The 1997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 49th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
A fourth world championship in a row for Honda's Mick Doohan with another dominating performance. He broke Giacomo Agostini's record for victories in one season with 12 wins. [1] It was also dominating year for Honda with eight of the top ten riders aboard Hondas. [1] The Yamaha and Suzuki teams were in disarray. [1] Kenny Roberts left Yamaha to start his own venture with a lightweight, three-cylinder Modenas. [1] Wayne Rainey's team was left with the inconsistent Norifumi Abe and Sete Gibernau, a rookie. [1] Daryl Beattie wasn't able to come back from head injuries and retired at the end of the year while Anthony Gobert failed a drug test and was dismissed by the Suzuki team. [1] 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. [1]
Max Biaggi had a harder time defending his title from Tetsuya Harada and Ralf Waldmann, not clinching the title until the last race of the year. [1] A new star emerged from the 125 class with Valentino Rossi winning 11 races for a commanding win on an Aprilia. [1]
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1997: [2] [3]
Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 13 April | Marlboro Malaysian Grand Prix | Shah Alam Circuit |
2 | 20 April | Marlboro Grand Prix of Japan | Suzuka Circuit |
3 | 4 May | Gran Premio Lucky Strike de España | Circuito Permanente de Jerez |
4 | 18 May | Gran Premio d'Italia Polini | Mugello Circuit |
5 | 1 June | Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich | A1-Ring |
6 | 8 June | Grand Prix de France | Circuit Paul Ricard |
7 | 28 June †† | Lucky Strike Dutch Grand Prix | TT Circuit Assen |
8 | 6 July | Gran Premio Cirio Città di Imola | Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari |
9 | 20 July | ADAC Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland | Nürburgring |
10 | 3 August | Lucky Strike Rio Grand Prix | Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet |
11 | 17 August | Sun British Grand Prix | Donington Park |
12 | 31 August | Grand Prix České republiky | Brno Circuit |
13 | 14 September | Gran Premi Marlboro de Catalunya | Circuit de Catalunya |
14 | 28 September | Marlboro Indonesian Grand Prix | Sentul International Circuit |
15 | 5 October | Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix | Phillip Island |
†† = Saturday race
†† = Saturday race
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|
Bold – Pole |
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|
Bold – Pole |
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|
Bold – Pole |
Pos | Manufacturer |
MAL |
JPN |
ESP |
ITA |
AUT |
FRA |
NED |
IMO |
GER |
RIO |
GBR |
CZE |
CAT |
INA |
AUS |
Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Honda | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 375 |
2 | Yamaha | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 188 |
3 | Suzuki | Ret | 13 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 90 |
4 | Aprilia | Ret | DNS | 6 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 3 | Ret | 5 | 7 | 7 | Ret | 10 | 10 | 11 | 88 |
5 | Modenas KR3 | Ret | 14 | 13 | 8 | 14 | Ret | 8 | 8 | Ret | 8 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 68 |
6 | ELF 500 | 14 | Ret | 16 | Ret | 12 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 8 | Ret | 9 | 11 | Ret | 60 |
7 | ROC Yamaha | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 12 |
Pos | Manufacturer |
MAL |
JPN |
ESP |
ITA |
AUT |
FRA |
NED |
IMO |
GER |
RIO |
GBR |
CZE |
CAT |
INA |
AUS |
Pts |
Pos | Manufacturer |
MAL |
JPN |
ESP |
ITA |
AUT |
FRA |
NED |
IMO |
GER |
RIO |
GBR |
CZE |
CAT |
INA |
AUS |
Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Honda | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 360 |
2 | Aprilia | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 268 |
3 | T.S. Honda | Ret | 4 | 4 | Ret | 7 | Ret | 6 | Ret | 13 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 109 |
4 | Yamaha | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 81 |
5 | Suzuki | 14 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 10 | Ret | Ret | 15 | 7 | Ret | 10 | 13 | 9 | Ret | 6 | 72 |
Pos | Manufacturer |
MAL |
JPN |
ESP |
ITA |
AUT |
FRA |
NED |
IMO |
GER |
RIO |
GBR |
CZE |
CAT |
INA |
AUS |
Pts |
Pos | Manufacturer |
MAL |
JPN |
ESP |
ITA |
AUT |
FRA |
NED |
IMO |
GER |
RIO |
GBR |
CZE |
CAT |
INA |
AUS |
Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aprilia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 351 |
2 | Honda | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 287 |
3 | Yamaha | 8 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 139 |
Pos | Manufacturer |
MAL |
JPN |
ESP |
ITA |
AUT |
FRA |
NED |
IMO |
GER |
RIO |
GBR |
CZE |
CAT |
INA |
AUS |
Pts |
The 1997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 49th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
A fourth world championship in a row for Honda's Mick Doohan with another dominating performance. He broke Giacomo Agostini's record for victories in one season with 12 wins. [1] It was also dominating year for Honda with eight of the top ten riders aboard Hondas. [1] The Yamaha and Suzuki teams were in disarray. [1] Kenny Roberts left Yamaha to start his own venture with a lightweight, three-cylinder Modenas. [1] Wayne Rainey's team was left with the inconsistent Norifumi Abe and Sete Gibernau, a rookie. [1] Daryl Beattie wasn't able to come back from head injuries and retired at the end of the year while Anthony Gobert failed a drug test and was dismissed by the Suzuki team. [1] 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. [1]
Max Biaggi had a harder time defending his title from Tetsuya Harada and Ralf Waldmann, not clinching the title until the last race of the year. [1] A new star emerged from the 125 class with Valentino Rossi winning 11 races for a commanding win on an Aprilia. [1]
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1997: [2] [3]
Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 13 April | Marlboro Malaysian Grand Prix | Shah Alam Circuit |
2 | 20 April | Marlboro Grand Prix of Japan | Suzuka Circuit |
3 | 4 May | Gran Premio Lucky Strike de España | Circuito Permanente de Jerez |
4 | 18 May | Gran Premio d'Italia Polini | Mugello Circuit |
5 | 1 June | Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich | A1-Ring |
6 | 8 June | Grand Prix de France | Circuit Paul Ricard |
7 | 28 June †† | Lucky Strike Dutch Grand Prix | TT Circuit Assen |
8 | 6 July | Gran Premio Cirio Città di Imola | Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari |
9 | 20 July | ADAC Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland | Nürburgring |
10 | 3 August | Lucky Strike Rio Grand Prix | Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet |
11 | 17 August | Sun British Grand Prix | Donington Park |
12 | 31 August | Grand Prix České republiky | Brno Circuit |
13 | 14 September | Gran Premi Marlboro de Catalunya | Circuit de Catalunya |
14 | 28 September | Marlboro Indonesian Grand Prix | Sentul International Circuit |
15 | 5 October | Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix | Phillip Island |
†† = Saturday race
Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit | 125cc winner | 250cc winner | 500cc winner | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 13 April | Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix | Shah Alam | Valentino Rossi | Max Biaggi | Mick Doohan | Report |
2 | 20 April | Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix | Suzuka | Noboru Ueda | Daijiro Kato | Mick Doohan | Report |
3 | 4 May | Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix | Jerez | Valentino Rossi | Ralf Waldmann | Àlex Crivillé | Report |
4 | 18 May | Italian motorcycle Grand Prix | Mugello | Valentino Rossi | Max Biaggi | Mick Doohan | Report |
5 | 1 June | Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix | A1-Ring | Noboru Ueda | Olivier Jacque | Mick Doohan | Report |
6 | 8 June | French motorcycle Grand Prix | Paul Ricard | Valentino Rossi | Tetsuya Harada | Mick Doohan | Report |
7 | 28 June †† | Dutch TT | Assen | Valentino Rossi | Tetsuya Harada | Mick Doohan | Report |
8 | 6 July | City of Imola motorcycle Grand Prix | Imola | Valentino Rossi | Max Biaggi | Mick Doohan | Report |
9 | 20 July | German motorcycle Grand Prix | Nürburgring | Valentino Rossi | Tetsuya Harada | Mick Doohan | Report |
10 | 3 August | Rio de Janeiro motorcycle Grand Prix | Rio de Janeiro | Valentino Rossi | Olivier Jacque | Mick Doohan | Report |
11 | 17 August | British motorcycle Grand Prix | Donington | Valentino Rossi | Ralf Waldmann | Mick Doohan | Report |
12 | 31 August | Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix | Brno | Noboru Ueda | Max Biaggi | Mick Doohan | Report |
13 | 14 September | Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix | Catalunya | Valentino Rossi | Ralf Waldmann | Mick Doohan | Report |
14 | 28 September | Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix | Sentul | Valentino Rossi | Max Biaggi | Tadayuki Okada | Report |
15 | 5 October | Australian motorcycle Grand Prix | Phillip Island | Noboru Ueda | Ralf Waldmann | Àlex Crivillé | Report |
†† = Saturday race
|
|
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|
Bold – Pole |
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|
Bold – Pole |
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|
Bold – Pole |
Pos | Manufacturer |
MAL |
JPN |
ESP |
ITA |
AUT |
FRA |
NED |
IMO |
GER |
RIO |
GBR |
CZE |
CAT |
INA |
AUS |
Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Honda | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 375 |
2 | Yamaha | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 188 |
3 | Suzuki | Ret | 13 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 90 |
4 | Aprilia | Ret | DNS | 6 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 3 | Ret | 5 | 7 | 7 | Ret | 10 | 10 | 11 | 88 |
5 | Modenas KR3 | Ret | 14 | 13 | 8 | 14 | Ret | 8 | 8 | Ret | 8 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 68 |
6 | ELF 500 | 14 | Ret | 16 | Ret | 12 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 8 | Ret | 9 | 11 | Ret | 60 |
7 | ROC Yamaha | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 12 |
Pos | Manufacturer |
MAL |
JPN |
ESP |
ITA |
AUT |
FRA |
NED |
IMO |
GER |
RIO |
GBR |
CZE |
CAT |
INA |
AUS |
Pts |
Pos | Manufacturer |
MAL |
JPN |
ESP |
ITA |
AUT |
FRA |
NED |
IMO |
GER |
RIO |
GBR |
CZE |
CAT |
INA |
AUS |
Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Honda | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 360 |
2 | Aprilia | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 268 |
3 | T.S. Honda | Ret | 4 | 4 | Ret | 7 | Ret | 6 | Ret | 13 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 109 |
4 | Yamaha | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 81 |
5 | Suzuki | 14 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 10 | Ret | Ret | 15 | 7 | Ret | 10 | 13 | 9 | Ret | 6 | 72 |
Pos | Manufacturer |
MAL |
JPN |
ESP |
ITA |
AUT |
FRA |
NED |
IMO |
GER |
RIO |
GBR |
CZE |
CAT |
INA |
AUS |
Pts |
Pos | Manufacturer |
MAL |
JPN |
ESP |
ITA |
AUT |
FRA |
NED |
IMO |
GER |
RIO |
GBR |
CZE |
CAT |
INA |
AUS |
Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aprilia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 351 |
2 | Honda | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 287 |
3 | Yamaha | 8 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 139 |
Pos | Manufacturer |
MAL |
JPN |
ESP |
ITA |
AUT |
FRA |
NED |
IMO |
GER |
RIO |
GBR |
CZE |
CAT |
INA |
AUS |
Pts |