The 1977 Yugoslavian motorcycle Grand Prix was the seventh round of the
FIM 1977 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
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 ti ...
. It took place on 19 June 1977 at the
Opatija Circuit. The event was marred by two fatalities, and this turned out to be the last Yugoslavian motorcycle Grand Prix at Opatija. The event moved to the further inland
Rijeka Circuit.
Race summary
The event took place under heavy rumors of it being cancelled because of the existing safety conditions of the seaside Opatija
street circuit. The Yugoslavian Grand Prix promoters had received an ultimatum from the FIM before the race that, if they did not improve the safety of the circuit, the event would be canceled.
Despite the circuit's scenic setting, it was an unsafe race track due to high speeds on narrow roads coupled with numerous unmovable roadside obstacles, such as trees, stone walls, lampposts, electric poles, embankments, houses, and the Adriatic Sea.
The safety conditions at the Opatija Circuit had previously been protested by competitors in
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
when, in the aftermath of the deaths of
Jarno Saarinen
Jarno Karl Keimo Saarinen (11 December 1945 – 20 May 1973) was a Finnish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. In the early 1970s, he was considered one of the most promising and talented motorcycle racers of his era until he was kil ...
and
Renzo Pasolini at
the Monza round, several racing teams including
Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below).
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...
,
Harley Davidson Harley may refer to:
People
* Harley (given name)
* Harley (surname)
Places
* Harley, Ontario, a township in Canada
* Harley, Brant County, Ontario, Canada
* Harley, Shropshire, England
* Harley, South Yorkshire, England
* Harley Street, in L ...
and
MV Agusta, boycotted the event due to unsafe track conditions.
Other riders chose to compete, but with less than their full efforts.
In the
1974 Yugoslavian Grand Prix, British rider
Billie Nelson crashed into the crowd during the 250cc race, injuring several spectators.
Nelson died later that night at a hospital.
The 1977 Grand Prix turned into a disaster when Italian rider, Giovanni Ziggiotto, crashed during practice for the 250cc race when his motorcycle's
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...
seized and he was hit from behind by
Per-Edward Carlson.
He died four days later in a hospital.
During the 50 cc race,
Ulrich Graf crashed when his bike developed a rear tire puncture and he was thrown into a rock wall.
He suffered serious head injuries and died later in a hospital.
The tragedy forced the venue off the Grand Prix schedule and the Yugoslavian Grand Prix was moved to the
Rijeka Circuit for the
1978 season.
350 cc classification
250 cc classification
125 cc classification
50 cc classification
References
{{MotoGP_race report
, Name_of_race =
Yugoslavian Grand Prix
, Year_of_race = 1977
, Previous_race_in_season =
1977 French Grand Prix
The 1977 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Dijon on 3 July 1977. It was race 9 of 17 in both the 1977 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1977 International Cup for F1 Constructors.
The 80-lap race was won by American d ...
, Next_race_in_season =
1977 Dutch TT
, Previous_year's_race =
1976 Yugoslavian Grand Prix
, Next_year's_race =
1978 Yugoslavian Grand Prix
Yugoslav motorcycle Grand Prix
Yugoslavian
Motorcycle Grand Prix
1977 in Yugoslav sport
Motorsport in Croatia