# 1973 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 1973 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 25th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.

## Season summary

MV Agusta teammates Phil Read and Giacomo Agostini battled it out for supremacy of the 500cc class but the season was overshadowed by the deaths of Jarno Saarinen and Renzo Pasolini at the Italian round at Monza. The 500cc title runner-up, Kim Newcombe, also died at a non-championship race at Silverstone late in the year. Agostini claimed his 13th championship in the 350cc class. In the 250cc class, West German Dieter Braun won the crown for Yamaha. Kent Andersson gave Yamaha another title in the 125cc class while Kreidler dominated the 50cc class after the Derbi factory pulled out of racing with Dutchman Jan de Vries taking the crown.

## 1973 Grand Prix season calendar

| Round | Date | Race | Location | 50cc winner | 125cc winner | 250cc winner | 350cc winner | 500cc winner | Report |
| 1 | 22 April | French Grand Prix | Paul Ricard | | Kent Andersson | Jarno Saarinen | Giacomo Agostini | Jarno Saarinen | Report |
| 2 | 6 May | Austrian Grand Prix | Salzburgring | | Kent Andersson | Jarno Saarinen | János Drapál | Jarno Saarinen | Report |
| 3 | 13 May | West German Grand Prix | Hockenheimring | Theo Timmer | Kent Andersson | Jarno Saarinen | Teuvo Länsivuori | Phil Read | Report |
| 4 | 20 May | Nations Grand Prix | Monza | Jan de Vries | Kent Andersson | Race cancelled | Giacomo Agostini | Race cancelled | Report |
| 5 | 8 June | Isle of Man TT | Snaefell Mountain | | Tommy Robb | Charlie Williams | Tony Rutter | Jack Findlay | Report |
| 6 | 17 June | Yugoslavian Grand Prix | Opatija | Jan de Vries | Kent Andersson | Dieter Braun | János Drapál | Kim Newcombe | Report |
| 7 | 23 June | Dutch TT | Assen | Bruno Kneubühler | Eugenio Lazzarini | Dieter Braun | Giacomo Agostini | Phil Read | Report |
| 8 | 1 July | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa | Jan de Vries | Jos Schurgers | Teuvo Länsivuori | | Giacomo Agostini | Report |
| 9 | 15 July | Czechoslovakian Grand Prix | Brno | | Otello Buscherini | Dieter Braun | Teuvo Länsivuori | Giacomo Agostini | Report |
| 10 | 21 July | Swedish Grand Prix | Anderstorp | Jan de Vries | Börje Jansson | Dieter Braun | Teuvo Länsivuori | Phil Read | Report |
| 11 | 29 July | Finnish Grand Prix | Imatra | | Otello Buscherini | Teuvo Länsivuori | Giacomo Agostini | Giacomo Agostini | Report |
| 12 | 23 September | Spanish Grand Prix | Jarama | Jan de Vries | Chas Mortimer | John Dodds | Adu Celso-Santos | Phil Read | Report |

### Footnotes

* 1 2 The 250cc race was stopped, following an accident on the first lap that resulted in the deaths of Jarno Saarinen and Renzo Pasolini. The race meeting was ultimately cancelled.

## Final standings
### 1973 500 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Phil Read | | United Kingdom | MV Agusta | 84 | 4 |
| 2 | Kim Newcombe | 10 | New Zealand | König | 63 | 1 |
| 3 | Giacomo Agostini | 1 | Italy | MV Agusta | 57 | 3 |
| 4 | Werner Giger | | Switzerland | Yamaha | 44 | 0 |
| 5 | Jack Findlay | 8 | Australia | Suzuki | 38 | 1 |
| 6 | Bruno Kneubühler | 3 | Switzerland | Yamaha | 34 | 0 |
| 7 | Jarno Saarinen | 4 | Finland | Yamaha | 30 | 2 |
| 8 | Hideo Kanaya | | Japan | Yamaha | 22 | 0 |
| 9 | Ernst Hiller | | West Germany | König | 19 | 0 |
| 10 | Alex George | | United Kingdom | Yamaha | 19 | 0 |

### 1973 350 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Giacomo Agostini | 1 | Italy | MV Agusta | 84 | 4 |
| 2 | Teuvo Länsivuori | 7 | Finland | Yamaha | 77 | 3 |
| 3 | Phil Read | 5 | United Kingdom | MV Agusta | 56 | 0 |
| 4 | John Dodds | | Australia | Yamaha | 49 | 0 |
| 5 | Billie Nelson | | United Kingdom | Yamaha | 38 | 0 |
| 6 | Kent Andersson | | Sweden | Yamaha | 38 | 0 |
| 7 | Adu Celso-Santos | | Brazil | Yamaha | 33 | 1 |
| 8 | Dieter Braun | 8 | West Germany | Yamaha | 33 | 0 |
| 9 | János Drapál | | Hungary | Yamaha | 30 | 2 |
| 10 | Pentti Korhonen | | Finland | Yamaha | 25 | 0 |

### 1973 250 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Dieter Braun | | West Germany | Yamaha | 80 | 4 |
| 2 | Teuvo Länsivuori | 5 | Finland | Yamaha | 64 | 2 |
| 3 | John Dodds | 6 | Australia | Yamaha | 58 | 1 |
| 4 | Jarno Saarinen | 1 | Finland | Yamaha | 45 | 3 |
| 5 | Michel Rougerie | | France | Harley-Davidson | 45 | 0 |
| 6 | Chas Mortimer | | United Kingdom | Yamaha | 40 | 0 |
| 7 | Hideo Kanaya | 11 | Japan | Yamaha | 36 | 0 |
| 8 | Roberto Gallina | | Italy | Yamaha | 32 | 0 |
| 9 | Bruno Kneubühler | | Switzerland | Yamaha | 28 | 0 |
| 10 | Silvio Grassetti | 4 | Italy | Yamaha | 21 | 0 |

### 1973 125 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Kent Andersson | 2 | Sweden | Yamaha | 99 | 5 |
| 2 | Chas Mortimer | | United Kingdom | Yamaha | 75 | 1 |
| 3 | Jos Schurgers | 9 | Netherlands | Bridgestone | 70 | 1 |
| 4 | Börje Jansson | 4 | Sweden | Maico | 64 | 1 |
| 5 | Eugenio Lazzarini | | Italy | Maico | 59 | 1 |
| 6 | Otello Buscherini | | Italy | Malanca | 51 | 2 |
| 7 | Angel Nieto | | Spain | Morbidelli | 46 | 0 |
| 8 | Rolf Minhoff | 4 | West Germany | Maico | 42 | 0 |
| 9 | Matti Salonen | | Finland | Yamaha | 32 | 0 |
| 10 | Pentti Salonen | | Finland | Yamaha | 28 | 0 |

### 1973 50 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Jan de Vries | 2 | Netherlands | Kreidler | 60 | 5 |
| 2 | Bruno Kneubühler | | Switzerland | Kreidler | 51 | 1 |
| 3 | Theo Timmer | 3 | Netherlands | Jamathi | 47 | 1 |
| 4 | Gerhard Thurow | | West Germany | Kreidler | 36 | 0 |
| 5 | Henk van Kessel | | Netherlands | Kreidler | 27 | 0 |
| 6 | Herbert Rittberger | | West Germany | Kreidler | 22 | 0 |
| 7 | Ulrich Graf | | Switzerland | Kreidler | 21 | 0 |
| 8 | Jan Huberts | 8 | Netherlands | Kreidler | 21 | 0 |
| 9 | Rudolf Kunz | 9 | West Germany | Kreidler | 14 | 0 |
| 10 | Wolfgang Gedlich | | West Germany | Kreidler | 13 | 0 |