1951 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season explained

The 1951 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the third F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of eight Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 8 April, with Spanish Grand Prix and ended with Nations Grand Prix on 9 September. As of 2022, this is the most recent season the premier class was won by a non-Japanese or non-Italian constructor.

1951 Grand Prix season calendar

RoundDateGrand PrixCircuit125cc winner250cc winner350cc winner500cc winnerSidecars 500cc winnerReport
18 April Spanish Grand PrixMontjuïc Guido Leoni Tommy Wood Umberto Masetti Oliver / DobelliReport
227 May Swiss Grand PrixBremgarten Dario Ambrosini Leslie Graham Fergus Anderson Frigerio / RicottiReport
38 June Isle of Man TTSnaefell Mountain Cromie McCandless Tommy Wood Geoff Duke Geoff DukeReport
41 July Belgian Grand PrixSpa-Francorchamps Geoff Duke Geoff Duke Oliver / DobelliReport
57 July Dutch TTAssen Gianni Leoni Bill Doran Geoff DukeReport
614 July French Grand PrixAlbi Bruno Ruffo Geoff Duke Alfredo Milani Oliver / DobelliReport
718 August Ulster Grand PrixClady Cromie McCandless Bruno Ruffo Geoff Duke Geoff DukeReport
89 September Nations Grand PrixMonza Carlo Ubbiali Enrico Lorenzetti Geoff Duke Alfredo Milani Milani / PizzocriReport

† The race saw only four competitors and was not counted as a round of the World Championship.

Standings

Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top six finishers in each race. Only the best three races counted in the Sidecars, 125cc and 250cc, while in the 350cc and 500cc championships, the best five results counted.

500cc final standings

PosRiderMachineESP
SUI
MAN
BEL
HOL
FRA
ULS
NAC
Pts
1 Geoff DukeNortonRet11151435
2 Alfredo MilaniGileraRetRet2214131
3 Umberto MasettiGilera19Ret43221
4 Bill DoranAJS2RetRet26614
5 Nello PaganiGileraRetRet51038310
6 Reg ArmstrongAJS2Ret4RetRet9
7 Fergus AndersonMoto GuzziRet1RetRet78
8 Enrico LorenzettiNorton / Moto GuzziRet3839Ret8
9 Tommy WoodNorton21114166
10 Ken KavanaghNortonRet2Ret6
11 Johnny LockettNortonRet64105116
12 Carlo BandirolaMV Agusta54RetRet95
13 Sante GeminianiMoto GuzziRetRet3Ret134
14 Arciso ArtesianiMV Agusta3RetRetRet4
= Cromie McCandlessNorton34
16 Tommy McEwansNorton4 3
= Roger MontanéNorton4 3
18 Jack BrettNorton756Ret83
19 Bruno RuffoMoto GuzziRet52
20 Manliff BarringtonNorton52
= Benoit MusyMoto Guzzi52
22 Len PerryNorton9126Ret1
23 Willy LipsNorton61
= Ashley Len ParryNorton61
= Ernesto VidalGilera6 1
26 Arthur WheelerNortonRet71411Ret0
27 Hans BaltisbergerNorton70
= Eric BriggsNorton70
= Louis CarterNorton70
= Libero LiberatiGilera70
31 Albert MouleNorton890
32 Bill PetchAJS/ NortonRetRet8Ret150
33 Lous van RiswijkTriumphRet80
34 Massimo ForsterGilera80
35 Väinö HollmingNorton / Moto Guzzi9Ret0
36 Cees Fokke-BoschNorton90
37 Rod ColemanNorton / AJSRet1011RetRet0
38 Sidney MasonNorton10Ret0
39 Ken ArmstrongNorton100
= Phil CarterNorton100
= Les DearNorton100
42 Ray AmmNorton28111112120
43 Guy NewmanNorton110
44 Jack BaileyNortonRet120
= Roy EvansNorton / AJS12Ret0
46 Alexandre MayerNorton120
47 Harold GrindleyNortonRet130
48 Dante BianchiMoto Guzzi130
= Dennis LashmarNorton130
50 Maurice AchesonAJS140
= Giuseppe ColnagoGilera140
= Auguste GoffinNorton140
53 Bill HallVelocetteRet150
54 Jean BehraMoto Guzzi150
= León MartinGilera150
= Roy WalkerVelocette150
57 Giulie GalbiatiMoto GuzziRet17Ret160
58 Felice BenasedoMoto GuzziRet 3116RetRet0
59 Robert FergusonAJS160
= Sid FranklenAJS160
61 Ernie BarrettAJSRet170
62 Syl AndertonNorton170
= Lodovico FacchinelliGilera170
= Jack HardingAJS170
65 Georges HouelGileraRet180
66 Charlie GrayAJS180
= George BrockertonBitza180
= Jaak DelsingTriumph180
69 Leo StarrAJS27190
70 Ernie ThomasVelocette / NortonRet19Ret0
71 George PatersonAJS190
72 Sven SørensenNorton200
= Albert VertriestTriumph200
74 Evert CarlssonNorton210
= Ronald PikeBSA210
76 Ray PettyNorton220
77 Arnold JonesNorton230
78 Achie FennNorton240
79 Jim KentishAJS250
80 Humphrey RansonAJS / Norton26Ret0
81 Eddie StidolphNorton290
82 Max KleinAJS300
83 Leslie HarrisNorton32Ret0
84 Ernie BraineNorton330
85 John FisherVelocette340
86 Joe ChapmanRudge-Whitworth350
87 Bill MaddrickVelocette360
88 J. GunnNorton370
89 Bob McDonaldAJS380
90 Bill BeeversAJS / NortonRet390
Leslie GrahamMV Agusta / NortonRet RetRetRetRetRetRet0
Bruno BertacchiniMV AgustaRetRetRetRet0
Bob MatthewsNortonRet RetRetRet0
Eric OliverNortonRet Ret Ret Ret0
Mick FeatherstoneAJSRetRet0
Charlie SaltBSA / VelocetteRetRet0
Edouard TexidorNortonRetRet0
Javier de OrtuetaNortonDNSRet0
Fernando ArandaMoto GuzziRet0
Raymond BecquevortAJSRet 0
Gaetano BiondelliGileraRet0
Charlie BrettNortonRet0
Charlie BruguiereAJSRet0
Florian CamathiasBMWRet0
Bernard CarterTriumphRet0
Phil CarterNortonRet0
Jacques CollotNortonRet0
Eugéne CordangTriumphRet0
Georges CordeyNortonRet0
Firmin DauweNortonRet0
Julien DeronneNortonRet0
Jacques DrionNortonRet0
Roger ErgéNortonRet0
Lennart FenningNortonRet0
Tito ForconiGileraRet0
Frank FryNortonRet0
Werner GerberNortonRet0
Francesco GuglielminettiGileraRet0
Eric HardyNortonRet0
Philip HeathVincentRet0
Johnny HodgkinVincentRet0
Chris HornNortonRet0
Sid LawtonAJSRet0
George LeighNortonRet0
Guido LeoniMoto GuzziRet 0
Harry LindsayNortonRet0
Maurice LockwoodAJSRet0
Tony McAlpineGileraRet0
Reg McDonaldVelocetteRet0
Stan MillerNortonRet0
Georges MonneretNortonRet0
George MorganVelocetteRet0
Ken MudfordAJSRet0
Alan MulleeNortonRet0
Bill MundyNortonRet0
Arthur PollittNortonRet0
Brian PurslowBSARet0
Jacques RaffeldAJSRet0
Michael RocheTriumphRet0
Elio ScopignoMoto GuzziRet0
Oliver ScottNortonRet0
Ralf SeymourVelocetteRet0
Cyril StevensTriumphRet0
Heinrich StammGileraRet 0
Jack VarlowAJSRet0
Ernest WalkerNortonRet0
Leonard WilliamsVelocetteRet0
PosRiderBikeESP
SUI
MAN
BEL
HOL
FRA
ULS
NAC
Pts
Bold – Pole
Italics – Fastest Lap

Constructors' 500cc World Championship

PosConstructorPts
138 (44)
2 Gilera36 (40)
3 AJS21 (23)
4 Moto Guzzi18
5 MV Agusta7
BMW0
BSA0
Rudge-Whitworth0
Triumph0
0
Vincent0

350cc Standings

PlaceRiderNumberCountryMachinePointsWins
1 Geoff DukeUnited KingdomNorton405
2 Bill DoranUnited KingdomAJS191
3 John LockettUnited KingdomNorton190
4 Ken KavanaghAustraliaNorton160
5 Jack BrettUnited KingdomNorton150
6 Leslie GrahamUnited KingdomVelocette141
7 Reg ArmstrongIrelandAJS110
8 Bill PetchUnited KingdomAJS100
9 Cecil SandfordUnited KingdomVelocette90
10 Tommy WoodUnited KingdomVelocette81
11 Bill LomasUnited KingdomVelocette60
12 Rod ColemanNew ZealandAJS50
13 Mick FeatherstoneUnited KingdomAJS40
14 Fernando ArandaSpainVelocette30
= Paul FuhrerSwitzerlandVelocette30
16 Sid MasonUnited KingdomVelocette20
= Jack RaffeldBelgiumVelocette20
= Simon Sandys-WinschUnited KingdomVelocette20
19 Johnny GraceGibraltarNorton10
= Bob MatthewsIrelandVelocette10
= Bob FosterUnited KingdomVelocette10
= Leonhardt FaßlAustriaAJS10

250cc Standings

PlaceRiderNumberCountryMachinePointsWins
1 Bruno RuffoItalyMoto Guzzi222
2 Tommy WoodUnited KingdomMoto Guzzi181
3 Dario AmbrosiniItalyBenelli141
4 Enrico LorenzettiItalyMoto Guzzi121
5 Gianni LeoniItalyMoto Guzzi100
6 Maurice CannUnited KingdomMoto Guzzi60
= Arthur WheelerUnited KingdomVelocette60
8 Fergus AndersonUnited KingdomMoto Guzzi30
= Wilf HuttUnited KingdomMoto Guzzi30
= Alano MontanariItalyMoto Guzzi30
= Benoit MusySwitzerlandMoto Guzzi30
12 Bill LomasUnited KingdomVelocette20
= Cecil SandfordUnited KingdomVelocette20
= Douglas BeasleyUnited KingdomVelocette20
= Bruno FrancisciItalyMoto Guzzi20
16 Fron PurslowUnited KingdomNorton10
= Norman BlemingsIrelandExcelsior10
= Werner GerberSwitzerlandMoto Guzzi10
= Nino GriecoItalyParilla10
= Guido PacioccaItalyMoto Guzzi10

125cc Standings

PlaceRiderNumberCountryMachinePointsWins
1 Carlo UbbialiItalyMondial201
2 Gianni LeoniItalyMondial121
3 Cromie McCandlessUnited KingdomMondial111
4 Luigi ZinzaniItalyMorini100
5 Guido LeoniItalyMondial81
6 Vittorio ZanziItalyMorini70
7 Romolo FerriItalyMondial60
8 Leslie GrahamUnited KingdomMV Agusta40
9 Juan BultóSpainMontesa40
10 Nello PaganiItalyMondial30
= Raffaele AlbertiItalyMondial30
12 Franco BertoniItalyMV Agusta20
= Otello SpadoniItalyMondial20
14 Emilio MendogniItalyMorini10
= José Antonio ElizaldeSpainMondial10
= José Maria LlobetSpainMontesa10
= Giuseppe MatucciItalyMV Agusta10

References