1951 motorcycle world championship

1951 motorcycle world championship

500 cm³ world champion
Driver:	Geoff Duke
Constructor:	Norton
350 cm³ world champion
Driver:	Geoff Duke
Constructor:	Norton
250 cc world champion
Driver:	Bruno Ruffo
Constructor:	Moto Guzzi
125 cc world champion
Driver:	Carlo Ubbiali
Constructor:	FB Mondial
Team (500 cm³) world champions
Driver:	Eric Oliver Lorenzo Dobelli
Constructor:	Norton
<1950 season	1952 season>

The 1951 motorcycle world championship season was the third in the history of the FIM - motorcycle road world championship .

Eight races were held in the classes up to 500 cm³ and up to 350 cm³, and in the classes up to 250 cm³ and up to 125 cm³ as well as five races for the sidecar .

Distribution of points

Scoring
space	1	2	3	4th	5	6th
Points	8th	6th	4th	3	2	1

If fewer than eight races were held, the best four results were included in the ranking; if eight or more races were staged, the five best results achieved were included in the World Championship ranking.

500 cc class

Race results

	date	run	route	1st place	place 2	place 3	Nice Race lap
1	April 8th	2nd GP of Spain	Montjuïc	Umberto Masetti	Tommy Wood	Arciso Artesiani	Enrico Lorenzetti
2	05/27	21st Swiss GP	Bremgarten	Fergus Anderson	Reg Armstrong	Enrico Lorenzetti	Fergus Anderson
3	08.06.	33. Isle of Man TT	Mountain Course	Geoff Duke	William Doran	Cromie McCandless	Geoff Duke
4th	01.07.	24th Belgian GP	Spa Francorchamps	Geoff Duke	Alfredo Milani	Sante Geminiani	Geoff Duke
5	07.07.	21. Dutch TT	Aces	Geoff Duke	Alfredo Milani	Enrico Lorenzetti	Umberto Masetti
6th	07/15	French GP	Albi	Alfredo Milani	William Doran	Nello Pagani	Alfredo Milani
7th	August 16-18	23rd Ulster GP	Clady	Geoff Duke	Ken Kavanagh	Umberto Masetti	Alfredo Milani
8th	09.09.	29th Nations Grand Prix	Monza	Alfredo Milani	Umberto Masetti	Nello Pagani	Alfredo Milani

Driver ranking

1  Geoff Duke Norton 35 (37) 2  Alfredo Milani Gilera 31 3  Umberto Masetti Gilera 21st 4th  William Doran AJS 14th 5  Nello Pagani Gilera 10 6th  Reg Armstrong AJS 9 7th  Fergus Anderson Moto Guzzi 8th 8th  Enrico Lorenzetti Moto Guzzi 8th 9  Tommy Wood Norton 6th  Ken Kavanagh Norton 6th 11  Johnny Lockett Norton 6th 12  Carlo Bandirola MV Agusta 5 13  Arciso Artesiani MV Agusta 4th

Cromie McCandless Norton 4th  Sante Geminiani (†) Moto Guzzi 4th 16  Ramón Montane Norton 3  Tommy McEwan Norton 3 18th  Jack Brett Norton 3 19th  Benoît Musy Moto Guzzi 2  Manliff Barrington Norton 2  Bruno Ruffo Moto Guzzi 2 22nd  Ernest Vidal Norton 1  Willy Lips Norton 1  Len Parry Norton 1  Len Perry Norton 1

(Points in brackets including deletion results )

Constructors' championship

1	Norton	38 (45)
2	Gilera	36 (40)
3	AJS	22 (23)
4th	Moto Guzzi	18th
5	MV Agusta	7th

(Points in brackets including deletion results )

350 cm³ class

Race results

	date	run	route	1st place	place 2	place 3	Nice Race lap
1	April 8th	2nd GP of Spain	Montjuïc	Tommy Wood	Leslie Graham	Bill Petch	Tommy Wood
2	05/27	21st Swiss GP	Bremgarten	Leslie Graham	Cecil Sandford	Reg Armstrong	Reg Armstrong
3	08.06.	33. Isle of Man TT	Mountain Course	Geoff Duke	Johnny Lockett	Jack Brett	Geoff Duke
4th	01.07.	24th Belgian GP	Spa Francorchamps	Geoff Duke	Johnny Lockett	Bill Lomas	Geoff Duke
5	07.07.	21. Dutch TT	Aces	William Doran	Bill Petch	Ken Kavanagh	William Doran
6th	07/15	French GP	Albi	Geoff Duke	Jack Brett	William Doran	William Doran
7th	August 16-18	23rd Ulster GP	Clady	Geoff Duke	Ken Kavanagh	Johnny Lockett	Geoff Duke
8th	09.09.	29th Nations Grand Prix	Monza	Geoff Duke	Ken Kavanagh	Jack Brett	Geoff Duke

Driver ranking

1  Geoff Duke Norton 40 2  William Doran AJS 19th 3  Johnny Lockett Norton 19th 4th  Ken Kavanagh Norton 16 5  Jack Brett Norton 15th 6th  Leslie Graham Velocette 14th 7th  Reg Armstrong AJS 11 8th  Bill Petch AJS 10 9  Cecil Sandford Velocette 9 10  Tommy Wood Moto Guzzi 8th 11  Bill Lomas Velocette 6th

12  Rod Coleman AJS 5 13  Mick Featherstone AJS 4th 14th  Fernando Aranda Moto Guzzi 3  Paul Fuhrer Velocette 3 16  Jack Raffeld Velocette 2  Sid Mason Velocette 2  Simon Sandys winch Velocette 2 19th John Grace Norton 1  Leonhard Fassl AJS 1  Bob Foster Velocette 1  Bob Matthews Velocette 1

Constructors' championship

1	Norton Motorcycles	40 (45)
2	Velocette	22nd
	AJS	22 (27)
4th	Moto Guzzi	8th

(Points in brackets including deletion results )

250 cc class

Race results

	date	run	route	1st place	place 2	place 3	Nice Race lap
1	05/27	21st Swiss GP	Bremgarten	Dario Ambrosini	Bruno Ruffo	Gianni Leoni	Dario Ambrosini
2	06.06.	33. Isle of Man TT	Mountain Course	Tommy Wood	Dario Ambrosini	Enrico Lorenzetti	Fergus Anderson
3	07/15	French GP	Albi	Bruno Ruffo	Gianni Leoni	Tommy Wood	Bruno Ruffo
4th	August 16-18	23rd Ulster GP	Clady	Bruno Ruffo	Maurice Cann	Arthur Wheeler	Bruno Ruffo
5	09.09.	29th Nations Grand Prix	Monza	Enrico Lorenzetti	Tommy Wood	Bruno Ruffo	Bruno Ruffo

Driver ranking

1  Bruno Ruffo Moto Guzzi 22 (26) 2  Tommy Wood Moto Guzzi 18 (21) 3  Dario Ambrosini (†) Benelli 14th 4th  Enrico Lorenzetti Moto Guzzi 12 5  Gianni Leoni (†) Moto Guzzi 10 6th  Maurice Cann Moto Guzzi 6th 7th  Arthur Wheeler Velocette 6th 8th  Benoît Musy Moto Guzzi 3  Wilf Hutt Moto Guzzi 3  Fergus Anderson Moto Guzzi 3  Alano Montanari Moto Guzzi 3

12  Cecil Sandford Velocette 2  Bill Lomas Velocette 2  Douglas Beasley Velocette 2  Bruno Francisci Moto Guzzi 2 16  Nino Grieco Parilla 1  Fron Purslow Norton 1  Werner Gerber Moto Guzzi 1  Norman Blemings Excelsior 1  Guido Paciocca Moto Guzzi 1

(Points in brackets including deletion results )

Constructors' championship

1	Moto Guzzi	32 (38)
2	Benelli	14th
3	Velocette	10
4th	Excelsior	1
	Parilla	1
	Norton	1

(Points in brackets including deletion results )

125 cc class

Race results

	date	run	route	1st place	place 2	place 3	Nice Race lap
1	April 8th	2nd GP of Spain	Montjuïc	Guido Leoni	Carlo Ubbiali	Vittorio Zanzi	Guido Leoni
2	06.06.	33. Isle of Man TT	Mountain Course	Cromie McCandless	Carlo Ubbiali	Gianni Leoni	Cromie McCandless
3	07.07.	21. Dutch TT	Aces	Gianni Leoni	Luigi Zinzani	Leslie Graham	Gianni Leoni
4th	09.09.	29th Nations Grand Prix	Monza	Carlo Ubbiali	Romolo Ferri	Luigi Zinzani	Carlo Ubbiali

Driver ranking

1  Carlo Ubbiali FB Mondial 20th 2  Gianni Leoni (†) FB Mondial 12 3  Cromie McCandless FB Mondial 11 4th  Luigi Zinzani Morini 10 5  Guido Leoni (†) FB Mondial 8th 6th  Vittorio Zanzi Morini 7th 7th  Romolo Ferri FB Mondial 6th 8th  Leslie Graham MV Agusta 4th 9  Juan Soler Bultó Montesa 4th

10  Raffaele Alberti (†) FB Mondial 3  Nello Pagani FB Mondial 3 12  Franco Bertoni MV Agusta 2  Otello Spadoni FB Mondial 2 14th  José Antonio Elizalde Montesa 1  José Maria Llobet Montesa 1  Emilio Mendogni Morini 1  Giuseppe Matucci MV Agusta 1

Constructors' championship

1	FB Mondial	32
2	Morini	14th
3	MV Agusta	5
4th	Montesa	4th

Carriages (500 cm³)

Race results

	date	run	route	1st place	place 2	place 3	Nice Race lap
1	April 8th	2nd GP of Spain	Montjuïc	Eric Oliver / Lorenzo Dobelli	Ercole Frigerio / Ezio Ricotti	Albino Milani / Giuseppe Pizzocri	Eric Oliver / Lorenzo Dobelli
2	05/27	21st Swiss GP	Bremgarten	Ercole Frigerio / Ezio Ricotti	Albino Milani / Giuseppe Pizzocri	Ernesto Merlo / Dino Magri	Eric Oliver / Lorenzo Dobelli
3	01.07.	24th Belgian GP	Spa Francorchamps	Eric Oliver / Lorenzo Dobelli	Ercole Frigerio / Ezio Ricotti	Pip Harris / Neil Smith	Eric Oliver / Lorenzo Dobelli
4th	07/15	French GP	Albi	Eric Oliver / Lorenzo Dobelli	Ercole Frigerio / Ezio Ricotti	Jean Murit / André Emo	Eric Oliver / Lorenzo Dobelli and Ercole Frigerio / Ezio Ricotti
5	09.09.	29th Nations Grand Prix	Monza	Albino Milani / Giuseppe Pizzocri	Eric Oliver / Lorenzo Dobelli	Pip Harris / Neil Smith	Eric Oliver / Lorenzo Dobelli

Driver ranking

1	Eric Oliver	Lorenzo Dobelli	Norton	30 (32)
2	Ercole Frigerio	Ezio Ricotti	Gilera	26th
3	Albino Milani	Giuseppe Pizzocri	Gilera	19th
4th	Pip Harris	Neil Smith	Norton	8th
5	Jean Murit	André Emo	Norton	5
6th	Jacques Drion	Bob Onslow	Norton	5
7th	Ernesto Merlo	Dino Magri	Gilera	4th
8th	Giovanni Carru	Carlo Musso	Carru triumph	4th
	Marcel Masuy	Denis Jenkinson	Norton	4th
10	Cyril Smith	Bob Onslow	Norton	3
	Hans Haldemann	Josef Albisser	Norton	3
12	Siegfried Vogel	Leo Vinatzer	BMW	2
	Frans Vanderschrick	Jean-Marie Stas	Norton	2
	René Bétemps	Georges Burggraff	triumph	2
15th	Alphonse Vervroegen	Pierre Cuvelier	FN	1

(Points in brackets including deletion results )

Constructors' championship

1	Norton	30 (33)
2	Gilera	28 (34)
3	triumph	6th
4th	BMW	2
5	FN	1

(Points in brackets including deletion results )

Web links

Commons : Motorcycle World Championship 1951  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the motorcycle world championship
• Detailed statistics for the 1951 season at racingmemo.free.fr (French)