Company messages
Kenth Öhlin, a passionate motocross rider from Sweden, founds Öhlins Racing AB.
Disagreements over the use of the Sachs seven-speed engine, which was an important feature for Fornetti, lead to a split. Simonini leaves his company and returns to his tuning kits.
Fornetti hires Sachs' head of development, Jan Witteven, who had previously been working as a consultant, as technical director. Giuseppe Fazioli and Giuseppe Andreani are hired as test drivers.
Franco Picco wins the 250cc Italian Junior Championship on Villa
Corrado Maddi wins the 125 Junior Championnat Italie on Aspes.
Puch built replicas of the 1975 World Championship machine, but stopped production after less than 100 machines had been made. It was simply too expensive. The engine had two carburetors and was made of magnesium. Construction was so expensive that this motorcycle cost twice as much as a Japanese model. They also produced a Puch 400 motocross bike, but only eight were made.
Motocross
Models in this year
Marty Smith and Honda decided to compete in both the AMA 125 Motocross and FIM 125 Grand Prix series. Back then, before the EU was founded, there was still a lot of bureaucracy, currency and language barriers, and Marty soon realized that he might have bitten off more than he could chew. Not only was Belgian rider Gaston Rahier giving him a run for his money in Europe with the powerful RM125, but the completely unexpected Bob Hannah was preparing for a surprise attack in America with Yamaha and the water-cooled OW27. In the USA, he managed to secure second place, one point ahead of young Danny Laporte on Suzuki.
125ccm Cross WM
Despite finishing runner-up last year, Zündapp decides to focus solely on off-road racing.
The Japanese immediately set the standard in the new 125cc World Championship with their factory Suzuki. It was rev-happy, lightweight, and had state-of-the-art chassis technology. Ideal for the small Rahier. With good starts and his consistency, no one could hold a candle to him.
CZ had also made further improvements to the chassis and increased the angle of the shock absorbers. A strong factory team was able to achieve very good results once again in the World Championship.
Marty Smith had set himself ambitious goals. The previous year, he had won his only World Championship race, the US Grand Prix in Lexington, with ease. Now he and Honda wanted to compete in both the World Championship and the US Championship. It was in Lexington, of all places, that Rahier suffered his only total failure (after setting the fastest time in practice). Honda had dominated at will in the US since the Elsinore's debut and may not have properly assessed the undertaking. In terms of chassis and engine, the RC125 was not yet a match for Suzuki, and Marty struggled with the double burden of US and European races.
125ccm Cross DM
Despite withdrawing from the World Championship, the domestic market was still important enough for Zündapp. Despite the focus on off-road racing, it was enough for Eddi Hau to win the title.
125ccm Cross Campionato italiano
A very strong year for Beta: Paolo Piron wins the national 125cc title.
Ivano Bessone completes the podium for Beta in the newly created 125cc class.
250ccm Cross Campionato italiano
Ivano Bessone completes a perfect Beta year by winning the Italian 250cc class title.
World champions of the year
- 125ccm Cross WM — Rahier Gaston — Suzuki
- 250ccm Cross WM — Mikkola Heikki — Husqvarna
- 500ccm Cross WM — de Coster Roger — Suzuki
500ccm Cross Trans AMA — de Coster Roger — Suzuki- 250ccm Cross Trophée des Nations — de Coster Roger — Suzuki
- 250ccm Cross Trophée des Nations — Rahier Gaston — Suzuki
- 250ccm Cross Trophée des Nations — Everts Harry — Puch
- 250ccm Cross Trophée des Nations — van Velthoven Jaak — Yamaha
- 500ccm Cross Motocross des nations (MXDN) — Everts Harry — Puch
- 500ccm Cross Motocross des nations (MXDN) — de Coster Roger — Suzuki
- 500ccm Cross Motocross des nations (MXDN) — Rahier Gaston — Suzuki
- 500ccm Cross Motocross des nations (MXDN) — van Velthoven Jaak — KTM
Europe and US champions
National champions
125ccm Cross France Inter / Elite — Hypolite Jean-Paul — Kawasaki- 125ccm Cross DM — Hau Eddy — Zündapp
125ccm Cross KNMV Kampioenschap — Zijlstra Dinand — Kawasaki
125ccm Cross Svenska Mästerkapet — Hansson Per-Ake — Ancilotti
125ccm Cross 125 Belgian National (-1987) / Inter — Timmermans Christian — Yamaha
125ccm Cross SM — Autio Matti — Suzuki- 250ccm Cross KNMV Kampioenschap — Rond Gérard — Yamaha
- 250ccm Cross Belgian Inter — Rahier Gaston — Suzuki
- 250ccm Cross Svenska Mästerskapet — Hansen Torleif — Kawasaki
- 125ccm Cross Campionato italiano — Piron Paolo — Beta
- 250ccm Cross DM — Schneider Fritz — Maico
- 500ccm Cross Belgian Inter — de Coster Roger — Suzuki
500ccm Cross British Open — Noyce Graham — Maico- 500ccm Cross KNMV Kampioenschap — Wolsink Gerrit — Suzuki
- 250ccm Cross Campionato italiano — Bessone Ivano — Beta
- 500ccm Cross DM — Weil Adolf — Maico
- 500ccm Cross Campionato italiano — Forni Italo — Husqvarna
Enduro
Models in this year
Europe and US champions
50ccm Enduro EM — Schmider Erwin — Zündapp- 100ccm Enduro EM — Wolfgruber Josef — Zündapp
- 125ccm Enduro EM — Gritti Alessandro — KTM
- 175ccm Enduro EM — Andrioletti Elia — KTM
- 250ccm Enduro EM — Stodůlka Jiří — Jawa
- 500ccm Enduro EM — Zloch Stanislav — Jawa
- 80ccm Enduro EM (75ccm -1980) — Mauersberger Hannes — Simson
Other
Events
Joel Robert opens his motorcycle shop RACING SPORT Joël ROBERT SPRL. He becomes a Puch importer and also sells SWM.