# 1952 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 1952 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the fourth F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of eight Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 18 May, with Swiss Grand Prix and ended with Spanish Grand Prix on 5 October.

## 1952 Grand Prix season calendar

| Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit | 125cc winner | 250cc winner | 350cc winner | 500cc winner | Sidecars 500cc winner | Report |
| 1 | 18 May | Swiss Grand Prix | Bremgarten | | Fergus Anderson | Geoff Duke | Jack Brett | Milani / Pizzocri | Report |
| 2 | 13 June | Isle of Man TT | Snaefell Mountain | Cecil Sandford | Fergus Anderson | Geoff Duke | Reg Armstrong | | Report |
| 3 | 28 June | Dutch TT | Assen | Cecil Sandford | Enrico Lorenzetti | Geoff Duke | Umberto Masetti | | Report |
| 4 | 6 July | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa-Francorchamps | | | Geoff Duke | Umberto Masetti | Oliver / Price | Report |
| 5 | 20 July | German Grand Prix | Solitude | Werner Haas | Rudi Felgenheier | Reg Armstrong | Reg Armstrong | Smith / Clements | Report |
| 6 | 16 August | Ulster Grand Prix | Clady | Cecil Sandford | Maurice Cann | Ken Kavanagh | Cromie McCandless | | Report |
| 7 | 14 September | Nations Grand Prix | Monza | Emilio Mendogni | Enrico Lorenzetti | Ray Amm | Leslie Graham | Merlo / Magri | Report |
| 8 | 5 October | Spanish Grand Prix | Montjuïc | Emilio Mendogni | | | Leslie Graham | Oliver / Dobelli | Report |

## Standings
### Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top six finishers in each race. Only the four best races counted in the Sidecars, 125cc and 250cc, while in the 350cc and 500cc championships, the five best results counted.
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
| Points | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |

### 500cc final standings

| Pos | Rider | Machine | SUI | MAN | HOL | BEL | GER | ULS | NAC | ESP | Pts |
| 1 | Umberto Masetti | Gilera | Ret | | 1 | 1 | Ret | Ret | 2 | 2 | 28 |
| 2 | Leslie Graham | MV Agusta | Ret | 2 | 7 | Ret | 4 | Ret | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| 3 | Reg Armstrong | Norton | Ret | 1 | 4 | Ret | 1 | Ret | 6 | 5 | 22 |
| 4 | Rod Coleman | AJS | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | Ret | 2 | Ret | | 15 |
| 5 | Jack Brett | AJS / Norton | 1 | Ret | 9 | 4 | Ret | 4 | 7 | | 14 |
| 6 | Ken Kavanagh | Norton | | 32 | 3 | | 2 | Ret | | 3 | 14 |
| 7 | Geoff Duke | Norton | Ret | Ret | 2 | 2 | | | | | 12 |
| 8 | Nello Pagani | Gilera | 4 | | 6 | 6 | | | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 9 | Cromie McCandless | Norton / Gilera | | 6 | | | | 1 | | | 9 |
| 10 | Ray Amm | Norton | 6 | 3 | Ret | 3 | | | Ret | 9 | 9 |
| 11 | Carlo Bandirola | MV Agusta | 3 | | Ret | Ret | Ret | | 4 | Ret | 7 |
| 12 | Bill Doran | AJS | 2 | | | | | | | | 6 |
| 13 | Bill Lomas | AJS / MV Agusta | | 5 | | Ret | Ret | 3 | Ret | Ret | 6 |
| 14 | Sid Lawton | Norton / AJS | 8 | 12 | Ret | | 3 | Ret | | 6 | 5 |
| 15 | Auguste Goffin | Norton | | | | 7 | 5 | | Ret | Ret | 2 |
| 16 | Peter Carter | Norton | | 10 | | | | 5 | | | 2 |
| 17 | Giuseppe Colnago | Gilera | | | | | | 17 | 5 | Ret | 2 |
| 18 | Hans Baltisberger | BMW | | | | | 6 | | | Ret | 1 |
| 19 | John Surtees | Norton | | | | | | 6 | | | 1 |
| 20 | Libero Liberati | Gilera | 7 | | 8 | | | | 8 | 16 | 0 |
| 21 | Siegfried Wünsche | BMW / DKW | | | | | 11 | | | 7 | 0 |
| 22 | Tony McAlpine | Norton | | 13 | Ret | | 7 | | Ret | | 0 |
| 23 | Roy Evans | Norton | | 14 | | | | 7 | | | 0 |
| 24 | George Brown | Norton | | 7 | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| 25 | Robin Sherry | Norton / AJS | | Ret | | 8 | | Ret | 9 | | 0 |
| 26 | Ken Mudford | Norton | | 8 | 10 | | | | | | 0 |
| 27 | Karl Rührschneck | Norton | | | | | 8 | | | Ret | 0 |
| 28 | Fernando Aranda | Gilera | | | | | | | | 8 | 0 |
| = | William Campbell | Norton | | | | | | 8 | | | 0 |
| 30 | Lous van Riswijk | Matchless / Norton | | | 11 | 9 | | | | | 0 |
| 31 | Siegfried Fuss | Norton | | | | | 9 | | | | 0 |
| = | John Guirke | Norton | | | | | | 9 | | | 0 |
| = | Alain Lawton | Norton | | | | | | | | 9 | 0 |
| = | Willy Lips | Norton | 9 | | | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Albert Moule | Norton | | 9 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 36 | Rudi Knees | Norton | | | | | 10 | | | 11 | 0 |
| 37 | John Grace | Norton | | 16 | | | | | | 10 | 0 |
| 38 | Jack Bailey | Norton | | Ret | | | | 10 | | | 0 |
| = | Friedel Schön | Horex | 10 | | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| 40 | Francis Basso | Norton | | | | 10 | | | | | 0 |
| = | Martino Giani | MV Agusta | | | | | | | 10 | | 0 |
| 42 | Humphrey Ranson | Norton | | 17 | Ret | 11 | | | | | 0 |
| 43 | Enrico Galante | Norton | | | | | | | 11 | | 0 |
| = | Malcolm Templeton | AJS | | | | | | 11 | | | 0 |
| = | Vic Willoughby | Norton | | 11 | | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Hans Wirz | Triumph | 11 | | | | | | | | 0 |
| 47 | Bill Beevers | Norton | 12 | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| 48 | Francesco Guglielminetti | MV Agusta | | | | | | | 12 | | 0 |
| = | Herbert Ranson | Norton | | | | | | | | 12 | 0 |
| = | Geoff Read | Norton | | | 12 | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Edouard Texidor | Norton | | | | 12 | | | | | 0 |
| = | Harry Turner | Norton | | | | | | 12 | | | 0 |
| 53 | Javier de Ortueta | Norton | | | | | | | 13 | Ret | 0 |
| 54 | Piet Bakker | BMW | | | 13 | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Massimo Forster | Gilera | 13 | | | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Ewald Kluge | DKW | | | | | | | | 13 | 0 |
| = | Douglas Sides | Velocette | | | | | | 13 | | | 0 |
| 58 | Carletto Bellotti | Moto Guzzi | 14 | | | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Harry Lindsay | Triumph | | | | | | | | 14 | 0 |
| = | Reg MacDonald | AJS | | | | | | 14 | | | 0 |
| = | Drikus Veer | Triumph | | | 14 | | | | | | 0 |
| 62 | Rally Dean | Norton | | Ret | Ret | | | 15 | | | 0 |
| 63 | Siegfried Vogel | Norton | | | | | | | | 15 | 0 |
| = | Don Williams | Norton | | 15 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 65 | Robert Ferguson | AJS | | 16 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 66 | John Dickson | Velocette | | | | | | 18 | | | 0 |
| = | Charlie Salt | BSA | | 18 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 68 | Robin Fitton | Norton | | | | | | 19 | | | 0 |
| = | Cyril Stevens | Norton | | 19 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 70 | Fonsie McGovern | Norton | | | | | | 20 | | | 0 |
| = | Frank Norris | Norton | | 20 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 72 | Arthur Wheeler | Norton | | 21 | Ret | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| 73 | J. O. Kerrigan | Triumph | | | | | | 21 | | | 0 |
| 74 | Ken Swallow | Norton | | 22 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 75 | Syl Anderton | Norton | | 23 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 76 | Les Dear | Norton | | 24 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 77 | Sven Sørensen | Norton | | 25 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 78 | Howard Grindley | Norton | | 26 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 79 | Jack Varlow | Norton | | 27 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 80 | Harry Stephen | Norton | | 28 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 81 | Leo Starr | AJS | | 29 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 82 | Dennis Lashmar | Norton | | 30 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 83 | David Stevenson | AJS | | 31 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 84 | Leslie Harris | Norton | Ret | 33 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 85 | Leslie Barrett | Norton | | 34 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 86 | John Fisher | AJS | | 35 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 87 | Joe Glazebrook | Norton | | 36 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 88 | Jack Harding | Norton | | 37 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 89 | Eric Hardy | AJS | | 38 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 90 | Ivor Wagar | Triumph | | 39 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 91 | Bob McDonald | AJS | | 40 | | | | | | | 0 |
| 92 | Charlie Gray | AJS | | 41 | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Phil Heath | Vincent / Norton | | Ret | | | Ret | | Ret | Ret |
| – | Bob Matthews | Norton / Matchless | Ret | | Ret | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Alfredo Milani | Gilera | Ret | | Ret | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| – | Ernie Ring | Matchless | | Ret | Ret | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| – | Charles Bruguiere | Norton | | | | Ret | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Georges Burgaff | Norton | | | | | | | Ret | Ret | 0 |
| – | Werner Gerber | Horex | Ret | | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| – | Dean Hollier | Norton | | Ret | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Sidney Mason | Norton | Ret | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Bill Petch | Norton | | | | | Ret | | | DNS | 0 |
| – | Emilio Soprani | Gilera | | | | | | | Ret | DNS | 0 |
| – | Jost Albisser | Rudge | Ret | | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Syd Barnett | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Edgar Barth | Norton | | | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| – | Felice Benasedo | Moto Guzzi | | | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| – | David Bennett | Norton | Ret | | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Wilf Billington | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | George Brockerton | Bitza | | | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| – | Louis Carter | Norton | | | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| – | Jacques Collot | Norton | | | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Firmin Dauwe | Norton | | | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| – | Lodovico Facchinelli | Gilera | | | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| – | Archie Fenn | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Peter Fernando | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Cees Fokke-Bosch | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Tito Forconi | MV Agusta | | | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| – | Sid Franklen | AJS | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Roy Godwin | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Ernst Gross | BMW | | | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| – | Bill Hall | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Ernst Hoske | Horex | | | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| – | Robert King | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | John Maloney | Vincent | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Alex Mayer | Norton | | | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Tommy McEwan | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Gerhard Mette | BMW | | | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| – | Stan Miller | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Eric Oliver | Norton | | | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Ashley Parry | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Roland Pike | BSA | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Arthur Pollitt | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Mark Prudence | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Bob Rowbottom | AJS | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Cecil Sandford | BSA | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Simon Sandys-Winsch | Velocette | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Lodewijk Simons | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Henk Steman | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Norman Stewart | Norton | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Les Tedder | AJS | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Roy Walker | BSA | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Dick Ward | Velocette | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Leonard Williams | Velocette | | Ret | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Tommy Wood | Norton | | | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| – | Gerhard Pohlers | BMW | | | | | | | | DNS | 0 |
| Pos | Rider | Bike | SUI | MAN | HOL | BEL | GER | ULS | NAC | ESP | Pts |
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Red | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Blank | Did not arrive (DNA) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |

### 350cc Standings

| Place | Rider | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Geoff Duke | United Kingdom | Norton | 32 | 4 |
| 2 | Reg Armstrong | Ireland | Norton | 24 | 1 |
| 3 | Ray Amm | Southern Rhodesia | Norton | 21 | 1 |
| 4 | Rod Coleman | New Zealand | AJS | 20 | 0 |
| 5 | Ken Kavanagh | Australia | Norton | 16 | 1 |
| 6 | Jack Brett | United Kingdom | AJS | 12 | 0 |
| 7 | Bill Lomas | United Kingdom | AJS | 9 | 0 |
| 8 | Sid Lawton | United Kingdom | AJS | 7 | 0 |
| 9 | Robin Sherry | United Kingdom | AJS | 4 | 0 |
| 10 | Ernie Ring | Austria | AJS | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | Ewald Kluge | Germany | DKW | 2 | 0 |
| = | Auguste Goffin | Belgium | Norton | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | Leslie Graham | United Kingdom | Velocette | 1 | 0 |
| = | Mike O'Rourke | Ireland | AJS | 1 | 0 |
| = | George Brown | United Kingdom | AJS | 1 | 0 |
| = | Roland Schnell | Germany | Horex | 1 | 0 |

### 250cc Standings

| Place | Rider | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Enrico Lorenzetti | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 28 | 2 |
| 2 | Fergus Anderson | United Kingdom | Moto Guzzi | 24 | 2 |
| 3 | Leslie Graham | United Kingdom | Velocette | 11 | 0 |
| 4 | Maurice Cann | United Kingdom | Moto Guzzi | 10 | 1 |
| 5 | Rudi Felgenheier | Germany | DKW | 8 | 1 |
| 6 | Bruno Ruffo | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 7 | 0 |
| 7 | Werner Haas | Germany | NSU | 6 | 0 |
| = | Heinrich Thorn-Prikker | Germany | Moto Guzzi | 6 | 0 |
| = | Alano Montanari | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 6 | 0 |
| 10 | Herman Gablenz | Germany | Horex | 4 | 0 |
| = | Sid Lawton | United Kingdom | Moto Guzzi | 4 | 0 |
| = | Arthur Wheeler | United Kingdom | Moto Guzzi | 4 | 0 |
| 13 | Ewald Kluge | Germany | DKW | 3 | 0 |
| = | Ronald Mead | United Kingdom | Velocette | 3 | 0 |
| = | Gotthilf Gehring | Germany | Moto Guzzi | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | Roberto Colombo | Italy | NSU | 2 | 0 |
| = | Bill Webster | United Kingdom | Velocette | 2 | 0 |
| = | Nino Grieco | Italy | Parilla | 2 | 0 |
| = | Benny Rood | United Kingdom | Velocette | 2 | 0 |
| 20 | Bruno Francisci | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 1 | 0 |
| = | Ray Petty | United Kingdom | Norton | 1 | 0 |
| = | Sieb Postma | Netherlands | Moto Guzzi | 1 | 0 |

### 125cc
#### Riders' standings

| Pos. | Rider | Bike | MAN | NED | GER | ULS | NAT | ESP | Pts |
| 1 | Cecil Sandford | MV Agusta | 1$^F$ | 1$^F$ | 3 | 1$^F$ | | 3 | 28 (32) |
| 2 | Carlo Ubbiali | Mondial | 2 | 2 | 2 | | 2 | | 24 |
| 3 | Emilio Mendogni | Morini | | | | | 1 | 1$^F$ | 16 |
| 4 | Leslie Graham | MV Agusta | | | | | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 5 | Luigi Zinzani | Morini | | 3 | 6 | | 4 | 6 | 9 |
| 6 | Werner Haas | NSU | | | 1$^F$ | | | | 8 |
| 7 | Angelo Copeta | MV Agusta | 5 | 5 | 4 | | | | 7 |
| 8 | Bill Lomas | MV Agusta | | | | 2 | | | 6 |
| 9 | Guido Sala | MV Agusta | | 4 | | | 5$^F$ | | 5 |
| 10 | Len Parry | Mondial | 3 | | | | | | 4 |
| 10 | Charlie Salt | MV Agusta | | | | 3 | | | 4 |
| 12 | Cromie McCandless | Mondial | 4 | | | | | | 3 |
| 12 | Romolo Ferri | Morini | | | | | | 4 | 3 |
| 14 | Hubert Luttenberger | NSU | | | 5 | | 6 | | 3 |
| 15 | Hermann Paul Müller | Mondial | | | | | | 5 | 2 |
| 16 | Frank Burman | EMC-Puch | 6 | | | | | | 1 |
| 16 | Lo Simons | Mondial | | 6 | | | | | 1 |
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | MAN | NED | GER | ULS | NAT | ESP | Pts |
Race key :
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Red | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Blank | Did not arrive (DNA) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |
| Annotation | Meaning |
| P | Pole position |
| F | Fastest lap |
| Rider key ||
| Colour | Meaning |
| Light blue | Rookie rider |

#### Constructors' standings

Each constructor is awarded the same number of points as their best placed rider in each race.
| Pos. | Constructor | MAN | NED | GER | ULS | NAT | ESP | Pts |
| 1 | MV Agusta | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 30 (38) |
| 2 | Mondial | 2 | 2 | 2 | | 2 | 5 | 24 (26) |
| 3 | Morini | | 3 | 6 | | 1 | 1 | 21 |
| 4 | NSU | | | 1 | | 6 | | 9 |
| 5 | EMC-Puch | 6 | | | | | | 1 |
| Pos. | Constructor | MAN | NED | GER | ULS | NAT | ESP | Pts |