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[[Image:ZweiRadMuseumNSU Kreidler Rennmaschine.JPG|thumb|300px|1963 50 cc [[Kreidler]] Renn-Florett]]
The '''50 [[Cubic centimetre|cc]]''' class was the ultra-lightweight class in [[Grand Prix motorcycle racing]], and formed part of the [[Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme|Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM)]] World Championships from 1962 until 1983; when the class was replaced by [[80 cc]].
==History and development of the class==
The relative low cost and increasing availability of 50 cc motorcycles in the post-war period, spawned a number of club [[Motorcycle sport#Tarmac|road racing]] events for this size of machine in the early 1950s. With the earliest events being held in Italy<ref name="Classic Racer100">{{cite journal | last =Dobson | first =Peter |
| url = http://www.zweitakte.de/modelle/renn/Kreidler/werksrenner_65.htm
| title = Kreidler Racers 1959-65
|
▲| publisher = zweitakte.de (''German language'')
}}</ref>
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! Location
| {{flagicon|Belgium}} Circuit de [[Mouscron]]
| {{flagicon|West Germany}} St Wendel, [[Saarland]]
| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Hockenheimring]]
| {{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Zolder]]
| {{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} [[Opatija Circuit|Opatija]]
| {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Circuit Park Zandvoort|Zandvoort]]
| {{flagicon|Belgium}} Circuit
| {{flagicon|Spain}} [[
|-valign="top"
! Event
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| [[German motorcycle Grand Prix|Grosser Preis von Deutschland]]
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|
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| {{flagicon|Germany}} Hans-Georg Anscheidt
| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Wolfgang Gedlich]]
| {{flagicon|Spain}} [[
|-valign="top"
! Machine
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In [[1962 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season|1962]], the FIM followed up the success of the Coupe d’ Europe by giving the 50 cc class [[List of Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champions|World Championship]] status. As well as the works entries of existing European manufacturers like Kreidler and Tomos, this development also attracted entries from Japanese manufacturers with both [[Honda Racing Corporation|Honda]] and [[Suzuki]] entering full work's teams. The Spanish [[Derbi]] factory also entered a single work's bike for the [[Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]].
The Kreidlers were now fitted with three speed [[Overdrive (mechanics)|overdrive]]s controlled from the [[twistgrip]], which coupled to the standard four-speed [[Manual transmission#Sequential manual|gearbox]] gave twelve gears to help keep the engines at maximum power. Engine development also increased power to {{convert|10|hp|abbr=on}} at 11,000 [[Revolutions per minute|rpm]]. The Kreidlers development would be hampered however by the factory's insistence that the race bikes remained fundamentally based upon their standard road machines.<ref name="Classic Racer500">{{cite journal | last =Dobson | first =Peter |
Honda's commitment to [[four-stroke]] engines dated back to 1951 with the launch of its Dream E-Type<ref name="Honda Worldwide, History 200">{{cite web
| url = http://world.honda.com/history/limitlessdreams/dreametype/text/02.html
| title = E-Type, The early days of the Honda four-stroke (1951)
|
| publisher = world.Honda.com
|
[[Image:Kreidler, Bedrich Fendrich, CSSR - 1976-08-28.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Bedrich Fendrich practicing for the 1976 German GP on his [[Kreidler]]]]
prior to this all Honda's bikes were two-strokes. The change and long-term commitment to the more sophisticated four-stroke technology came either directly from founder Soichiro Honda<ref name="Honda Worldwide, History 200" /> or indirectly due to pressure from managing director Takeo Fujisawa, who was said to be appalled by the noise and smoke that two-stroke engines produced and the additional hassle that Honda customers faced by having to mix oil with their fuel.<ref>Oxley, Matt (2001): ''The Challenge & Dream of Honda 500 Grand Prix Motor Cycle Wins''. Hazleton Publishing Ltd. p.38</ref>
Honda began their first 50 cc GP season with the [[Honda RC110|RC110]], announced at the Japanese Motor Show in 1961. Powered by a single cylinder, four-valve engine, and with gear driven double overhead cams, giving about {{convert|9|hp|abbr=on}} at 14,000 rpm. It was introduced with a five-speed gearbox, but by the time of the opening GP in Spain, the bikes were upgraded to six gears. Even so, they were badly outperformed. Rider [[Tommy Robb (motorcyclist)|Tommy Robb]] suggested that more gears might be the answer and was amazed to find a week later at the French GP that the gearbox had been expanded to eight speeds. This still wasn't enough to compensate for the machine's relative lack of power and three weeks later at the [[1962 Isle of Man TT|Isle of Man TT]], nine gears were fitted and the rev limit increased to 17,000 rpm with output now up to around 10 hp.<ref>Oxley, Matt (2001): ''The Challenge & Dream of Honda 500 Grand Prix Motor Cycle Wins''. Hazleton Publishing Ltd. p.39</ref> In that season, the machine's designation was changed to [[Honda RC110|RC111]], but Honda's records are unclear as to what precise change in the development this signified or when it was used.<ref>Oxley, Matt (2001): ''The Challenge & Dream of Honda 500 Grand Prix Motor Cycle Wins''. Hazleton Publishing Ltd. p.146</ref>
In contrast, the Suzuki team were committed to two-stroke technology and their single cylinder RM62 machine featured rotary valve induction and an 8-speed transmission and produced about {{convert|10|hp|abbr=on}} at 12,000 rpm. [[Ernst Degner]] who had defected from the East German [[MZ Motorrad- und Zweiradwerk|MZ]] team to Suzuki the previous year, brought with him the secrets of MZ's two-stroke tuning success which undoubtedly helped him and the Suzuki team to secure the inaugural 50 cc World Championship.
==The Japanese withdraw==
After the withdrawal of Honda (and Bridgestone) after the 1966 season, Suzuki was the only Japanese
==50 cc GP World Champions ==
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!Year!!Champion!!Country!!Motorcycle!!Second place!!Country!!Motorcycle!!Third place!!Country!!Motorcycle
|-
|1962||[[Ernst Degner]]||{{
|-
|1963||[[Hugh Anderson (motorcyclist)|Hugh Anderson]]||{{NZL}}||Suzuki||[[Hans-Georg Anscheidt]]||{{GER}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Ernst Degner]]||{{DDR}}||Suzuki
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|1965||[[Ralph Bryans]]||{{IRL}}||[[Honda]]||[[Hugh Anderson (motorcyclist)|Hugh Anderson]]||{{NZL}}||[[Suzuki]]||[[Luigi Taveri]]||{{SUI}}||[[Honda]]
|-
|1966||[[Hans
|-
|1967||[[Hans
|-
|1968||[[Hans
|-
|1969||[[Angel Nieto]]||{{ESP}}||[[Derbi]]||[[Aalt Toersen]]||{{NED}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Barry Smith (motorcyclist)|Barry Smith]]||{{AUS}}||[[Derbi]]
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|1971||[[Jan de Vries (motorcyclist)|Jan de Vries]]||{{NED}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Angel Nieto]]||{{ESP}}||[[Derbi]]||[[Jos Schurgers]]||{{NED}}||[[Kreidler]]
|-
|1972||[[Angel Nieto]]||{{ESP}}||
|-
|1973||[[Jan de Vries (motorcyclist)|Jan de Vries]]||{{NED}}||Kreidler||[[Bruno Kneubuhler]]||{{SUI}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Theo Timmer]]||{{NED}}||[[Jamathi]]
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