand Prix Anderstorp Italy Walter Villa Harley-Davidson Report
9 Finland Finnish Grand Prix Imatra France Michel Rougerie Harley-Davidson Report
10 Czech Republic Czechoslovakian Grand Prix Brno France Michel Rougerie Harley-Davidson Report
11 SFR Yugoslavia Yugoslavian Grand Prix Opatija Germany Dieter Braun Yamaha Report

[edit] 1975 250cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins
1 Italy Walter Villa 1 Italy Harley-Davidson 85 5
2 France Michel Rougerie 9 France Harley-Davidson 76 2
3 West Germany Dieter Braun 2 West Germany Yamaha 56 1
4 Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Venezuela Yamaha 54 2
5 France Patrick Pons 3 France Yamaha 48 0
6 United Kingdom Chas Mortimer United Kingdom Yamaha 46 0
7 Italy Otello Buscherini Italy Yamaha 40 0
8 Sweden Leif Gustafsson Sweden Yamaha 33 0
9 Switzerland Bruno Kneubühler 5 Switzerland Yamaha 22 0
10 Finland Tapio Virtanen Finland Yamaha 20 0

[edit] 125cc Season review

Round Race Location Winning rider Winning team Report
1 France French Grand Prix Paul Ricard Sweden Kent Andersson Yamaha Report
2 Spanish Grand Prix Jarama Italy Paolo Pileri Morbidelli Report
3 Austria Austrian Grand Prix Salzburgring Italy Paolo Pileri Morbidelli Report
4 Germany West German Grand Prix Hockenheimring Italy Paolo Pileri Morbidelli Report
5 Italy Nations Grand Prix Imola Italy Paolo Pileri Morbidelli Report
6 Netherlands Dutch TT Assen Italy Paolo Pileri Morbidelli Report
7 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix Spa Italy Paolo Pileri Morbidelli Report
8 Sweden Swedish Grand Prix Anderstorp Italy Paolo Pileri Morbidelli Report
9 Czech Republic Czechoslovakian Grand Prix Brno Sweden Leif Gustafsson Yamaha Report
10 SFR Yugoslavia Yugoslavian Grand Prix Opatija West Germany Dieter Braun Morbidelli Report

[edit] 1975 125cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins
1 Italy Paolo Pileri Italy Morbidelli 90 7
2 Italy Pierpaolo Bianchi Italy Morbidelli 72 0
3 Sweden Kent Andersson 1 Sweden Yamaha 67 1
4 Sweden Leif Gustafsson 8 Sweden Yamaha 57 1
5 Italy Eugenio Lazzarini Italy Piovaticci 47 0
6 Switzerland Bruno Kneubühler 2 Switzerland Yamaha 43 0
7 Netherlands Henk van Kessel Netherlands Condor 38 0
8 Austria Harald Bartol 7 Austria Suzuki 21 0
9 Austria Johan Zemzauer Austria Rotax 21 0
10 Italy Pierluigi Conforti Italy Morbidelli 18 0

[edit] 50cc Season review

Round Race Location Winning rider Winning team Report
1 Spanish Grand Prix Jarama Angel Nieto Kreidler Report
2 Germany West German Grand Prix Hockenheimring Angel Nieto Kreidler Report
3 Italy Nations Grand Prix Imola Angel Nieto Kreidler Report
4 Netherlands Dutch TT Assen Angel Nieto Kreidler Report
5 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix Spa Belgium Julien van Zeebroeck Kreidler Report
6 Sweden Swedish Grand Prix Anderstorp Italy Eugenio Lazzarini Piovaticci Report
7 Finland Finnish Grand Prix Imatra Angel Nieto Kreidler Report
8 SFR Yugoslavia Yugoslavian Grand Prix Opatija Angel Nieto Kreidler Report

[edit] 1975 50cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins
1 Angel Nieto Spain Kreidler 75 6
2 Italy Eugenio Lazzarini Italy Piovaticci 61 1
3 Belgium Julien van Zeebroeck Belgium Kreidler 43 1
4 West Germany Rudi Kunz 5 West Germany Kreidler 37 0
5 West Germany Herbert Rittberger 2 West Germany Kreidler 31 0
6 Switzerland Stefan Dörflinger 9 Switzerland Kreidler 31 0
7 Netherlands Nico Polane Netherlands Kreidler 28 0
8 West Germany Gerhard Thurow 4 West Germany Kreidler 21 0
9 Austria Hans Hummel Austria Kreidler 20 0
10 Italy Claudio Lusuardi Italy Derbi 16 0