1977 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season explained

The 1977 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 29th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.

Season summary

Suzuki saw off a strong challenge from Yamaha to take their second consecutive 500cc crown. Angel Nieto made it three 50cc titles in a row on a Bultaco while Morbidelli would win an impressive double world championship in the 125cc and 250cc divisions. Pier Paolo Bianchi successfully defended his 125cc title while fellow countryman Mario Lega captured the 250cc championship for the tiny Italian concern. The 350cc crown went to Takazumi Katayama on a special three cylinder Yamaha built in Holland, making him the first-ever Japanese world champion. Barry Sheene made it two premier titles in a row, winning from two Americans, Steve Baker and Pat Hennen.

The season was marred by numerous fatal accidents, including a terrible crash at the 350cc Austrian Grand Prix that claimed the life of Swiss rider, Hans Stadelmann and seriously injuring Johnny Cecotto, Patrick Fernandez, Dieter Braun and Franco Uncini.^[1] The accident led to a rider's strike in the 500 class, although organizers pressed on with Jack Findlay winning from a reduced field of competitors.^[2] Braun decided to end his riding career after recovering from his injuries.^[3]

In addition to this incident, the Yugoslavian Grand Prix at the notorious Opatija Circuit was also stricken by tragedy. After having been issued an ultimatum by the FIM, the Yugoslavian race organizers failed to take action to improve the safety of the circuit – which was notorious for its numerous road-side hazards including solid rock walls and steep, barely protected drop offs.^[4] The event was a disaster with Italian rider, Giovanni Ziggiotto, crashing during practice for the 250cc race when his motorcycle's engine seized and he was hit from behind by Per-Edward Carlson.^[5] He died four days later in a hospital.^[6] During the 50 cc race, Ulrich Graf crashed when his bike developed a rear tire puncture and he was thrown into a stone wall.^[5] He suffered serious head injuries and died later in a hospital.^[4] The Opatija Circuit was never used again for any kind of racing and, the Yugoslavian Grand Prix was moved to the nearby Rijeka permanent circuit.^[5]

Despite finishing second in the 500cc championship and winning the Formula 750 title, Baker would be released by Yamaha at the end of the year. Giacomo Agostini would retire after the season, ending his seventeen-year career with a record 122 Grand Prix victories and 15 World Championships.

1977 Grand Prix season calendar

Round	Date	Race	Location	50cc winner	125cc winner	250cc winner	350cc winner	500cc winner	Report
1	March 20	Venezuelan Grand Prix	San Carlos		Ángel Nieto	Walter Villa	Johnny Cecotto	Barry Sheene	Report
2	May 1	Austrian Grand Prix	Salzburgring		Eugenio Lazzarini		Race cancelled	Jack Findlay	Report
3	May 8	German Grand Prix	Hockenheim	Herbert Rittberger	Pier Paolo Bianchi	Christian Sarron	Takazumi Katayama	Barry Sheene	Report
4	May 15	Nations Grand Prix	Imola	Eugenio Lazzarini	Pier Paolo Bianchi	Franco Uncini	Alan North	Barry Sheene	Report
5	May 22	Spanish Grand Prix	Jarama	Ángel Nieto	Pier Paolo Bianchi	Takazumi Katayama	Michel Rougerie		Report
6	May 29	French Grand Prix	Paul Ricard		Pier Paolo Bianchi	Jon Ekerold	Takazumi Katayama	Barry Sheene	Report
7	June 19	Yugoslavian Grand Prix	Opatija	Ángel Nieto	Pier Paolo Bianchi	Mario Lega	Takazumi Katayama		Report
8	June 25	Dutch TT	Assen	Ángel Nieto	Ángel Nieto	Mick Grant	Kork Ballington	Wil Hartog	Report
9	July 3	Belgian Grand Prix	Spa	Eugenio Lazzarini	Pier Paolo Bianchi	Walter Villa		Barry Sheene	Report
10	July 24	Swedish Grand Prix	Anderstorp	Ricardo Tormo	Ángel Nieto	Mick Grant	Takazumi Katayama	Barry Sheene	Report
11	July 31	Finnish Grand Prix	Imatra		Pier Paolo Bianchi	Walter Villa	Takazumi Katayama	Johnny Cecotto	Report
12	August 7	Czechoslovakian Grand Prix	Brno			Franco Uncini	Johnny Cecotto	Johnny Cecotto	Report
13	August 14	British Grand Prix	Silverstone		Pierluigi Conforti	Kork Ballington	Kork Ballington	Pat Hennen	Report

Participants

500cc participants

Team Constructor Motorcycle No. Rider Rounds Yamoto Marlboro Yamaha Yamaha YZR500 (OW35) 1 10 Giacomo Agostini 4–11 Life Racing Team Suzuki ??? 2 Teuvo Länsivuori 4–7, 9–11 4 19 Marco Lucchinelli 4–7, 9–11 Texaco Heron Team Suzuki Suzuki RGA500 3 Pat Hennen 1, 3–11 7 Barry Sheene 1, 3–9, 11 21 1 Steve Parrish 1, 3–11 ??? Suzuki RG 500 6 Philippe Coulon 1, 3–7 Hermetite Racing International ??? 8 Jack Findlay 2–4, 7–8, 11 24 Alex George 2, 11 Elf 12 16 Michel Rougerie 6, 8–10 Team Nava-Olio Fiat 12 14 Virginio Ferrari 1, 4–6 Suzuki RG 500 22 13 Gianfranco Bonera 3, 5, 8–11 Venemotos Yamaha Yamaha YZR500 (OW35) 14 19 Johnny Cecotto 1, 10–13 Ceramiche Della Robbia Suzuki ??? 15 Armando Toracca 4–6, 8–9 Riemersma 22 Wil Hartog 3–11 Yamaha International Yamaha Yamaha YZR500 (OW35) 25 32 Steve Baker 1, 3–11 Boeri Dainese Guidici Racing Team Suzuki ??? 37 Helmut Kassner 2, 10 MSC Rottenegg 46 Max Wiener 2–3, 10–11 Source: ^[7]

Key Regular Rider Wildcard Rider Replacement Rider

Final standings

500cc standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Barry Sheene	7	United Kingdom	Suzuki	107	6
2	Steve Baker	32	United States	Yamaha	80	0
3	Pat Hennen	40	United States	Suzuki	67	1
4	Johnny Cecotto		Venezuela	Yamaha	50	2
5	Steve Parrish		United Kingdom	Suzuki	39	0
6	Giacomo Agostini	1	Italy	Yamaha	37	0
7	Franco Bonera		Italy	Suzuki	37	0
8	Philippe Coulon	6	Switzerland	Suzuki	36	0
9	Teuvo Lansivuori	2	Finland	Suzuki	35	0
10	Wil Hartog		Netherlands	Suzuki	30	1
11	Marco Lucchinelli		Italy		25
12	Virginio Ferrari		Italy		21
13	Michel Rougerie		France		21
14	Armando Toracca		Italy		21
15	Max Wiener		Austria		20
16	Jack Findlay		Australia		17	1
17	Alex George				15
18	Helmut Kassner				9
19	Steve Wright				6
20	Franz Heller				6
21	Christian Estrosi		France		6
22	Michael Schmid		Austria		5
23	John Newbold				4
24	Derek Chatterton				4
25	Anton Mang				4
26	Charlie Williams				4
27	Boet Van Dulmen		Netherlands		3
28	Jean Philippe Orban		Belgium		2
29	Franz Rau				2
30	Kevin Wrettom				1
31	Alan North				1
32	Karl Auer				1

350cc standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Takazumi Katayama	7	Japan	Yamaha	95	5
2	Tom Herron	4	United Kingdom	Yamaha	56	0
3	Jon Ekerold		South Africa	Yamaha	54	0
4	Michel Rougerie		France	Yamaha	50	1
5	Kork Ballington		South Africa	Yamaha	46	2
6	Olivier Chevallier	9	France	Yamaha	39	0
7	Christian Sarron		France	Yamaha	38	0
8	Patrick Fernandez		France	Yamaha	34	0
9	Johnny Cecotto	2	Venezuela	Yamaha	30	2
10	Alan North		South Africa	Yamaha	30	1
11	Bruno Kneubühler				24
12	Victor Soussan				21
13	Penti Korhonen				20
14	Pekka Nurmi				18
15	Victor Palomo				18
16	Giacomo Agostini				16
17	Patrick Pons				15
18	Walter Villa				14
19	Mario Lega				12
20	Franco Uncini				11
21	John Dodds				11
22	John Williams				10
23	Eero Hyvärinen				10
24	Eddie Roberts				8
25	Philip Bouzanne				6
26	Alan Stewart				6
27	P.Mezerhane				4
28	Seppo Rossi				4
29	Helmut Kassner				4
30	Michel Frutschi				4
31	Jean Claude Hogrel				3
32	C.Bellon				3
33	Tapio Virtanen				3
34	Eduardo Aleman				2
35	D.Boulom				2
36	A.Hockley				1
37	R.Tausani				1
38	John Newbold				1
39	Karl Auer				1
40	Chas Mortimer				1

250cc standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Mario Lega		Italy	Morbidelli	85	1
2	Franco Uncini		Italy	Harley-Davidson	72	2
3	Walter Villa	1	Italy	Harley-Davidson	67	3
4	Takazumi Katayama		Japan	Yamaha	58	1
5	Tom Herron	4	United Kingdom	Yamaha	54	0
6	Kork Ballington		South Africa	Yamaha	49	1
7	Alan North	6	South Africa	Yamaha	43	0
8	Mick Grant		United Kingdom	Kawasaki	42	2
9	Jon Ekerold		South Africa	Yamaha	42	1
10	Patrick Fernandez		France	Yamaha	28	0
11	Barry Ditchburn				27
12	Victor Soussan				25
13	Olivier Chevallier				25
14	Christian Sarron				23
15	Aldo Nannini				19
16	Penti Korhonen				15
17	Akihiko Kiyohara				14
18	Guy Bertin				11
19	Pekka Nurmi				11
20	Victor Palomo				10
21	Eric Saul				10
22	John Dodds				9
23	Vinicio Salmi				8
24	Masahiro Wada				8
25	Pierluigi Conforti				6
26	Bruno Kneubühler				6
27	Michel Rougerie				6
28	Chas Mortimer				5
29	Jean-François Baldé				4
30	Eero Hyvärinen				3
31	Philip Bouzanne				2
32	Paolo Pileri				2
33	Patrick Pons				2
34	M.Corradini				1
35	Vanes Francini				1

125cc standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Pier Paolo Bianchi	1	Italy	Morbidelli	131	7
2	Eugenio Lazzarini	7	Italy	Morbidelli	105	1
3	Angel Nieto	2	Spain	Bultaco	80	3
4	Jean-Louis Guignabodet	6	France	Morbidelli	62	0
5	Anton Mang	5	West Germany	Morbidelli	55	0
6	Gert Bender		West Germany	Bender	38	0
7	Harald Bartol		Austria	Morbidelli	32	0
8	Hans Müller		Switzerland	Morbidelli	32	0
9	Stefan Dörflinger		Switzerland	Morbidelli	32	0
10	Pierluigi Conforti		Italy	Morbidelli	30	1
11	Maurizio Massimiani				22
12	Giuseppe Zigiotto				21
13	Julien Van Zeebroeck				20
14	Ivan Carlsson				14
15	Ermanno Giuliano				11
16	Ivan Palazzase				10
17	Sauro Pazzaglia				9
18	Rino Pretelli				8
19	Claudio Lusuardi				8
20	Matti Kinnunen				7
21	Thierry Noblesse				6
22	Willy Perez				5
23	Johann Parzer				5
24	Rolf Blatter				5
25	B.Johansson				5
26	Cees Van Dongen				5
27	Horst Seel				4
28	Rafael Olavarria				4
29	Janos Drapal				4
30	Thierry Espié				4
31	Werner Schmied				3
32	G.Willi				2
33	Jan Huberts				2
34	Patrick Plisson				2
35	Enrico Cereda				1
36	Paolo Cipriani				1
37	J.Novarrete				1

50cc standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Angel Nieto	1	Spain	Bultaco	87	3
2	Eugenio Lazzarini	4	Italy	Kreidler	72	2
3	Ricardo Tormo		Spain	Bultaco	69	1
4	Herbert Rittberger	2	West Germany	Kreidler	53	1
5	Patrick Plisson		France	ABF	26	0
6	Stefan Dörflinger	7	Switzerland	Kreidler	26	0
7	Jean-Louis Guignabodet		France	Morbidelli	14	0
8	Hans Hummel	9	Austria	Kreidler	11	0
9	Julien van Zeebroeck	6	Belgium	Kreidler	10	0
10	Ramon Gali		Spain	Derbi	10	0
11	Ulrich Graf				9
12	Hagen Klein				9
13	Cees Van Dongen				8
14	Theo Timmer				8
15	Aldo Pero				7
16	Günter Schirnhofer				7
17	Rolf Blatter				6
18	Rudolf Kunz				5
19	Claudio Lusuardi				5
20	Wolfgang Müller				4
21	Engelbert Kip				3
22	Adrijan Bernetic				3
23	Lennart Lundgren				2
24	Ingo Emmerich				2
25	C.Dumont				2
26	E.Mischiatti				2
27	Juup Bosman				1
28	J.Novarrete				1
29	Peter Looijensteijn				1
30	Jacques Hutteau				1

See also

• 1977 Formula 750 season

References

Sources

• Büla, Maurice & Schertenleib, Jean-Claude (2001). Continental Circus 1949–2000. Chronosports S.A.
• Web site: The Official MotoGP website . 2010-07-06.

Notes and References

1. News: Cyclist Killed In Prix Race . Associated Press . The Milwaukee Sentinel . 2 . 2 May 1977 . 4 December 2011 . 23 December 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151223153433/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2MUVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6xEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4828,101306&dq=johnny+cecotto&hl=en . dead .
2. Web site: Motorsport Memorial -. www.motorsportmemorial.org.
3. http://www.iomtt.com/News/2007/03/20/Yamaha-Classic-Racing-Team-commit-to-TT-Centenary-celebrations.aspx Yamaha Classic Racing Team commit to TT Centenary celebrations
4. Web site: Ulrich Graf . motorsportmemorial.org . 16 December 2011 . 1 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181001193837/http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/search.php?s=ulrich+graf&Search=Submit&db=ms&s_into=all . dead .
5. Web site: Preluk – Opatija . racingcircuits.info . 11 April 2017.
6. Book: Motocourse 1977–1978 . Hazleton Securities Ltd . Carter . Chris . 86 . 0-905138-04-X.
7. Web site: 500cc Grand Prix entry lists for 1976 to 1978. Motorcycle Racing Online.