1962 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The world championship motorcycle racing season in 1962 was the fourteenth in the history of the FIM organized road racing world championship .

General [ edit ]
In 1962 extended the Japanese manufacturers Honda and Suzuki their activities considerably. Suzuki developed with the help of Ernst Degner 50cc RM 62 with eight gears.Honda focused on the 125-, 250- and the 350cc class and became the first brand in history that the first four places in a world class occupied. That was the 125cc class. Due to the rapid rise of Honda immediately disappeared all the tension out of the World Cup. All classes that the Japanese interfered were immediately controlled. Honda did not have a 500cc racer and in the absence of competition MV Agusta remained there still king. Only the new 50cc class was exciting, they mainly took place between the more experienced team of Kreidler and Suzuki, which made ​​use of the knowledge Ernst Degner from the GDR had brought. After the flight of Ernst Degner resistance was MZbroken and the company withdrew from the world championship. Geoff Duke had since 1960 tried the "old" Gilera four cylinder to get at his disposal. Gilera refused at first, but the end of 1962 the factory sent a machine to England for tests by Derek Minter and John Hartle . Duke led to sponsorship by Castrol and Avon Rubber . Eventually, both the 350cc Gilera (used only in 1957 and barely race ready) as the 500cc Gilera deployed. The first test at Monza proceeded satisfactorily, even Minter depreciating one of the four 500cc machines when he fell through a broken fork . Minter won races at Silverstone , Brands Hatch and Oulton Park and Imola were Minter and Hartle first and second and defeated the new star of MV Agusta, Mike Hailwood . The " Scuderia Duke "was ready for 1963.

Deceased / stopped [ edit ]

 * In 1962, again lost some key drivers of life:
 * Libero Liberati crashed on March 5 near his home when his Gilera Saturno was testing.
 * On June 6 crashed Tom Phillis with a Honda RC 170 during the Junior TT . He was posthumously fourth in the World Championship 250cc and thirteenth in the 125cc world championship.
 * On August 6 was Bob McIntyre accident during a national race for the British Championship at Oulton Park . He died on August 15 at the consequences. He was posthumously second in the 250cc World Championship and sixteenth in the 125cc world championship. Both Phillis as McIntyre reason that year for Honda.
 * On August 19 crashed the British sidecar racer Harold Scholes during a race at Brands Hatch .
 * Gary Hocking stopped road racing after the death of Phillis, switched to the Formula 1 and crashed on December 21 during training in Durban .

Number (counting) games [ edit ]
In the 500cc class, eight, in the 350cc class and six in the 250cc class ten, eleven in the 125cc class, in the 50cc class ten and in the sidecar class ridden six games. With an even number matches the number of matches was halved and there was one added. With an odd number of races, one was added to match and then the number was halved.

500cc class [ edit ]
The 500cc class was in 1962 still the domain of MV Agusta, which is actually only one inzette machine. Which was mostly driven by Mike Hailwood, but the first game, the Senior TT it was won by Gary Hocking .Hocking did not feel comfortable with MV Agusta, perhaps not even in motorsport. After the death of his friend Tom Phillis in the Junior TT he cut through the knot and finally stopped road racing. At the end of the season he was already training with Lotus - Climax F1 car. In December he crashed during the Formula 1 training in Durban . Remo Venturi received a second machine for the Monza race and there was second behind Hailwood. The latter was in the Senior TT twelfth become problems with the first gear and the clutch, then won all the races in which he started. Competition had MV Agusta therefore not virtually all other riders started in unpromising, obsolete single cylinders as the Matchless G50 and the Norton Manx . There were only a few odd duck in the bite: František Šťastný with the Jawa, which Gilera Saturno 's and BSA Gold Stars and Arthur Wheeler , who Moto Guzzi was still faithfully kept chance with the five year old Monocilindrica 500 . Alan Shepherd ( Matchless G50 ) dealt in podiums and became "best of the rest" before Phil Read ( Norton Manx ) who was gefinished even in only three games.

[Constructor Title 500cc class edit ]
(Items in parentheses are inclusive stripe results)

350cc class [ edit ]
350cc Honda RC 171

350cc AJS Boy Racer

Honda drilled for season 1962 250cc RC 162 to 47 mm so that the displacement came 284,5cc. This was the RC 170 . With that machine came Bob McIntyre and Tom Phillis in the Junior TT . Phillis crashed during the race and McIntyre reached the finish not. Jim Redman knew the Assen TT win with. During the Ulster Grand Prix and Redman came Robb at the start with a new version, the Honda RC 171 . The hole was now 49 mm, but also the crankcase and crankshaft were adjusted so that thestroke was 45 mm and the cylinder 339, 4 cc. Redman was first and third Robb. From that moment Honda did not contest more out of your hands: Redman also won theGrand Prix of the GDR and the GP des Nations and Robb won the Finnish GP . Redman became world champion before Robb and Mike Hailwood ( MV Agusta ).

[Final Standings 350cc class edit ]
(Items in parentheses are inclusive stripe results)

[Constructor Title 350cc class edit ]
(Items in parentheses are inclusive stripe results)

250cc class [ edit ]
In 1962 suggested MZ in their own Grand Prix at the Sachsenring 250cc machine available to Mike Hailwood. Who fought a fierce battle with Jim Redman (Honda), but eventually became second. Further, the Honda RC 163 no competition. Only in the last GP (Argentina), where Honda did not appear at the start, was Arthur Wheeler with a Moto Guzzi Bialbero 250 win. This was an obsolete machine, which had had a facelift and eventually finished third in the World Cup. The world title went to Jim Redman, who had won six of the ten games. They had high hopes for the new four-cylinder Benelli, but Mike Hailwood started only twice, and both times he fell out. The aim factory rider Silvio Grassetti tested only with it but also won an international race in Cesenatico . Bob McIntyre drove six games for Honda, but crashed on to August 6 with four GPs.Nevertheless, he was posthumously second in the 250cc world championship. Veteran Arthur Wheeler did good business with its antiquated Guzzi: 19 points, he finished third in the World Cup before Honda riderTom Phillis, who was killed on 6 June.

[Final Standings 250cc class edit ]
(Items in parentheses are inclusive stripe results)

[Constructor Title 250cc class edit ]
(Items in parentheses are inclusive stripe results)

125cc class [ edit ]
125cc Honda RC 145

In the 125cc class in 1962, there was no gunpowder crops against the fast Honda RC 145 's Luigi Taveri, Jim Redman , Tommy Robb , Teisuke Tanaka and Kunimitsu Takahashi . Only Hugh Anderson was with the Suzuki RT 62 win in Argentina, because the Honda team did not start there. Takahashi won the first two GPs, but from theUltra-Lightweight TT Taveri took it from him. Which race he rode with an average of more than 90 mph (145 km / h). At the end of the season were for the first time in the history of the world championship the first four places occupied by one brand: Luigi Taveri, Jim Redman, Tommy Robb and Kunimitsu Takahashi with their Hondas.

[Final Standings 125cc class edit ]
(Items in parentheses are inclusive stripe results)

[Constructor Title 125cc class edit ]
(Items in parentheses are inclusive stripe results)

50cc class [ edit ]
50cc Honda RC 110

Jan Huberts was in 1962 the first Dutch Grand Prix winner

In 1962, the 50cc class was introduced in the world championship. Honda came at the start of the RC 110 factory racer and CR 110 racer . Kreidler had thanks to the developments of 1961 in a technical lead. While the former "greats" Italy and Britain rather looked down on the new class, she got the FIM immediately ten games. In the opening race in Spain, the tension was great, because no one knew how the relationship would be. There were rumors about a machine Tohatsu, a 50cc MZ , a Tomos , a Derbi and a stroke Mondial with overhead camshafts . Mondial which initially took over the lead, but was relieved by a Honda. Then took Wolfgang Gedlich (Kreidler) took the lead and after him José Busquets with a fairly simple Derbi-stroke. Eventually there were three marks on the podium: Hans Georg Ascheidt (Kreidler) was first, José Busquets (Derbi) second and Luigi Taveri (Honda) third. For the French Grand Prix had the Honda engineers ordered a whole list of new components: cylinders ,pistons and cylinder heads and thus seemed to them not to miss the victory. Kunimitsu Takahashi held the lead but had to wait for Taveri, which after all in Spain all points had been scored. That was a mistake, because the Dutchman Jan Huberts, who finally had the twelve gears of his Kreidler below the knee, was a gap of 26 seconds close drive and the hilly part of the circuit precisely because of that large number of gears take the lead and win. He became the first Dutchman to win a Grand Prix.Honda did however see immediately how fast they implement in Japan was able new developments. Immediately after the victory of Huberts phoned to Japan also ordered gearboxes with eight to ten gears and were promptly, before the next Grand Prix, flown. The Suzuki RM 62 was in Spain and France are not at the start, but then Degner won four games in a row. In the 50cc TT had on Man Kreidler drivers the disadvantage that they did not know the circuit, but Taveri, Robb and Degner knew the 60 km long circuit reasonable. Suzuki, now could use Degner's knowledge of the MZ two strokes appeared for the first time with the new RM 62 and Degner itself won the TT before the Hondas of Taveri and Robb. Honda and Kreidler now both had a problem: Honda had pulled out all the stops but still a two-stroke engine of the competition had proved faster. He tide would not return in 1962. Kreidler had another dilemma. As was natural Anscheidt their first rider, but Huberts also had a victory. Anscheidt got in Assen the fastest machine, but Huberts knew him eventually to stay by his track knowledge and was second behind Degner with the Suzuki and the dilemma for Kreidler was even greater. One had to wonder whether Degner won Huberts as indeed had the fastest Kreidler. Degner won in Belgium and Germany, but was injured in the 125cc race in Ulster so that he had to leave the GDR and Monza shoot. Huberts won with his Kreidler in the GDR and Anscheidt won at Monza where his machine was first fitted with a telescopic fork . Huberts was initially in the lead, but fell back to third place by a broken piston ring . In Finland were many two strokes back when it started to rain and their inflammation was wet, so Taveri the only victory for the Honda four-stroke could bring in with his teammate Tommy Robb in second place. Anscheidt was third.Suzuki and Kreidler were now forced to decide the World Championship in Argentina, where they would rather not had traveled to. Therefore gave the 50cc class for some color in this stripped-game, as both Honda and MV Agusta had not taken the trouble to travel to South America. Hans Georg Anscheidt made with his Kreidler still win the title. Suzuki appeared already there with the predecessor of the RM 63, but that was to Hugh Anderson given. That was very fast with it, but when it appeared that Degner not over Anscheidt could come Anderson was ordered to leave in his back pockets and Degner themselves slipstream to carry. Who intentionally failed and Anderson won before Degner and Anscheidt. Ernst Degner became the first world champion in the 50cc class.

[Closing 50cc class edit ]
(Items in parentheses are inclusive stripe results)

[Constructor Title 50cc class edit ]
(Items in parentheses are inclusive stripe results)

Sidecar class [ edit ]
Max Deubel and Emil HÃ¶rner won in 1962 three of the six matches in the sidecar class and became world champions with their BMW. Although the BMWs were still supreme, the support of the plant was gradually reduced. The drivers themselves had to work hard to have the fastest BMW. Florian Camathias knew Helmut Fath convince to prepping a sidecar combination. His sidecar was initially Horst Burkhardt, but that had to be career ending finally when he during the Sidecar TT fell out of the sidecar. Camathias made the season with the Briton Harry Winter and were second in the championship. Noteworthy was the sixth in the championship of the Swiss Claude Lambert . He had in 1961, his wife Marie lost when they were crashed during the Sidecar TT. In 1962 he started with Alfred Herzig as sidecar.

Closing sidecar class [ edit ]
(Items in parentheses are inclusive stripe results)

Constructor Title sidecar class [ edit ]
(Items in parentheses are inclusive stripe results)