With six race wins and other top placings, an outstanding Everts Harrysecured his second title in a row. Even a broken hand in the middle of the season couldn't prevent him from winning his third world championship title. However, the factory Suzuki continued to set the benchmark in the paddock in terms of weight and performance.

A huge success for the small Italian brand TGM and Michele Rinaldi. A fantastic season with three race wins, including both races at his home GP in Montevarchi, made him Michele Nazionale. The first Italian to win a GP in Italy. He missed out on the world championship title by just a few points. Chief technician Silvano Bigna and engine specialist IIller Aldini played a major role in this success.

Marc Velceneers returns after a year's "break" with the Belgian army, where he had to do his military service, and confirms his talent. Yamaha now supports him at factory level and he repays them with 4th place in the world championship. He won the Belgian Grand Prix in Hechtel, becoming the youngest Grand Prix winner in history (at that time).

Three-time world champion Gaston Rahier is hired to further develop the Gilera development program led by Jan Witteven. With his experience with the outstanding Suzuki and the water-cooled Yamaha, he is the ideal man for the job. But compared to Rahier's former factory Suzuki, the new water-cooled Gilera is still too heavy. The additional weight of the cooling system (radiator, hoses, water pump) impairs the agility of the machine in tight sections. The engine is designed for maximum power at high revs. The lack of torque in the lower rev range forced Rahier to push the machine to its limits with extreme clutch use. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the rear suspension setup. The Gilera's geometry was optimized more for fast, hard-packed Italian tracks and did not offer the usual stability on the sandy, rutted tracks of the World Championship.