The 1968 Motocross World Championship was the 12th edition of the Motocross World Championship organized by the FIM and reserved for 500cc and 250cc motorcycles.
Summary ČZ factory-sponsored Paul Friedrichs overcame a late-season charge by BSA factory team rider John Banks to win his third consecutive 500cc World Championship by a single point over his British competitor. The championship wasn't decided until the final round in Switzerland, where Friedrichs, Banks, and Åke Jonsson (Husqvarna) each had a mathematical chance of winning the world championship.
Friedrichs won the season-ending Swiss Grand Prix to claim the 500cc World Championship by a narrow margin over Banks. Banks actually scored more points overall but fell victim to FIM scoring rules, which only recognize the top seven of thirteen results. The rules would be changed in 1977. Friedrichs won four of the thirteen Grand Prix events to become the first three-time winner of the premier 500cc displacement class since the inception of the Motocross World Championships in 1957. In the face of the rapid development of two-stroke engine technology, the BSA factory was the last remaining manufacturer to compete with four-stroke engines.
Joël Robert and Torsten Hallman once again battled for supremacy in the 250cc class. The ČZ factory switched Dave Bickers from the 500cc class to the 250cc class and hired 23-year-old Sylvain Geboers to support Robert, while the Husqvarna team hired Håkan Andersson in support of Hallman. Andersson won the Czechoslovak Grand Prix to become an early title contender; however, he suffered a broken leg at the Dutch Grand Prix and was forced to withdraw from the competition. After Robert won three consecutive Grand Prix races in France, Holland, and West Germany to take the early points lead, Hallman then won three races in Russia, Yugoslavia, and Sweden to tie Robert for the championship points lead as they went into the final round in Austria, where Robert won the event to clinch the World Championship by two points over Hallman. Suzuki became the first Japanese manufacturer to win a Motocross World Championship heat race when Olle Pettersson rode a Suzuki to win the first heat race at the 250cc Belgian Grand Prix in Genk.
Grands Prix 500cc RoundDateGrand PrixLocationRace 1 WinnerRace 2 WinnerOverall WinnerReport 1 April 21 Austrian Grand Prix Sittendorf Paul Friedrichs John Banks Bengt Åberg Report 2 May 12 Italian Grand Prix Gallarate Roger De Coster Roger De Coster Roger De Coster Report 3 May 19 Swedish Grand Prix Motala Åke Jonsson Paul Friedrichs Åke Jonsson Report 4 May 26 Finnish Grand Prix Tikkurila Paul Friedrichs John Banks Paul Friedrichs Report 5 June 9 East German Grand Prix Apolda Paul Friedrichs Paul Friedrichs Paul Friedrichs Report 6 June 16 Czechoslovak Grand Prix Přerov Paul Friedrichs Paul Friedrichs Paul Friedrichs Report 7 July 7 British Grand Prix Farleigh Castle Vic Eastwood Åke Jonsson Vic Eastwood Report 8 July 14 West German Grand Prix Beuren Paul Friedrichs Adolf Weil Åke Jonsson Report 9 July 21 French Grand Prix Bellême Roger De Coster John Banks John Banks Report 10 July 28 Dutch Grand Prix Sint Anthonis John Banks John Banks John Banks Report 11 August 4 Belgian Grand Prix Namur John Banks Paul Friedrichs Bengt Åberg Report 12 August 11 Luxembourg Grand Prix Ettelbruck Paul Friedrichs Vic Eastwood Vic Eastwood Report 13 August 18 Swiss Grand Prix Wohlen Bengt Åberg Vic Eastwood Paul Friedrichs ReportSources:
250cc RoundDateGrand PrixLocationRace 1 WinnerRace 2 WinnerOverall WinnerReport 1 March 31 Spanish Grand Prix Sabadell Joël Robert Torsten Hallman Torsten Hallman Report 2 April 28 Belgian Grand Prix Genk Olle Pettersson Håkan Andersson Sylvain Geboers Report 3 May 5 Czechoslovak Grand Prix Holice Håkan Andersson Håkan Andersson Håkan Andersson Report 4 May 12 French Grand Prix Thouars Joël Robert Håkan Andersson Joël Robert Report 5 May 19 Dutch Grand Prix Markelo Joël Robert Joël Robert Joël Robert Report 6 May 23 West German Grand Prix Bielstein Joël Robert Torsten Hallman Joël Robert Report 7 May 26 Luxembourg Grand Prix Schifflange Torsten Hallman Joël Robert Torsten Hallman Report 8 June 16 Polish Grand Prix Szczecin Joël Robert Torsten Hallman Joël Robert Report 9 June 23 Russian Grand Prix Lviv Karel Konečný Torsten Hallman Torsten Hallman Report 10 June 30 Yugoslavian Grand Prix Tržič Torsten Hallman Torsten Hallman Torsten Hallman Report 11 July 27 Finnish Grand Prix Hyvinkää Kalevi Vehkonen Kalevi Vehkonen Kalevi Vehkonen Report 12 August 4 Swedish Grand Prix Hedemora Joël Robert Heikki Mikkola Torsten Hallman Report 13 August 11 British Grand Prix Dodington Park Joël Robert Joël Robert Joël Robert Report 14 October 6 Austrian Grand Prix Launsdorf Joël Robert Joël Robert Joël Robert ReportSources:
Final standings
Points are awarded to the top 6 classified finishers. For the 500cc final championship standings, the 7 best of 13 results are retained. For the 250cc final championship standings, the 7 best of 14 results are retained.
Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Points 8 6 4 3 2 1
500cc (Results in italics indicate overall winner) Pos Rider Machine AUT ITA SWE FIN GDR TCH UK GER FRA NED BEL LUX CH Points R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 1 Paul Friedrichs ČZ 1 18 NC - - 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 - - 1 - - - - - 8 1 1 3 2 2 42 2 John Banks BSA 30 1 - - - - 5 1 4 4 3 2 - - 8 4 2 1 1 1 1 4 6 2 3 5 41 3 Åke Jonsson Husqvarna - 6 NC - 1 6 2 4 6 3 4 3 - 1 3 2 5 6 - 7 - - 7 4 4 4 34 4 Bengt Åberg Husqvarna 2 2 NC - - 2 - - - - - - 9 10 2 3 37 2 6 - 3 2 4 5 1 10 29 5 Roger De Coster ČZ 11 - 1 1 5 5 - - - - - - 5 6 10 - 1 3 4 12 4 - - - 7 - 21 6 Vic Eastwood Husqvarna - - NC - - 4 - - 9 2 - - 1 2 4 - 29 30 3 - 2 - 2 1 - 1 17 7 Petr Dobrý ČZ - - 6 2 - - - - 2 6 2 5 3 3 - - 13 7 - - 7 7 - - 11 - 16 8 Jeff Smith BSA 25 - NC - - - 3 3 10 10 6 - 6 8 - - 6 5 5 5 5 6 - - 5 3 16 9 Jeff Teuwissen Husqvarna 8 26 - - - - - - - - 7 7 - - - 7 3 4 2 2 6 3 11 - - - 14 10 Christer Hammargren Husqvarna 9 8 NC - 4 3 - - 8 7 - - 2 5 7 5 31 - 8 - 16 21 - 8 - 6 13 11 Vlastimil Válek ČZ 4 24 8 - 3 - - - 3 5 - - - - 6 8 7 27 17 11 10 8 3 6 6 7 13 12 Václav Švastal ČZ 3 7 5 4 - - - - 7 8 - - 7 12 - - 4 8 - - 17 9 8 7 - - 8 13 Vilis Brunis ČZ 5 3 4 - - - - - 15 12 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 14 Allan Clough Husqvarna 26 - 3 3 - - - - - - - - 10 13 - - 36 36 - - 19 18 - - - - 4 15 Wolfgang Müller Maico - - 9 - - - - - - - - - - - 5 6 - - 12 13 - - - - 8 8 4 Vladimir Pogrebniak ČZ 7 4 NC - 2 - - - 11 17 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 17 Heinz Hoppe ČZ 10 9 NC - - - 4 - 13 13 5 6 - - - - - - - 15 18 12 10 12 - - 3 18 Dave Bickers ČZ - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 19 Pierre Karsmakers ČZ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 9 7 6 13 14 - - - - 3 20 Adolf Weil Maico 12 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - 2 Erwin Schmider Maico - - 7 6 - - - - - - - - - - 15 12 - - - - - - - - - - 2 22 Keith Hickman BSA - - - - - - - - 5 14 8 4 8 9 - - 40 - - - - - 5 - - - 2 Gerrit Wolsink Husqvarna - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9 4 25 16 - - - - 2 Gunnar Draugs ČZ 6 23 NC - - - 6 6 12 9 11 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 25 Jan Johansson Lindstrom - 10 - - 6 - 8 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 Gaston Rahier ČZ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9 5 - 9 - - 1 - Yuri Matveev ČZ - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 Frans Sigmans Husqvarna - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - 0Sources:
250cc (Results in italics indicate overall winner) Pos Rider Machine ESP BEL TCH FRA NED GER LUX POL USSR YUG FIN SWE UK AUT Pts R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 1 Joël Robert ČZ 1 4 4 - 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 2 - - - 8 2 2 1 - 1 1 1 1 54 2 Torsten Hallman Husqvarna 2 1 - - - - 2 - 8 3 3 1 1 2 7 1 2 1 1 1 3 - 4 2 2 2 2 - 52 3 Sylvain Geboers ČZ 5 5 2 2 5 4 5 3 3 6 14 - 10 7 2 4 - - 3 3 - - - - - - 3 4 31 4 Karel Konečný ČZ - - - - 6 9 6 4 32 11 5 5 11 9 3 3 1 2 2 2 7 4 - - 5 3 6 3 29 5 Dave Bickers ČZ 6 3 6 8 7 - 4 7 24 - 8 12 2 3 - - 4 3 5 7 - - 7 6 3 4 7 5 21 6 Håkan Andersson Husqvarna - 2 3 1 1 1 3 1 4 26 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 7 Olle Pettersson Suzuki - 13 1 3 8 6 11 6 6 2 4 6 6 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 8 Kalevi Vehkonen Husqvarna - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1 - - - - 8 - 8 9 Victor Arbekov ČZ - - 9 4 3 3 8 5 11 27 6 4 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 10 Heikki Mikkola Husqvarna - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 - 6 1 - - 9 - 7 11 Stig Pettersson Husqvarna - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 5 5 5 11 - 11 - 7 12 Marcel Wiertz Bultaco 3 - 8 9 14 13 - - 18 12 13 11 12 14 - - - - - - - - - - 10 - 5 2 6 13 Adolf Weil Maico 7 8 - - - - - - 15 18 2 3 9 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 14 Malcolm Davis AJS 10 12 5 7 - - 10 9 - - - - 4 6 - - - - - - - - 2 - - - - - 6 15 Gennady Moiseyev ČZ - - 21 11 9 12 12 19 5 5 12 10 14 13 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 Leonid Shinkarenko ČZ - - 10 15 - 17 9 11 2 - - - 5 - 4 6 5 4 4 5 - - - - - - - - 5 17 Bengt Arne Bonn Husqvarna 17 11 - - - - - - - - 11 16 19 16 - 5 - - - - 4 3 - 3 - - - - 4 18 Jyrki Storm Husqvarna - - - 6 28 7 16 13 7 4 19 17 18 15 - - - - - - - - - 4 9 6 - - 4 19 Jiří Stodůlka ČZ - - 13 18 4 5 31 12 22 9 15 7 13 8 - - - - 6 6 - - - - 7 7 10 - 4 20 Evgeny Petushkov ČZ - - 11 10 15 14 13 10 17 - 9 8 8 10 - - - - - 4 - - - - - - - - 3 Vilis Brunis ČZ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 5 - - - - - - - - - - 3 22 Don Rickman Bultaco 4 6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 Bryan Wade Greeves - - - - - - 7 8 9 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - 4 5 - - 2 Torleif Hansen Husqvarna - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 - - - - - - - - - 12 - 4 6 2 25 Uno Palm Husqvarna - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 6 - - - - - - - - - - 1 Yngve Holmqvist Husqvarna - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7 - - - - 1 Vic Allan Greeves - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 8 - - 1 - Gaston Rahier ČZ 13 10 7 12 - - - 14 - - - - 16 11 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 Roger De Coster ČZ - - - 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0Sources:
Notes
References