Mick Doohan
Michael Sydney Doohan (born 4 June 1965) is an Australian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion, who won five consecutive 500 cc World Championships.
Biography
Originally from the Gold Coast, Queensland, Doohan attended ...
with another dominating performance. He broke Giacomo Agostini's record for victories in one season with 12 wins. It was also dominating year for Honda with eight of the top ten riders aboard Hondas. The
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 ...
and
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 ...
teams were in disarray.
Kenny Roberts
Kenneth Leroy Roberts (born December 31, 1951, in Modesto, California) is an American former professional motorcycle racer and racing team owner. In 1978, he became the first American to win a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship ...
left Yamaha to start his own venture with a lightweight, three-cylinder
Modenas
''Syarikat Motosikal dan Enjin Nasional Sdn. Bhd'' (National Motorcycle and Engine Company), or known as Modenas for short is a Malaysian national motorcycle company producing various small motorcycle models below 400cc targeted for local market ...
Norifumi Abe
, or was a Japanese professional motorcycle road racer who was previously a 500 cc/MotoGP rider. He died in a road traffic crash in October 2007.
Career
Abe was born to , a paved flat track rider, in Tokyo. When he was eleven, Abe began raci ...
and
Sete Gibernau
Manuel "Sete" Gibernau Bultó (born 15 December 1972) is a Spanish former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who is a 9-time 500cc/MotoGP race winner and a two-time overall runner-up in and . His racing career spans three different ...
, a rookie.
Daryl Beattie
Daryl Beattie (born 26 September 1970 in Charleville, Queensland, Australia) is a former Grand Prix solo motorcycle road racer.
Motorsport career
Beattie posted several good results at the beginning of the 1992 500cc Grand Prix season then ...
wasn't able to come back from head injuries and retired at the end of the year while
Anthony Gobert
Anthony Gobert (born 5 March 1975 in Greenacre, New South Wales, Australia) is a former professional motorcycle road racer, nicknamed The Go Show. He was a rider of immense promise and talent who had his career derailed by a personal struggle ...
failed a drug test and was dismissed by the Suzuki team. The Elf team soldiered on with their Swiss-Auto V4 but Aprilia decided to pull their V twin from the 500 class at the end of the year.
Max Biaggi
Massimiliano "Max" Biaggi (; born 26 June 1971) is an Italian former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who achieved six World Championships. With four 250 cc road race titles and two in World Superbikes, he is one of only two ri ...
had a harder time defending his title from
Tetsuya Harada
is a Japanese former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was the 1993 FIM 250cc World Champion.
Early years
Born in Chiba, Japan, Harada won the Japanese 125cc Junior championship in 1988, and was runner-up to Tadayuki Okada in the A ...
and
Ralf Waldmann
Ralf Waldmann (14 July 1966 – 10 March 2018) was a German Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.
__TOC__
Motorcycle racing career
In 1996, Waldmann finished second to Max Biaggi in the 250cc world championship. A new star emerged from the 125 class with
Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi (; ; born 16 February 1979) is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed ''The Doctor'', he is widely considered to be one of the greatest motorcyc ...
winning 11 races for a commanding win on an Aprilia.
1997 Grand Prix season calendar
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1997:
†† = Saturday race
Calendar changes
* The
Malaysian Grand Prix
The Malaysian Grand Prix (officially the Malaysia Grand Prix from 1963–1965 and 2011–2017 and Malayan Grand Prix in 1962) was an annual auto race held in Malaysia. It was part of the Formula One World Championship from 1999 to 2017 and it ...
replaced the
Japanese Grand Prix
The Japanese Grand Prix ( ja, 日本グランプリ, Nihon-guranpuri) is a motor racing event in the calendar of the Formula One, Formula One World Championship. Historically, Japan has been one of the last races of the season, and as such the ...
with hosting the opening round Grand Prix.
* The
Indonesian Grand Prix
The Indonesian Grand Prix was an open-wheel racing car motor race, held intermittently as motorsport ambitions varied in Indonesia.
History
Held originally at the Jaya Ancol Circuit near Jakarta in 1976 as part of the burgeoning Rothmans Inte ...
was moved back from 7 April to 28 September.
* The
Austrian Grand Prix
The Austrian Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Österreich) is a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile sanctioned motor racing event that was held in , –, –, and then returned to the Formula One calendar in .
History
The A ...
was moved forward from 4 August to 1 June.
* The
Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...
moved from the
Eastern Creek Raceway
Sydney Motorsport Park (known until May 2012 as Eastern Creek International Raceway) is a motorsport circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek (40-kilometres west of the Sydney CBD), New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western Sy ...
to the
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Ventnor, on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The current circuit was first used in 1956.
History Road circuit
Motor racing on Phillip Island began in 1928 with t ...
.
1997 Grand Prix season results
†† = Saturday race
Participants
500 cc participants
Standings
Riders' standings
500cc
;Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
250cc
;Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
125cc
;Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.