The 1971 Motocross World Championship was the 15th edition of the

Motocross World Championship The FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps ...

organized by the

FIM FIM may refer to: Organizations and companies * Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation * Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States * Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media * ...

and reserved for 500cc and 250cc motorcycles.

Summary

The

Suzuki is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...

factory won the premier 500cc class in their first attempt with rider

Roger De Coster Roger De Coster (born 28 August 1944) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Motorsport Director of KTM and Husqvarna North America. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1966 to 1980, most prominently as a ...

winning five of the 12 Grand Prix events to become the first Japanese manufacturer to win the 500cc World Championship. De Coster faced strong opposition from

Maico Maicowerk A.G., known by its trading name Maico () is the name of a family company in the Swabian town of Pfäffingen near Tübingen. Founded in 1926 by Ulrich Maisch as Maisch & Co, the company originally manufactured 98 and 123 cc Ilo tw ...

factory team rider

Åke Jonsson Åke Jonsson (born 5 October 1942) is a Swedish former professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1964 to 1978 as a member of the Husqvarna, Maico and Yamaha factory racing teams. Jonsson was part of ...

who won three rounds and was leading the championship going into the final event of the season in Holland. At the season ending Dutch Grand Prix, Jonsson had built a sizeable lead over De Coster when his motorcycle’s spark plug came loose, allowing De Coster to take the lead and go to win the 1971 500 World Championship. For the second consecutive year, Jonsson had the World Championship slip from his grasp in the final round of the championship. De Coster became the first Belgian to claim the 500 division since Rene Baeten won in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

. In the middle of the 1971 season, the BSA factory announced that they were ceasing operations, leaving their team rider John Banks without a motorcycle. Banks would finish the season riding a

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

Husqvarna motorcycle. The BSA team remained competitive up to the end with Banks placing third at the British Grand Prix. Suzuki also claimed the 250cc World Championship where

Joël Robert Joël Robert (26 November 1943 – 13 January 2021) was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1962 to 1976 when the sport experienced a surge in popularity worldwide. A six-time world champ ...

dominated the smaller class, winning eight of the twelve Grand Prix events to clinch the title ahead of Husqvarna factory rider, Håkan Andersson. It would be Robert's fourth consecutive 250cc title, and second since joining the Suzuki factory racing team. It was his fifth 250cc world championship overall in his career. Four-time World Champion,

Torsten Hallman Torsten Hallman (born 17 October 1939) is a Swedish former professional motocross racer and business entrepreneur. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1959 to 1971, most prominently as a member of the Husqvarna factory racing ...

, scored the

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: People * Torakusu Yamaha, a Japanese businessman and founder of the Yamaha Corporation Companies * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese musical instrument and audio equipment manufacturer ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organi ...

factory's first motocross world championship points with a 7th place at the 1971 250cc Dutch Grand Prix. Hallman retired at the end of the season. Siegfried Lerner scored the first motocross world championship points for the KTM factory with a 10th place at the 1971 250cc East German Grand Prix.

Grands Prix

500cc

250cc

Final standings

Points are awarded to the top 10 classified finishers. For the 250cc and 500cc final championship standings, the 7 best of 12 results are retained.

500cc

(Results in ''italics'' indicate overall winner)

250cc

(Results in ''italics'' indicate overall winner)

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:1971 Fim Motocross World Championship Season FIM Motocross World Championship season Motocross World Championship seasons