The 1974 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 26th F.I.M.

Road Racing Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

World Championship season.

Season summary

MV Agusta MV Agusta (, full name: MV AGUSTA Motor S.p.A., original name: Meccanica Verghera Agusta or MV) is a motorcycle manufacturer founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in ...

and

Phil Read Phillip William Read, (1 January 1939 – 6 October 2022) was an English professional motorcycle racer. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1961 to 1976. Read is notable for being the first competitor to win world championships ...

claimed a second successive 500cc crown. It would be the Italian firm's last world championship and their seventeenth 500cc title in a row. Giacomo Agostini switched to the

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...

Yamahas but was troubled by injuries and mechanical troubles.

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

started to get competitive with

Barry Sheene Barry Steven Frank Sheene (11 September 1950 – 10 March 2003) was a British professional motorcycle racer. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing even ...

and

Jack Findlay Cyril John Findlay (5 February 1935 – 19 May 2007) was an Australian professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He is noted for having one of the longest racing careers in Grand Prix history spanning 20 years, as well as one of four rid ...

on four cylinder two-strokes.

pulled out of the 350cc class, giving Agostini a free run, taking his fourteenth world title.

Walter Villa Walter Villa (born 13 August 1943 - 18 June 2002) was an Italian four-time Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world champion. He was known for his quiet, unassuming nature off the bike who became a ruthless competitor once the races began. Motorc ...

took over for the deceased Renzo Pasolini and won the 250cc crown giving

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...

the title after they bought the

Aermacchi Aermacchi was an Italian aircraft manufacturer. Formerly known as Aeronautica Macchi, the company was founded in 1912 by Giulio Macchi at Varese in north-western Lombardy as Nieuport-Macchi, to build Nieuport monoplanes under licence for the It ...

factory, reworked and renamed the bikes. Kent Andersson won his second championship title in the 125cc class.

Kreidler Kreidler was a German manufacturer of bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles. Kreidler was originally based in Kornwestheim, between Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart. It was founded in 1903 as "Kreidlers Metall- und Drahtwerke" (Kreidlers metal and wire ...

continued to dominate the 50cc class with Dutchman Henk Van Kessel winning the crown. Safety continued to be an issue with most riders boycotting the rainy German round at the improved Nürburgring Nordschleife as the track had not been fitted with straw bales to accommodate automobile racing on the same day. Thus, rather unknown German riders took all wins. It served as a focal point in the increasingly bitter debate about safety. British rider

Billie Nelson Billie Nelson (2 November 1941 – 8 September 1974) was a British professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. His best season was in 1969 when he finished the year in fourth place in the 500cc world championship. Nelson also passengered f ...

died after crashing into the crowd during the 250cc Yugoslavian Grand Prix, injuring several spectators. He died later that night at a hospital.

1974 Grand Prix season calendar

Final standings

1974 500 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

1974 350 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

1974 250 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

1974 125 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

1974 50 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

References

* Büla, Maurice & Schertenleib, Jean-Claude (2001). ''Continental Circus 1949-2000''. Chronosports S.A. * {{DEFAULTSORT:1974 Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing Season Grand Prix motorcycle racing seasons