The 1970 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 22nd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of twelve Grand Prix races in six classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 50cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 3 May, with West German Grand Prix and ended with Spanish Grand Prix on 27 September.
This is the most recent season before 2024 that the Japanese manufacturers failed to score a single win in the premier class.
Season summary The MV Agusta team continued to dominate as Giacomo Agostini won his fifth consecutive 500cc world championship against minimal opposition from other manufacturers. From 1968 to 1970, Agostini and MV Agusta were so dominant that Agostini won every single race he contested in the 350cc and 500cc classes. However, Japanese manufacturers continued to improve two-stroke engine technology. In 1970, Kawasaki began to sell the Kawasaki H1R to privateer racing teams. The H1R was the first multi-cylinder two stroke racing motorcycle to be sold commercially. Ginger Molloy rode one of the Kawasakis to a second-place finish behind Agostini in the 500cc championship.
Life was harder for Agostini in the 350 class as Kel Carruthers and Renzo Pasolini on Benellis and Rod Gould on a factory Yamaha gave him a battle on more than one occasion. Gould would take the 250 title for Yamaha, battling Carruthers for the entire season. German Dieter Braun would give Suzuki the 125 crown while Derbi mounted Angel Nieto claimed the 50cc class for the second year in a row.
Braun's victory at the 1970 Isle of Man TT was notable because he was one of only seven riders to have won an Isle of Man TT race in their first attempt. Due to the circuit's 37.7 mile length, it usually takes competitors two or three attempts before they learn its nuances. There were six fatalities among the competitors at the Isle of Man TT races, including world championship contender Santiago Herrero, making 1970 the deadliest year in the history of the event.
1970 Grand Prix season calendar Round Date Grand Prix Circuit 50cc winner 125cc winner 250cc winner 350cc winner 500cc winner Sidecars 500cc winner Report 1 3 May West German Grand Prix Nürburgring Nordschleife Angel Nieto John Dodds Kel Carruthers Giacomo Agostini Giacomo Agostini Auerbacher / Hahn Report 2 17 May French Grand Prix Le Mans Bugatti Angel Nieto Dieter Braun Rodney Gould Giacomo Agostini Enders / Kalauch Report 3 24 May Yugoslavian Grand Prix Opatija Circuit Angel Nieto Dieter Braun Santiago Herrero Giacomo Agostini Giacomo Agostini Report 4 12 June Isle of Man TT Snaefell Mountain Dieter Braun Kel Carruthers Giacomo Agostini Giacomo Agostini Enders / Kalauch Report 5 27 June Dutch TT Assen Angel Nieto Dieter Braun Rodney Gould Giacomo Agostini Giacomo Agostini Auerbacher / Hahn Report 6 5 July Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps Aalt Toersen Angel Nieto Rodney Gould Giacomo Agostini Butscher / Huber Report 7 12 July East German Grand Prix Sachsenring Aalt Toersen Angel Nieto Rodney Gould Giacomo Agostini Giacomo Agostini Report 8 19 July Czechoslovak Grand Prix Masaryk Circuit Aalt Toersen Gilberto Parlotti Kel Carruthers Giacomo Agostini Enders / Engelhardt Report 9 2 August Finnish Grand Prix Imatra Circuit Dave Simmonds Rodney Gould Giacomo Agostini Giacomo Agostini Enders / Engelhardt Report 10 15 August Ulster Grand Prix Dundrod Circuit Angel Nieto Kel Carruthers Giacomo Agostini Giacomo Agostini Enders / Engelhardt Report 11 13 September Nations Grand Prix Monza Jan de Vries Angel Nieto Rodney Gould Giacomo Agostini Giacomo Agostini Report 12 27 September Spanish Grand Prix Montjuich Salvador Cañellas Angel Nieto Kent Andersson Angelo Bergamonti Angelo Bergamonti Report
Final standings
Scoring system Points were awarded to the top ten finishers in each race. Only the best of six races were counted on 50cc, 125cc, 350cc and 500cc championships, best of seven in 250cc, while in the Sidecars, the best of five races were counted.
Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Points 15 12 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1
500cc final standings
Pos Rider Machine GER FRA YUG MAN HOL BEL DDR FIN ULS NAC ESP Pts 1 Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 90 2 Ginger Molloy Bultaco / Kawasaki 5 2 7 4 16 15 2 2 6 2 62 3 Angelo Bergamonti Aermacchi / MV Agusta 4 2 2 2 1 59 4 Tommy Robb Seeley 3 11 Ret 10 3 10 5 Ret 4 36 5 Alberto Pagani Linto 3 Ret 3 Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret 30 6 Alan Barnett Seeley-Matchless 2 7 Ret 4 Ret 24 7 Christian Ravel Kawasaki 8 Ret 2 5 Ret Ret Ret 8 24 8 Jack Findlay Seeley-Matchless / Seeley-Suzuki Ret Ret 4 4 Ret Ret 12 Ret 4 Ret Ret 24 9 Martti Pesonen Yamaha 7 5 Ret Ret 8 8 7 7 24 10 Peter Williams Matchless 2 7 5 22 11 Roberto Gallina Paton 3 Ret 7 5 20 12 Martin Carney Kawasaki Ret Ret 3 6 6 20 13 Gyula Marsovszky Linto / Kawasaki 11 6 8 9 Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret 18 14 Eric Offenstadt Kawasaki Ret 9 13 7 4 Ret 14 15 John Dodds Linto Ret Ret Ret Ret 2 Ret Ret Ret 12 16 Silvano Bertarelli Kawasaki Ret 3 10 = Bill Smith Kawasaki / Yamaha 3 Ret 10 = Percy Tait Triumph / Seeley-Matchless Ret 3 10 19 Giuseppe Mandolini Moto Guzzi 3 10 20 Dave Simmonds Kawasaki Ret 12 6 12 12 8 Ret 9 10 21 Karl Hoppe Münch-URS / Seeley-URS 4 16 Ret Ret 8 22 Karl Auer Matchless Ret 4 Ret 8 23 Gianpiero Zubani Kawasaki 9 5 8 = John Williams Matchless 5 9 8 25 Godfrey Nash Norton / Manx Ret Ret Ret 11 9 6 7 26 Billie Nelson Paton 9 Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret 7 27 Ernst Hiller Kawasaki 8 Ret 7 Ret 7 28 Lewis Young Honda / Matchless Ret Ret 11 Ret 5 Ret Ret 6 29 Brian Steenson Seeley-Matchless 15 5 Ret 6 30 Paul Smart Seeley-Matchless Ret 5 Ret Ret 6 31 Terry Dennehy Honda 10 Ret Ret 13 6 Ret Ret Ret 6 32 Tony Jefferies Matchless 6 Ret 5 = Walter Rungg Aermacchi 6 Ret Ret 5 34 Rob Bron Suzuki 6 5 35 Steve Ellis Linto / Matchless Ret Ret 14 10 Ret 7 5 36 Ron Chandler Seeley-Matchless / Triumph Ret 8 9 Ret 5 37 Selwyn Griffiths Matchless 7 4 38 Gerry Mateer Norton Ret 8 3 39 Brian Adams Norton 8 3 = Giovanni Perrone Kawasaki 8 3 41 Vincent Duckett Seeley-Matchless 9 13 2 42 Hans-Otto Butenuth BMW Ret Ret 9 2 43 Paolo Campanelli Kawasaki Ret 9 2 44 Jean Campiche Honda Ret 10 14 10 Ret 2 45 Gordon Keith Velocette Ret 21 Ret 10 1 46 André-Luc Appietto Paton 10 1 = Charlie Dobson Seeley-Matchless 10 1 = Vasco Loro Norton-Kawasaki 10 1 = Steve Spencer Norton 10 1 Pos Rider Bike GER FRA YUG MAN HOL BEL DDR FIN ULS NAC ESP PtsBold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap
1970 350 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins1 Giacomo Agostini1 Italy MV Agusta9092 Kel Carruthers7 Australia Benelli5803 Renzo Pasolini Italy Benelli4604 Kent Andersson Sweden Yamaha4405 Martti Pesonen Finland Yamaha3806 Rodney Gould United Kingdom Yamaha2807 Angelo Bergamonti Italy MV Agusta2718 Günter Bartusch East Germany MZ2009 Alan Barnett United Kingdom Aermacchi20010 Tommy Robb United Kingdom Yamaha180
1970 250 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins1 Rodney Gould6 United Kingdom Yamaha10262 Kel Carruthers Australia Yamaha8443 Kent Andersson2 Sweden Yamaha6714 Jarno Saarinen Finland Yamaha5705 Börje Jansson5 Sweden Yamaha3406 Chas Mortimer United Kingdom Yamaha3007 Gyula Marsovsky Switzerland Yamaha2808 Santiago Herrero3 Spain Ossa2719 Bo Granath Sweden Yamaha25010 Silvio Grassetti Italy Yamaha240
1970 125 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins1 Dieter Braun2 West Germany Suzuki8442 Angel Nieto Spain Derbi7243 Börje Jansson Sweden Maico6204 Dave Simmonds1 United Kingdom Kawasaki5715 László Szabó8 Hungary MZ3406 Toni Gruber West Germany Maico3307 Aalt Toersen Netherlands Suzuki3108 John Dodds Australia Aermacchi2419 Gunter Bartusch East Germany MZ22010 Heinz Kriwanek Austria Rotax250
1970 50 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins1 Angel Nieto1 Spain Derbi8752 Aalt Toersen2 Netherlands Jamathi7533 Rudolf Kunz8 West Germany Kreidler6604 Salvador Cañellas Spain Derbi6315 Jan De Vries4 Netherlands Kreidler6016 Jos Schurgers Netherlands Kreidler4107 Martin Mijwaart10 Netherlands Jamathi4008 Ludwig Fassbender9 West Germany Kreidler1709 Gilberto Parlotti6 Italy Tomos15110 Harald Bartol Austria Kreidler110
References
Büla, Maurice & Schertenleib, Jean-Claude (2001). Continental Circus 1949-2000. Chronosports S.A.