1957 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

1957 F.I.M. Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
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The 1957 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 9th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of six Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on May 19, with German Grand Prix and ended with Nations Grand Prix in Italy on September 1.

Contents

Season summary

1957 marked the end of a Golden Era in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. There had been an impressive variety of machinery competing during the 1950s including, works teams from AJS, Norton, Gilera, MV Agusta, Moto Guzzi, and BMW. That's six factories taking part with singles, twins and four-cylinder machines. Include privateer Nortons and Matchless and it made for a colorful competition.[1]

Then the Italian firms dropped a bombshell by announcing they would pull out of racing at the conclusion of the 1957 season, citing escalating costs and dwindling motorcycle sales.[1] MV Agusta initially went along with the pull out before reconsidering.[1] The firm would go on to claim 17 consecutive 500cc crowns.

1957 would also mark a new era in other respects with the banning of the dustbin fairings due to their dangerous instability in crosswinds.[1] Another harbinger of change was the introduction of two-stroke engines in competition. An East German firm named MZ placed respectably in races at the Nürburgring although few people viewed the two-strokes as a threat to the mighty four-strokes.[1]

1957 Grand Prix season calendar

Round Date Grand Prix Circuit 125cc winner 250cc winner 350cc winner 500cc winner Sidecars 500cc winner Report
1 May 19 German Grand Prix Hockenheimring Carlo Ubbiali Carlo Ubbiali Libero Liberati Libero Liberati Hillebrand / Grunwald Report
2 June 7 Isle of Man TT Snaefell mountain course Tarquinio Provini Cecil Sandford Bob McIntyre Bob McIntyre Hillebrand / Grunwald Report
3 June 29 Dutch TT TT Circuit Assen Tarquinio Provini Tarquinio Provini Keith Campbell John Surtees Hillebrand / Grunwald Report
4 July 7 Belgian Grand Prix Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Tarquinio Provini John Hartle Keith Campbell Libero Liberati Schneider / Strauß Report
5 August 10 Ulster Grand Prix Dundrod Circuit Luigi Taveri Cecil Sandford Keith Campbell Libero Liberati Report
6 September 1 Nations Grand Prix Autodromo Nazionale Monza Carlo Ubbiali Tarquinio Provini Bob McIntyre Libero Liberati Milani / Milani Report

Standings

Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top six finishers in each race. Only the four best races were counted in all five classes: the Sidecars, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc and 500cc championships.

Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th 
Points 8 6 4 3 2 1

500cc final standings

Pos Rider Bike GER
 MAN
 HOL
 BEL
 ULS
 NAC
 Pts
1 Libero Liberati Gilera 1 2 1 1 1 32 (38)
2 Bob McIntyre Gilera 2 1 Ret 2 20
3 John Surtees MV Agusta Ret 2 1 Ret Ret 4 17
4 Geoff Duke Gilera 3 2 10
5 Jack Brett Norton Ret 4 2 Ret 9
6 Walter Zeller BMW 3 Ret 3 Ret 8
7 Keith Bryen Matchless / Norton / Moto Guzzi 13 6 3 5 7
8 Dickie Dale Moto Guzzi 4 4 6
9 Alfredo Milani Gilera Ret 3 4
10 Bob Brown Gilera 3 4
11 Terry Shepherd MV Agusta 5 Ret 6 6 4
12 Derek Minter Norton 16 9 4 3
13 Geoffrey Tanner Norton 28 4 3
14 Ernst Hiller BMW 6 5 3
15 Mike O'Rourke Norton 29 10 5 2
16 Keith Campbell Moto Guzzi Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret 2
= Umberto Masetti MV Agusta Ret Ret 5 2
18 Hans-Günter Jäger Norton / BMW Ret 6 13 1
19 Alan Trow Norton 6 1
20 John Hempleman Norton Ret 7 Ret 11 0
21 Carlos Bandirola MV Agusta 7 0
= Alistair King Norton 7 0
= Bob Matthews Norton 7 0
= Ernst Riedelbauch BMW 7 0
25 Jimmy Buchan Norton 9 8 0
26 Roger Barker Norton 10 8 0
27 Gerold Klinger BMW Ret Ret Ret 8 0
28 Eugen Hagenlocher BMW 8 0
= Peter Murphy Matchless 8 0
30 Alois Huber BMW 9 11 0
31 John Clark Moto Guzzi Ret Ret Ret 9 0
= John Hartle Norton Ret Ret Ret 9 0
33 Jack Wood Norton Ret 10 0
34 Giuseppe Cantoni Gilera 10 0
35 Ken Tostevin Norton 10 18 11 0
36 Bernard Codd Norton 11 0
= Jacques Insermini Norton 11 0
38 Dennis Christian Matchless Ret 12 0
39 Austin Carson Norton 12 0
= Frank Fox Norton 12 0
= Francesco Guglieminetti Norton 12 0
= Priem Rozenberg BMW 12 0
43 Fred Wallis BSA Ret 13 0
44 Kees Koster Norton 13 0
= Nico Tagli Gilera 13 0
46 Ralph Rensen Norton Ret 14 0
47 Peter Davey Norton 14 0
= Anton Elbersen Norton 14 0
49 Derek Powell Matchless Ret 15 0
= George Catlin Norton 15 Ret 0
51 Vernon Cottle Norton 16 0
52 Dennis Chapman Norton Ret 17 0
53 George Costain Norton 17 0
54 Dick Thomson Norton / Matchless Ret Ret 18 0
55 Ben Denton Norton 19 0
= Jimmy Jones Norton 19 0
57 Harry Low BSA 27 20 0
58 John Anderson Norton 20 Ret Ret 0
59 Harry Grant BSA Ret 21 0
60 Louis Carr Matchless 21 0
61 Martin Brosnan Norton 22 0
= Stan Setaro Norton 22 0
63 Tommy Holmes BSA 23 0
= Arthur Wheeler Moto Guzzi 23 0
65 Ray Fay Norton 24 0
= Jimmy Hayes AJS 24 0
67 Bob Coulter BSA 25 0
= Ken Tully Norton 25 0
69 M.S. Hall Norton 26 0
= Ken Willis Norton 26 0
71 Bill Robertson Norton 30 0
72 Roly Capner Norton 31 0
73 Ernie Barrett Norton 32 0
74 Robert King Norton 33 0
75 Arnold Jones AJS 34 0
76 Basil King Norton 35 0
77 Llewelyn Ranson Norton 36 0
78 Bob Rowbottom Norton 37 0
79 Joe Glazebrook AJS 38 0
- Noel McCutcheon Norton Ret Ret Ret 0
- Martinus van Son Matchless Ret Ret 0
- Andy Aharonian BSA Ret 0
- Sven Andersson Norton Ret 0
- Piet Bakker Norton Ret 0
- John Banks Norton Ret 0
- Bill Beevers Norton Ret 0
- Raymond Bogaerdt Norton Ret 0
- Joe Brindley Norton Ret 0
- Stan Cameron AJS Ret 0
- Paolo Campanelli Gilera Ret 0
- Fabio Ceredi Moto Guzzi Ret 0
- Dave Chadwick Norton Ret 0
- Jacques Collot Norton Ret Ret 0
- Giuseppe Colnago Moto Guzzi Ret 0
- Ronald Cousins Norton Ret 0
- René Deschamps Norton Ret 0
- Bob Ferguson Matchless Ret 0
- Enrico Galante Norton Ret 0
- Ulf Gate Norton Ret 0
- Martino Giani Gilera Ret 0
- Walter Hancock BSA Ret 0
- Eric Hinton Norton Ret 0
- Heinz Kauert Matchless Ret 0
- Rudolf Knees BMW Ret 0
- Guy Ligier Norton Ret 0
- Robert Lilley Norton Ret 0
- Giuseppe Mantelli Gilera Ret 0
- Kurt Maul Norton Ret 0
- Robert McCracken Norton Ret 0
- Bernard Morle Norton Ret 0
- Albert Moule Norton Ret 0
- Andrew Mustard BSA Ret 0
- Pierre Nicholas Norton Ret 0
- Jules Nies Norton Ret 0
- Frank Norris Norton Ret 0
- George Northwood Norton Ret 0
- Grenville Pennington BSA Ret 0
- Harry Plews Norton Ret 0
- Brian Purslow Norton Ret 0
- Charlie Salt BSA Ret 0
- George Salt Norton Ret 0
- Karl-Heinz Scheifel Matchless Ret 0
- Toni Schmitz Norton Ret 0
- Brian Setchell Norton Ret 0
- Casper Swart Norton Ret 0
- Percy Tait Norton Ret 0
- Don Tickle Norton Ret 0
- Hermann Vogt Matchless Ret 0
- Danny Walker Norton Ret 0
- Trevor Williams Norton Ret 0
- Ian Yates Norton Ret 0
- Gianvittorio Ziglioli Moto Guzzi Ret 0
Pos Rider Bike GER
 MAN
 HOL
 BEL
 ULS
 NAC
 Pts
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Finished, in points
Blue Finished, no points
Not classified (NC)
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not participate
Excluded (EX)

Bold – Pole
Italics – Fastest Lap

1957 350cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins
1 Keith Campbell Australia Moto Guzzi 30 3
2 Bob McIntyre United Kingdom Gilera 22 2
3 Libero Liberati 7 Italy Gilera 22 1
4 Keith Bryen Australia Moto Guzzi 12 0
5 John Hartle 8 United Kingdom Norton 11 0
6 Giuseppe Colnago Italy Moto Guzzi 7 0
7 Bob Brown 17 Australia Gilera 6 0
8 Alano Montanari 3 Italy Moto Guzzi 5 0
9 Helmut Hallmeier West Germany NSU 4 0
10 Jack Brett 12 United Kingdom Norton 3 0
10 Umberto Masetti 14 Italy MV Agusta 3 0
10 Alfredo Milani Italy Gilera 3 0
10 John Surtees 4 United Kingdom MV Agusta 3 0

1957 250cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins
1 Cecil Sandford 5 United Kingdom Mondial 26 2
2 Tarquinio Provini Italy Mondial 16 2
3 Sammy Miller 7 United Kingdom Mondial 14 0
4 Roberto Colombo Italy MV Agusta 10 0
5 John Hartle 8 United Kingdom MV Agusta 8 1
5 Carlo Ubbiali 1 Italy MV Agusta 8 1
7 Luigi Taveri 2 Switzerland MV Agusta 8 0
8 Dave Chadwick United Kingdom MV Agusta 7 0
9 Enrico Lorenzetti Italy Moto Guzzi 7 0
10 Remo Venturi 6 Italy MV Agusta 6 0

1957 125cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins
1 Tarquinio Provini 4 Italy Mondial 30 3
2 Luigi Taveri 3 Switzerland MV Agusta 22 1
3 Carlo Ubbiali 1 Italy MV Agusta 22 2
4 Sammy Miller United Kingdom Mondial 12 0
5 Roberto Colombo Italy MV Agusta 11 0
6 Cecil Sandford United Kingdom Mondial 9 0
7 Remo Venturi Italy MV Agusta 6 0
8 Fortunato Libanori 5 Italy MV Agusta 5 0
9 František Bartoš Czechoslovakia CZ 3 0
9 Dave Chadwick United Kingdom MV Agusta 3 0
9 Horst Fügner East Germany MZ 3 0

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Noyes, Dennis; Scott, Michael (1999), Motocourse: 50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix, Hazleton Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1874557837 
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