1961 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 1961 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 13th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of eleven Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 23 April, with Spanish Grand Prix and ended with Argentine Grand Prix on 15 October.

1961 Grand Prix season calendar

Round	Date	Grand Prix	Circuit	125cc winner	250cc winner	350cc winner	500cc winner	Sidecars 500cc winner	Report
1	23 April	Spanish Grand Prix	Montjuïc circuit	Tom Phillis	Gary Hocking			Fath / Wohlgemuth	Report
2	14 May	West German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring	Ernst Degner	Kunimitsu Takahashi	Frantisek Stastny	Gary Hocking	Deubel / Hörner	Report
3	21 May	French Grand Prix	Charade Circuit	Tom Phillis	Tom Phillis		Gary Hocking	Scheidegger / Burkhardt	Report
4	12 June	Isle of Man TT	Snaefell Mountain	Mike Hailwood	Mike Hailwood	Phil Read	Mike Hailwood	Deubel / Hörner	Report
5	24 June	Dutch TT	TT Circuit Assen	Tom Phillis	Mike Hailwood	Gary Hocking	Gary Hocking	Deubel / Hörner	Report
6	2 July	Belgian Grand Prix	Spa-Francorchamps	Luigi Taveri	Jim Redman		Gary Hocking	Scheidegger / Burkhardt	Report
7	30 July	East German Grand Prix	Sachsenring	Ernst Degner	Mike Hailwood	Gary Hocking	Gary Hocking		Report
8	12 August	Ulster Grand Prix	Dundrod Circuit	Kunimitsu Takahashi	Bob McIntyre	Gary Hocking	Gary Hocking		Report
9	3 September	Nations Grand Prix	Monza	Ernst Degner	Jim Redman	Gary Hocking	Mike Hailwood		Report
10	17 September	Swedish Grand Prix	Råbelövsbanan	Luigi Taveri	Mike Hailwood	Frantisek Stastny	Gary Hocking		Report
11	15 October	Argentine Grand Prix	Buenos Aires	Tom Phillis	Tom Phillis		Jorge Kissling		Report

Standings

Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top six finishers in each race. Only the best of six races were counted in 125cc, 250cc, 350cc and 500cc championships, while in the Sidecars, the best of four were counted.

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
Points	8	6	4	3	2	1

500cc final standings

Pos	Rider	Machine	GER	FRA	MAN	HOL	BEL	DDR	ULS	NAC	SWE	ARG	Pts
1	Gary Hocking	MV Agusta	1	1	Ret	1	1	1	1	Ret	1		48 (56)
2	Mike Hailwood	Norton / MV Agusta	4	2	1	2	2	2	2	1	2		40 (55)
3	Frank Perris	Norton	2			5		Ret		Ret	3	3	16
4	Bob McIntyre	Norton			2	3	3						14
5	Alistair King	Norton			4				3	2	Ret		13
6	Bert Schneider	Norton			18	Ret		3		5	4		9
7	Jorge Kissling	Matchless										1	8
8	Ron Langston	Matchless			5		5		4		Ret		7
9	Juan Carlos Salatino	Norton										2	6
10	Paddy Driver	Norton	Ret		Ret		6	Ret		3			5
11	Mike Duff	Matchless			14		4		10		5		5
12	Hans-Günter Jäger	BMW / Norton	3							8			4
13	Tom Phillis	Norton			3				Ret				4
14	Antoine Paba	Norton		3									4
15	John Farnsworth	Matchless / Norton			38			4	9		Ret		3
16	Phil Read	Norton			Ret	4	Ret						3
17	Gyula Marsovszky	Norton		4	Ret								3
18	Alberto Pagani	Norton								4			3
=	Juan Perkins	Norton										4	3
20	Jack Findlay	Norton			DNS	DNS	8	5	8	6	Ret		3
21	Ernst Hiller	BMW / Matchless	5			19	Ret			11	Ret		2
22	Peter Chatterton	Norton			20				5				2
23	Fritz Masserli	Matchless		5	44								2
24	Eduardo Salatino	Norton										5	2
25	Peter Pawson	Matchless / Norton			8	Ret	7				6		1
26	Roland Föll	Matchless	8	6	Ret						11		1
27	Lothar John	BMW	6			10	14	9			10		1
28	Ron Miles	Norton			12	6			NEL				1
29	Tom Thorp	Norton			13				6				1
30	Anssi Resko	Norton / Matchless						6	11				1
31	Horacio Costas	Norton										6	1
=	Tony Godfrey	Norton			6								1
33	Karl Hoppe	Norton	Ret			7	11			7			0
34	Tommy Robb	Matchless			Ret				7		8		0
35	Roy Ingram	Norton			7		10		Ret				0
36	Vernon Cottle	Norton	7		21			11			12		0
37	Rudi Thalhammer	Norton				11					7		0
38	Tommy Robinson	Norton						7			Ret		0
39	Raphaël Orinel	Norton		7									0
40	Trevor Pound	Norton				8	9						0
41	Jacques Insermini	Norton	12	11		Ret		8		Ret			0
42	Louis Bernagozzi	Norton		8									0
43	Rudolf Gläser	Norton	Ret		Ret	15				9	Ret		0
44	Edy Lenz	Norton			45						9		0
45	Ellis Boyce	Norton			9				Ret				0
46	Rene Goetz	BSA		9									0
=	Klaus Hamelmann	Norton	9										0
48	Heinz Kauert	Matchless	10			Ret							0
=	Toni Schmitz	Norton		Ret	Ret			10					0
50	Georges Comy	Norton		10									0
=	Fred Stevens	Norton			10								0
=	Roberto Vigorito	Norton								10			0
53	Peter Horton	Norton	11			Ret							0
=	Jack Bullock	Norton			11								0
55	Alf Shaw	Norton			41				12				0
56	Geoffrey Tanner	Norton	Ret		Ret	12							0
57	Dan Shorey	Norton			Ret		12						0
58	Joachim Claus	Norton						12					0
=	Bruno Hofmann	Norton		12									0
=	Benedetto Zambotti	Gilera								12			0
61	Anton Elbersen	BMW				13							0
=	Sven-Olov Gunnarsson	Norton									13		0
=	Tommy Holmes	Matchless							13				0
=	Emanuele Maugliani	Gilera								13			0
=	Johannes Müller	Norton						13					0
=	Jules Nies	Norton					13						0
67	Joop Vegelzang	Norton				14					15		0
68	Bror-Erland Carlsson	Matchless / AJS		Ret							14		0
69	Alfonz Breznik	Gilera								14			0
=	Jimmy Jones	Norton							14				0
71	John Brown	Norton							15				0
=	Anthony Horton	Norton					15						0
=	Brian Setchell	Norton			15								0
74	Campbell Donaghy	BSA							16				0
=	Derek Powell	Matchless			16								0
76	Martin Brosnan	Norton							17				0
=	Bill Smith	Matchless			17								0
78	Dennis Craig	Matchless			37				18				0
79	George Catlin	Matchless			19								0
80	Billy McCosh	Matchless			22								0
81	Monty Buxton	Norton			23								0
82	Don Chapman	Norton			24				Ret				0
83	Mike O'Rourke	Norton			25								0
84	George Purvis	Matchless			26								0
85	Arthur Wheeler	Matchless			27								0
86	Harold Riley	BSA			28								0
87	Den Jarman	AJS			29								0
88	Derek Minter	Norton			30								0
89	Louis Carr	Norton			31								0
90	Alan Dugdale	Matchless			32								0
91	Ronald Cousins	Norton			33								0
92	Geoff Eccles	BSA			34								0
93	Dave Wildman	AJS			35								0
94	Billy Andersson	AJS			36								0
95	Albert Moule	Norton			39								0
96	Bill Robertson	AJS			40								0
97	John Simmonds	Matchless			42								0
98	Maurice Gittins	Norton			43								0
-	Hugh Anderson	Norton			Ret				Ret	Ret			0
-	John Hartle	Norton					Ret		Ret	Ret			0
-	William Van Leeuwen	Norton				Ret		Ret			Ret		0
-	Hans Pesl	Norton	Ret	Ret									0
-	Chris Anderson	Norton			Ret								0
-	R. Bennett	Norton			Ret								0
-	Richard Brinnand	Norton			Ret								0
-	Ralph Bryans	Norton							Ret				0
-	Roly Capner	BSA			Ret								0
-	Fred Chase	Norton			Ret								0
-	Artemio Cirelli	Gilera								Ret			0
-	Gianfranco Demeniconi	Norton								Ret			0
-	Graham Downes	Matchless			Ret								0
-	Peter Evans	Matchless			Ret								0
-	Harry Grant	BSA			Ret								0
-	Alois Huber	BMW	Ret										0
-	Len Ireland	Norton			Ret								0
-	Pierre James	Norton		Ret									0
-	Vasco Loro	Norton								Ret			0
-	Giuseppe Mantelli	Gilera								Ret			0
-	Peter Middleton	Norton			Ret								0
-	Gilberto Milani	Norton			Ret								0
-	George Northwood	Norton			Ret								0
-	Karl Recktenwald	Norton	Ret										0
-	Ralph Rensen	Norton	Ret										0
-	Ladislaus Richter	Norton			Ret								0
-	Renzo Rossi	Gilera								Ret			0
-	Derek Russell	Norton			Ret								0
-	Walter Scheimann	Norton			Ret								0
-	Douglas Smith	Matchless			Ret								0
-	Graham Smith	Norton			Ret								0
-	Lewis Young	Norton			Ret								0
Pos	Rider	Bike	GER	FRA	MAN	HOL	BEL	DDR	ULS	NAC	SWE	ARG	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)
	Withdrew (WD)
	Race cancelled (C)
Blank	Did not practice (DNP)
	Did not arrive (DNA)
	Excluded (EX)

Bold – Pole
Italics – Fastest Lap

350cc Standings

Place	Rider	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Gary Hocking	Rhodesia	MV Agusta	32	4
2	Frantisek Stastny	Czechoslovakia	Jawa	26	2
3	Gustav Havel	Czechoslovakia	Jawa	19	0
4	Phil Read	United Kingdom	Norton	13	1
5	Bob McIntyre	United Kingdom	Bianchi	10	0
6	Rudi Thalhammer	Austria	Norton	7	0
=	Ralph Rensen	United Kingdom	Norton	7	0
8	Alistair King	United Kingdom	Bianchi	6	0
=	Mike Hailwood	United Kingdom	MV Agusta	6	0
10	Ernesto Brambilla	Italy	Bianchi	5	0
=	Alan Shepherd	United Kingdom	AJS	5	0
12	Tommy Robb	United Kingdom	AJS	4	0
13	Derek Minter	United Kingdom	Norton	3	0
14	Hans Pesl	West Germany	Norton	2	0
=	Silvio Grassetti	Italy	Benelli	2	0
=	Ron Langston	United Kingdom	AJS	2	0
17	Frank Perris	United Kingdom	Norton	2	0
=	Mike Duff	Canada	AJS	2	0
19	Roy Ingram	United Kingdom	Norton	1	0
=	Bert Schneider	Austria	Norton	1	0
=	Hugh Anderson	New Zealand	Norton	1	0

250cc Standings

Place	Rider	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Mike Hailwood	United Kingdom	Honda	44	4
2	Tom Phillis	Australia	Honda	38	2
3	Jim Redman	Rhodesia	Honda	36	2
4	Kunimitsu Takahashi	Japan	Honda	29	1
5	Bob McIntyre	United Kingdom	Honda	14	1
6	Tarquinio Provini	Italy	Morini	10	0
7	Silvio Grassetti	Italy	Benelli	10	0
8	Gary Hocking	Rhodesia	MV Agusta	8	1
9	Fumio Ito	Japan	Yamaha	7	0
10	Luigi Taveri	Switzerland	Honda	6	0
11	Alan Shepherd	United Kingdom	MZ	6	0
=	Frantisek Stastny	Czechoslovakia	Jawa	6	0
13	Ernst Degner	East Germany	MZ	3	0
=	Sadao Shimazaki	Japan	Honda	3	0
15	Hans Fischer	East Germany	MZ	3	0
16	Naomi Taniguchi	Japan	Honda	2	0
17	Dan Shorey	United Kingdom	NSU	1	0
=	Yoshikazu Sunako	Japan	Yamaha	1	0
=	Werner Musiol	East Germany	MZ	1	0

125cc

Riders' standings

Pos.	Rider	Bike	ESP	FRG	FRA	MAN	NED	BEL	GDR	ULS	NAT	SWE	ARG	Pts
1	Tom Phillis	Honda	1		1^F	3	1^F	2^F	2	3^F	4^F	6	1^F	44 (56)
2	Ernst Degner	MZ	2	1^F	2^F			4	1	2	1			42 (45)
3	Luigi Taveri	Honda		5	5	2^F		1	DSQ	6	3	1^F		30 (31)
4	Jim Redman	Honda	3		3	4	2	3	6	4	5	3	2	28 (37)
5	Kunimitsu Takahashi	Honda		6	6				3^F	1		2	3	24
6	Mike Hailwood	EMC	4^F		4									16
6	Mike Hailwood	Honda				1				5				16
7	Alan Shepherd	MZ		2			3	5						12
8	Walter Brehme	MZ		3				6	5					7
9	Teisuke Tanaka	Honda									2			6
10	Werner Musiol	MZ					5					4		5
10	Sadao Shimazaki	Honda				5							4	5
12	Hans Fischer	MZ		4										3
12	Phil Read	EMC					4							3
12	László Szabó	MZ							4					3
15	John Grace	Bultaco	5											2
15	Ulf Svensson	Ducati										5		2
15	Naomi Taniguchi	Honda											5	2
18	Rex Avery	EMC					6				6			2
19	Ricardo Quintanilla	Bultaco	6											1
19	Ralph Rensen	Bultaco				6								1
19	Héctor Pochettino	Bultaco											6	1
Pos.	Rider	Bike	ESP	FRG	FRA	MAN	NED	BEL	GDR	ULS	NAT	SWE	ARG	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)
	Withdrew (WD)
	Race cancelled (C)
Blank	Did not practice (DNP)
	Did not arrive (DNA)
	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	ESP	FRG	FRA	MAN	NED	BEL	GDR	ULS	NAT	SWE	ARG	Pts
1	Honda	1	5	1	1	1	1	2	1	2	1	1	48 (78)
2	MZ	2	1	2		3	4	1	2	1	4		42 (52)
3	EMC	4		4		4				6			10
4	Bultaco	5			6							6	4
5	Ducati										5		2
Pos.	Constructor	ESP	FRG	FRA	MAN	NED	BEL	GDR	ULS	NAT	SWE	ARG	Pts

References

Haefliger, Werner. "Lightweight class". FIM MotoGP Results 1949–2023 Guide (2024 ed.). pp. 41–44. ISBN 978-2-9701086-8-9.
Büla, Maurice & Schertenleib, Jean-Claude (2001). Continental Circus 1949-2000. Chronosports S.A. ISBN 2-940125-32-5
"The Official MotoGP website". Archived from the original on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2010-07-06.