1973 FIM Motocross World Championship

1973 Motocross World Championship
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The 1973 FIM Motocross World Championship was the 17th F.I.M. Motocross Racing World Championship season.

Summary

Roger De Coster won his third consecutive 500cc world championship for Suzuki ahead of West German rider, Willy Bauer. The championship wasn't decided until the final race in the Netherlands, when Bauer suffered a mechanical breakdown, losing the championship to De Coster by two points.[1] Kawasaki joined the world championships with Brad Lackey in the 500cc class and Torleif Hansen in the 250cc class.

Suzuki's defense of the 500cc world championship was dealt a setback when, the FIM announced a new motorcycle minimum weight limit of 209 pounds just before the start of the season.[2] European motorcycle manufacturers competing in the championship complained to the FIM that Suzuki was spending millions of dollars to build lightweight motorcycles that the smaller European manufacturers found impossible to compete with.[2] Suzuki had already developed and built their race bikes so, there was no time to build new bikes. As a result, Suzuki resorted to adding ballast to the bikes.[2] Unfortunately, these alterations threw the bikes out of balance and caused them to lose traction.[2][3] To make matters worse, Maico and Yamaha had developed new rear suspensions with longer travel which helped transfer power to the rear wheel over rough terrain.[2][3] The Suzuki management felt they were being unjustly treated by the FIM and were slow to react to developments by the other manufacturers.[2][3][4]

Most of the Western European riders boycotted the Austrian 500cc round due to heavy snow on the track.[5] As the season got underway, Yamaha's new rear "monoshock" suspension began to make an impact with Christer Hammargren winning a moto and Jaak van Velthoven taking the overall win at the Finnish Grand Prix.[2] De Coster won both motos of the Italian Grand Prix but, Bauer came back with a hard fought victory in Czechoslovakia, relegating De Coster to second place in both motos and took the lead in the championship points tally.[2] Bauer then took control of the championship by winning 5 out of the next 6 motos.[5] Suzuki management's frustration at their perceived unfair treatment led to a lapse in support and, Suzuki team riders De Coster and Sylvain Geboers then took matters into their own hands by modifying their motorcycle's frames and developed new rear suspensions.[2][3]

Going into the final race of the season at Sint Anthonis, Holland, Bauer was still holding the points lead but, the Suzukis were showing improvement. The Sint Anthonis track was composed of deep sand which robbed engines of power and increased fuel consumption.[2] A Suzuki engineer calculated that their bike's gas tanks did not have sufficient capacity to finish the race.[2] De Coster then took one of their tanks and drove two and a half hours to have the tank modified to increase its volume.[2] He then drove back in time for the race. Despite having little sleep, De Coster scored two fourth-place finishes while Bauer suffered a mechanical failure handing De Coster his third consecutive 500cc world championship.[2]

Håkan Andersson won the 250cc world championship to give Yamaha its first motocross world championship. Yamaha's new and innovative single shock rear suspension made its debut at the third round in Belgium and was proven to be successful when Andersson won the overall victory.[6] The new suspension design would go on to revolutionize the sport.[6] Jim Pomeroy riding a privateer Bultaco, became the first American rider to win an overall victory in an FIM Motocross Grand Prix race when he won the season opening Spanish Grand Prix.[7] His victory also marked the first Grand Prix victory for the Bultaco factory.[8] Competitors from nine different manufacturers placed in the top ten of the 250cc championship final standings, reflecting the thriving vitality of the sport of motocross.

Grands Prix

500cc[5][9]

Round Date Grand Prix Location Race 1 Winner Race 2 Winner Overall Winner Report
1 April 1 France French Grand Prix Tarare Sweden Christer Hammargren Belgium Roger De Coster Netherlands Gerrit Wolsink Report
2 April 15 Austria Austrian Grand Prix Sittendorf Czechoslovakia Jiri Stodulka Czechoslovakia Jiri Stodulka Czechoslovakia Jiri Stodulka Report
3 May 20 Finland Finnish Grand Prix Ruskeasanta Sweden Christer Hammargren Belgium Roger De Coster Belgium Jaak van Velthoven Report
4 May 27 Italy Italian Grand Prix Pinerolo Belgium Roger De Coster Belgium Roger De Coster Belgium Roger De Coster Report
5 June 3 Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakian Grand Prix Holice Germany Willy Bauer Germany Willy Bauer Germany Willy Bauer Report
6 June 24 United States United States Grand Prix Carlsbad Germany Willy Bauer Germany Willy Bauer Germany Willy Bauer Report
7 July 15 Germany West German Grand Prix Bielstein Germany Willy Bauer Belgium Roger De Coster Belgium Roger De Coster Report
8 August 5 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix Namur Germany Willy Bauer Germany Willy Bauer Germany Willy Bauer Report
9 August 12 Luxembourg Luxembourg Grand Prix Ettelbruck Sweden Åke Jonsson Sweden Åke Jonsson Sweden Åke Jonsson Report
10 August 12 Netherlands Dutch Grand Prix Sint Anthonis Sweden Åke Jonsson Netherlands Gerrit Wolsink Sweden Åke Jonsson Report

250cc[10][11]

Round Date Grand Prix Location Race 1 Winner Race 2 Winner Overall Winner Report
1 April 8 Spain Spanish Grand Prix Sabadell United States Jim Pomeroy Germany Adolf Weil United States Jim Pomeroy Report
2 April 15 Italy Italian Grand Prix Serramazzoni Finland Heikki Mikkola Soviet Union Pavel Rulev Germany Adolf Weil Report
3 April 29 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix Wuustwezel Finland Heikki Mikkola Sweden Håkan Andersson Sweden Håkan Andersson Report
4 May 6 Switzerland Swiss Grand Prix Payerne Sweden Håkan Andersson Sweden Håkan Andersson Sweden Håkan Andersson Report
5 May 13 Poland Polish Grand Prix Szczecin Sweden Håkan Andersson Sweden Håkan Andersson Sweden Håkan Andersson Report
6 May 20 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavian Grand Prix Orehova vas Soviet Union Guennady Moisseev Sweden Håkan Andersson Soviet Union Guennady Moisseev Report
7 June 17 France French Grand Prix Cassel Germany Adolf Weil Sweden Håkan Andersson Germany Adolf Weil Report
8 August 5 Finland Finnish Grand Prix Hyvinkää Sweden Håkan Andersson Sweden Håkan Andersson Sweden Håkan Andersson Report
9 August 12 Soviet Union Russian Grand Prix Leningrad Germany Adolf Weil Germany Adolf Weil Germany Adolf Weil Report
10 August 19 Sweden Swedish Grand Prix Ulricehamn Sweden Håkan Andersson Sweden Håkan Andersson Sweden Håkan Andersson Report
11 August 26 Austria Austrian Grand Prix Launsdorf Germany Adolf Weil Finland Heikki Mikkola Germany Adolf Weil Report

Final Standings

500cc[1][5]
Pos Rider Team Points
1 Belgium Roger De Coster Suzuki 145
2 Germany Willy Bauer Maico 143
3 Belgium Jaak van Velthoven Yamaha 122
4 Sweden Åke Jonsson Yamaha 109
5 Netherlands Gerrit Wolsink Maico 105
6 Sweden Christer Hammargren Yamaha 87
7 Czechoslovakia Jiri Stodulka ČZ 56
8 Germany Werner Schutz Maico 56
9 Czechoslovakia Oldrich Hamrsmid ČZ 45
10 Czechoslovakia Otakar Toman ČZ 45
11 United Kingdom John Banks BSA 36
12 Sweden Bengt Åberg Husqvarna 35
13 United States Brad Lackey Kawasaki 26
14 Netherlands Frans Sigmans Yamaha 24
15 Austria Walter Leitgeb Puch 22
16 Soviet Union Anatoly Botchkov ČZ 20
17 Sweden Bert-Ove Wallner Husqvarna 16
18 Austria Friedrich Schiechtl Husqvarna 13
19 Italy Giuseppe Cavallero Maico 12
20 Soviet Union Vladimir Ovchinnikov ČZ 12
21 United Kingdom Vic Eastwood Maico / AJS 12
22 Netherlands Peter Willems Yamaha 10
23 Switzerland Fritz Graf Yamaha 9
24 Belgium Willy van Loon ČZ 8
25 Italy Paolo Piron Husqvarna / Bultaco 7
26 France Daniel Péan Maico 6
27 Netherlands Pierre Karsmakers Yamaha 6
27 Belgium Yvan Van den Broeck Husqvarna / Maico 6
29 Sweden Arne Lindfors Yamaha 5
30 United States John DeSoto ČZ 5
31 Soviet Union Nikolai Efimov ČZ 5
32 Austria Siegfried Lerner KTM 4
32 France Serge Bacou Bultaco 4
32 Netherlands Tiny Van Erp Maico 4
35 Belgium Raymond Heeren Maico 4
35 Belgium Julien de Roover ČZ 4
37 Soviet Union Anatoly Mandritchenko ČZ 4
37 Sweden Arne Kring Husqvarna 4
38 Italy Alberto Angiolini Maico 3
39 Czechoslovakia Zdenek Strnad ČZ 3
41 Soviet Union Viatcheslav Krasnotchekov ČZ 1
41 United States Jimmy Weinert Kawasaki 1
250cc[12][13]
Pos Rider Team Points
1 Sweden Håkan Andersson Yamaha 177
2 Germany Adolf Weil Maico 157
3 Finland Heikki Mikkola Husqvarna 143
4 Sweden Torleif Hansen Kawasaki 111
5 Soviet Union Guennady Moisseev KTM 104
6 Czechoslovakia Jaroslav Falta CZ 86
7 United States Jim Pomeroy Bultaco 71
8 Soviet Union Pavel Rulev KTM 49
9 Sweden Uno Palm Puch 49
10 Finland Kalevi Vehkonen Montesa 43
11 Germany Hans Maisch Maico 35
12 Soviet Union Leonid Shinkarenko CZ 35
13 Soviet Union Evgeniy Rybalchenko CZ 32
14 Belgium Harry Everts Puch 30
15 Soviet Union Antonin Baborowsky CZ 27
16 Belgium Jean-Claude Laquaye Yamaha 27
17 Japan Torao Suzuki Yamaha 24
18 Belgium Joël Robert Suzuki 15
19 Netherlands Jo Lammers Montesa 15
20 Belgium Gaston Rahier Suzuki 11
21 Czechoslovakia Miroslav Halm CZ 11
22 Belgium Sylvain Geboers Suzuki 10
23 United Kingdom Andy Roberton Husqvarna 9
24 Germany Herbert Schmitz Maico 7
25 Czechoslovakia Zdeneck Velky CZ 6
26 Soviet Union Alexej Kibirin CZ 5
27 Finland Lars Ohberg Montesa 3
27 Finland Jorma Jarvinen Montesa 3
29 Soviet Union Yuri Khudiakov CZ 2
29 Belgium Claude Jobe Montesa 2
29 Belgium Raymond Boven Montesa 2
32 Belgium Marcel Wiertz Bultaco 1
32 Netherlands Stef Van der Sluis Yamaha 1
31 Sweden Olle Pettersson Kawasaki 1

References

  1. 1 2 "1973 500cc motocross world championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "1973 Suzuki RN-73". mxworksbike.com. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Roger De Coster Interview". supercross.com. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "The First US GP". motoretroillustrated.com. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "1973 500cc motocross world championship". akejonsson.com. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Torsten Hallman 2005". mxworksbike.com. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  7. ↑ "Jim Pomeroy at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame". motorcyclemuseum.org. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Jim Pomeroy, Motocross Legend". ultimatemotorcycling.com. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "1973 500cc motocross world championship race results". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "1973 250cc motocross world championship race results". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "1973 250cc motocross world championship race results". jwvanessen.com. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  12. ↑ "1973 250cc motocross world championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  13. ↑ "1973 250cc motocross world championship final standings". jwvanessen.com. Retrieved 25 January 2016.

External links

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