50 cc Grand Prix motorcycle racing: Difference between revisions

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]].

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 | authorlinkauthor-link =Peter Dobson (Journalistjournalist)| coauthors date=Spring | year =1987 | month =Spring | title =Moped Racer| journal =Classic Racer| volume =1 | issue =17 | pages = 51 | id = | url = | format = |accessdate = }}</ref> and in the UK.<ref name="Classic Racer200">{{cite journal | last =Woolley | first =Brian | authorlinkauthor-link =Brian Woolley| coauthors date=Summer | year =1986 | month =Summer | title =Early 50 cc racing| journal =Classic Racer| volume =1 | issue =14 | pages = 30–32 | id = | url = | format = |accessdate = }}</ref> The potential of this class for providing entertaining but affordable racing was soon recognised with several national championships and in 1961 the FIM introduced The Coupe d' Europe, a series of international events for 50 cc machines, each with a minimum duration and run to established Grand Prix rules and regulations.<ref name="Motorcycle Enthusiast300">{{cite journal | last =Walker | first =Mick | authorlinkauthor-link =Mick Walker| coauthors (motorcycling)|date=March | year =1987 | month =March | title =Classic Archives - racing 25 years ago| journal =Motorcycle Enthusiast| volume = | issue = | pages = 36–37 | id = | url = | format = |accessdate = }}</ref> The series attracted a variety of entries, but the dominating force were the work’sworks [[Kreidler]] team bikes. Based on a standard Kreidler Florett road bike, their single [[Cylinder (engine)|cylinder]] Kreidler Renn-Florett’sFloretts featured lightweight frames, a special [[cylinder head]] and barrel, twin 16&nbsp;mm Bing [[carburettor]]s feeding the engine through [[rotary valve]]s and improved suspension and brakes. By the end of the season, with the addition of rudimentary streamlining and the increase of carburettor size to 17&nbsp;mm, the {{convert|9|hp|abbr=on}} four-speed [[two-stroke]] bikes could top over 85&nbsp;mph.<ref name="Kreidler, Strassen-Rennmaschinen von 1959-65 100">{{cite web

| accessdateaccess-date = 9 February 2007

|-bgcolorstyle="background:#cccccc;"

| {{flagicon|West Germany}} St Wendel, [[Saarland]]

| {{flagicon|Belgium}} Circuit Dudu Heysel, [[Brussels]]

| {{flagicon|Spain}} [[ZaragosaZaragoza]]

| 3 me3me Prijs Zolder-Centrum

| {{flagicon|Spain}} [[CesarCésar GraciaGracía]]

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’swork's teams. The Spanish [[Derbi]] factory also entered a single work’swork'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_transmissionManual transmission#Sequential_manualSequential 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 | authorlinkauthor-link =Peter Dobson (Journalistjournalist)| coauthors date=Summer | year =1990 | month =Summer | title =GP Kreidler | journal = Classic Racer| volume =1 | issue =30 | pages = 39 | id = | url = | format = |accessdate = }}</ref> Suzuki and Honda knew no such limitations.

Honda’sHonda'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

| accessdateaccess-date = 11 February 2007

[[Image:Kreidler, Bedrich Fendrich, CSSR - 1976-08-28.jpg|thumb|left|none|300px|Bedrich Fendrich practicing for the 1976 German GP on his [[Kreidler]]]]

prior to this all Honda’sHonda'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’twasn't enough to compensate for the machinesmachine'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&nbsp;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 machinesmachine's designation was changed to [[Honda RC110|RC111]], but Honda’sHonda'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, boughtbrought with him the secrets of MZ’sMZ's two-stroke tuning success which undoubtedly helped him and the Suzuki team to secure the inaugural 50 cc World Championship.

After the withdrawal of Honda (and Bridgestone) after the 1966 season, Suzuki was the only Japanese firmsfirm fromentered in the 1967 50 cc category, atwinning each and every GP, often with a one-lap advantage on its closest competitors. At the end of [[19681967 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season|19681967]], cost-saving technological restrictions were introduced by the FIM, to be applied as from 1969. It led Suzuki to retire as well, leaving factory machines and parts to Hans-Georg Anscheidt and Stuart Graham for the [[1968 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season|1968]]. Spanish rider [[Angel Nieto]] came to the fore, and between [[1969 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season|1969]] and [[1976 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season|1976]], won the championship six times. His season long battle for the [[1972 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season|1972]] championship with Dutchman [[Jan de Vries (motorcyclist)|Jan de Vries]], being perhaps the closest fought championship in any form of [[Motorcycle sport|motor racing]]. By the end of the season both riders were tied with equal points, an equal number of wins and an equal number of second -place finishes and the championship winner was determined by adding together and comparing the times for the six races in which the pair had been placed. Nieto was calculated to have won the title by 21½ [[second]]sseconds from his rival.

|1962||[[Ernst Degner]]||{{DDRGER}}||[[Suzuki]]||[[Hans-Georg Anscheidt]]||{{GER}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Jan Huberts]]||{{NED}}||Kreidler

|1963||[[Hugh Anderson (motorcyclist)|Hugh Anderson]]||{{NZL}}||Suzuki||[[Hans-Georg Anscheidt]]||{{GER}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Ernst Degner]]||{{DDR}}||Suzuki

|1964||[[Hugh Anderson (motorcyclist)|Hugh Anderson]]||{{NZL}}||Suzuki||[[Ralph Bryans]]||{{IRL}}||[[Honda]]||[[Hans-Georg Anscheidt]]||{{GER}}||[[Kreidler]]

|1965||[[Ralph Bryans]]||{{IRL}}||[[Honda]]||[[Hugh Anderson (motorcyclist)|Hugh Anderson]]||{{NZL}}||[[Suzuki]]||[[Luigi Taveri]]||{{SUI}}||[[Honda]]

|1966||[[Hans -Georg Anscheidt]]||{{GER}}||Suzuki||[[Ralph Bryans]]||{{IRL}}||[[Honda]]||[[Luigi Taveri]]||{{SUI}}||[[Honda]]

|1967||[[Hans -Georg Anscheidt]]||{{GER}}||Suzuki||[[Yoshimi Katayama]]||{{JPN}}||[[Suzuki]]||[[Stuart Graham]]||{{GBR}}||[[Suzuki]]

|1968||[[Hans -Georg Anscheidt]]||{{GER}}||Suzuki||[[Paul Lodewijkx]]||{{NED}}||[[Jamathi]]||[[Barry Smith (motorcyclist)|Barry Smith]]||{{AUS}}||[[Derbi]]

|1969||[[Angel Nieto]]||{{ESP}}||[[Derbi]]||[[Aalt Toersen]]||{{NED}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Barry Smith (motorcyclist)|Barry Smith]]||{{AUS}}||[[Derbi]]

|1971||[[Jan de Vries (motorcoureurmotorcyclist)|Jan de Vries]]||{{NED}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Angel Nieto]]||{{ESP}}||[[Derbi]]||[[Jos Schurgers]]||{{NED}}||[[Kreidler]]

|1972||[[Angel Nieto]]||{{ESP}}||Kreidler [[Derbi]] ||[[Jan de Vries (motorcoureurmotorcyclist)|Jan de Vries]]||{{NED}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Theo Timmer]]||{{NED}}||[[Jamathi]]

|1973||[[Jan de Vries (motorcoureurmotorcyclist)|Jan de Vries]]||{{NED}}||Kreidler||[[Bruno Kneubuhler]]||{{SUI}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Theo Timmer]]||{{NED}}||[[Jamathi]]

|1976||[[Angel Nieto]]||{{ESP}}||[[Bultaco]]||[[Herbert Rittberger]]||{{GER}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Ulrich Graf (motorcyclist)|Ulrich Graf]]||{{SUI}}||[[Kreidler]]

|1978||[[Ricardo Tormo]]||{{ESP}}||Bultaco||[[Eugenio Lazzarini]]||{{ITA}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Patrick Plisson]]||{{FRA}}||[[ABF (motorcycle)|ABF]]

|1979||[[Eugenio Lazzarini]]||{{ITA}}||Kreidler||[[Rolf Blatter]]||{{SUI}}||[[Kreidler]]||[[Patrick Plisson]]||{{FRA}}||[[ABF (motorcycle)|ABF]]

|1982||[[Stefan Dörflinger]]||{{SUI}}||KreidlerKrauser||[[Eugenio Lazzarini]]||{{ITA}}||[[Garelli Motorcycles|Garelli]]||[[Claudio Lusuardi]]||{{ITA}}||[[Villa]]

|1983||[[Stefan Dörflinger]]||{{SUI}}||Kreidler||[[Eugenio Lazzarini]]||{{ITA}}||[[Garelli Motorcycles|Garelli]]||[[Claudio Lusuardi]]||{{ITA}}||[[Villa]]