1965 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 1965 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 17th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of thirteen Grand Prix races in six classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 50cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 21 March, with United States Grand Prix and ended with Japanese Grand Prix on October, 24.

1965 F.I.M. Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

Previous

1964

Next

1966

Season summary

Mike Hailwood easily claimed his fourth successive 500 class crown for MV Agusta, although he was beginning to show his disenchantment with the autocratic Count Agusta by accepting a 250 class ride from Honda.^[1] Newcomer Giacomo Agostini riding for MV Agusta would battle Honda's reigning champion Jim Redman for the 350 title.^[1] The outcome wouldn't be decided until the final race of the year in Japan, when Agostini's MV Agusta suffered a mechanical failure, handing the championship to Redman.^[1]

The Yamaha duo of Phil Read and Michelle Duff finished first and second in the 250 class, as Honda's Redman battled early season injuries.^[1] Hugh Anderson won six races to claim his second 125 championship for Suzuki while Honda's Ralph Bryans took the 50cc crown ahead of his Honda teammate Luigi Taveri.^[1]

1965 Grand Prix season calendar

Round	Date	Grand Prix	Circuit	50cc winner	125cc winner	250cc winner	350cc winner	500cc winner	Sidecars 500cc winner	Report
1	21 March	United States Grand Prix	Daytona Speedway	Ernst Degner	Hugh Anderson	Phil Read		Mike Hailwood		Report
2	25 April	West German Grand Prix	Nürburgring Sudschleife	Ralph Bryans	Hugh Anderson	Phil Read	Giacomo Agostini	Mike Hailwood	Scheidegger / Robinson	Report
3	9 May	Spanish Grand Prix	Montjuïc circuit	Hugh Anderson	Hugh Anderson	Phil Read			Deubel / Hörner	Report
4	15 May	French Grand Prix	Rouen-Les-Essarts	Ralph Bryans	Hugh Anderson	Phil Read			Camathias / Ducret	Report
5	14 June	Isle of Man TT	Snaefell Mountain	Luigi Taveri	Phil Read	Jim Redman	Jim Redman	Mike Hailwood	Deubel / Hörner	Report
6	26 June	Dutch TT	TT Circuit Assen	Ralph Bryans	Michelle Duff	Phil Read	Jim Redman	Mike Hailwood	Scheidegger / Robinson	Report
7	4 July	Belgian Grand Prix	Spa-Francorchamps	Ernst Degner		Jim Redman		Mike Hailwood	Scheidegger / Robinson	Report
8	18 July	East German Grand Prix	Sachsenring		Frank Perris	Jim Redman	Jim Redman	Mike Hailwood		Report
9	25 July	Czechoslovak Grand Prix	Masaryk Circuit		Frank Perris	Phil Read	Jim Redman	Mike Hailwood		Report
10	7 August	Ulster Grand Prix	Dundrod Circuit		Ernst Degner	Phil Read	Frantisek Stastny	Dick Creith		Report
11	22 August	Finnish Grand Prix	Imatra Circuit		Hugh Anderson	Michelle Duff	Giacomo Agostini	Giacomo Agostini		Report
12	5 September	Nations Grand Prix	Monza		Hugh Anderson	Tarquinio Provini	Giacomo Agostini	Mike Hailwood	Scheidegger / Robinson	Report
13	24 October	Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka Circuit	Luigi Taveri	Hugh Anderson	Mike Hailwood	Mike Hailwood			Report

Standings

Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top six finishers in each race. Only the best of six races were counted in 50cc, 350cc and 500cc championships, best of seven in 125cc and 250cc championships, while in the Sidecars, only the best of four races were counted.

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
Points	8	6	4	3	2	1

500cc final standings

Pos Rider Bike USA GER MAN HOL BEL DDR TCH ULS FIN NAC Pts 1 Mike Hailwood MV Agusta 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 48 (64) 2 Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 2 Ret 2 2 2 2 1 2 38 (44) 3 Paddy Driver Matchless Ret Ret Ret 3 4 3 4 2 2 26 4 Fred Stevens Matchless 5 5 5 5 3 4 15 5 Jack Ahearn Norton Ret 9 5 9 4 3 9 6 Dick Creith Norton 1 8 7 Jack Findlay Matchless 4 10 11 12 11 9 4 5 8 8 8 Joe Dunphy Norton 2 Ret Ret 6 9 Buddy Parriott Norton 2 6 10 Frantisek Stastny Jawa 6 8 3 5 11 Chris Conn Norton Ret 7 7 3 4 12 Derek Minter Norton Ret Ret 3 4 13 Roger Beaumont Norton 3 4 = Michelle Duff Matchless 3 4 = Walter Scheimann Norton 3 4 16 Ian Burne Norton Ret 4 Ret 8 6 10 Ret 10 4 17 John Cooper RD Norton Ret 4 Ret Ret 3 18 Jouko Ryhänen Matchless Ret 4 3 19 Kenneth King Norton 4 3 20 Edy Lenz Norton 5 Ret Ret 9 Ret 7 2 21 Selwyn Griffiths Matchless 5 9 2 22 Ed LaBelle Norton 5 2 = Giuseppe Mandolini Moto Guzzi 5 2 24 Gyula Marsovszky Matchless Ret 8 Ret 6 Ret 6 2 25 Lewis Young Matchless 7 14 Ret 8 Ret 6 1 26 Dan Shorey Norton Ret 18 6 10 10 7 10 12 1 27 Billy McCosh Matchless 6 8 1 28 Billie Nelson Norton 6 12 Ret 1 29 Robin Fitton Norton Ret 6 1 30 David Lloyd Norton 6 1 31 Eric Hinton Norton Ret Ret Ret 7 0 32 Gustav Havel Jawa Ret 7 Ret 0 = Malcolm Stanton Norton Ret 7 Ret 0 34 Alan Dugalde Norton 7 0 = Fred Simone BMW 7 0 36 Rudi Thalhammer Norton 9 8 9 0 37 Karl Hoppe Matchless 8 0 = Al Johnson BMW 8 0 = Hans-Jürgen Melcher Norton 8 0 40 Roy Robinson Norton 14 11 9 0 41 Hans-Otto Butenuth BMW 9 16 0 42 Ray Dey Norton 9 0 43 Syd Mizen Matchless Ret 10 Ret 0 44 Wester Cooley Norton 10 0 = Hannu Kuparinen Matchless 10 0 = Hans Schmidt BMW 10 0 47 Griff Jenkins Lancefield Norton Ret Ret 11 0 48 Dave Croxford Matchless 11 0 = Carl Eshoo Triumph 11 0 = Manfred Gäckle Norton 11 0 = Pentti Lehtelä Norton 11 0 = Ian McGregor Norton 11 0 53 Derek Lee Matchless Ret 15 16 12 13 0 54 Philippe Canoui Norton / Matchless 15 12 Ret 0 55 Bo Granath Matchless Ret Ret 12 Ret 0 56 Stuart Graham Matchless Ret 12 Ret 0 57 Bernhard Bockelmann Norton 12 0 = Bruce Carter BSA 12 0 = Ron Wilson Norton 12 0 60 Ernst Weiss Norton 14 Ret 13 0 61 Roy Ingram Norton Ret 13 0 = Gordon Keith Norton 13 Ret 0 63 Billy Andersson AJS 13 0 = Giuseppe Dardanello Norton 13 0 = Stan Friduss Norton 13 0 = Jimmy Jones Norton 13 0 = Siegfried Springenberg Horex 13 0 68 Davy Crawford Norton 14 0 = Jan Hennek Norton 14 0 = Tony Wilmott Norton 14 0 71 Maurice Hawtorne Norton Ret Ret 15 0 72 György Kurucz Norton 15 Ret 0 = Alf Shaw Norton Ret 15 0 74 Hans Föhr Matchless 15 0 = John Mawby Norton 15 0 76 Jack Saunders Matchless 31 16 0 77 John Brown Norton 17 0 = Carl Ward Norton 17 0 79 John Simmonds Norton 19 0 80 Robert Haldane Matchless 20 Ret 0 81 Ron Chandler Matchless 21 0 82 Peter Richards Norton 22 0 83 Brian Proctor Norton 23 0 84 Tom Gill Matchless 24 0 85 Marvin Wright Norton 25 0 86 Bob Ritchie Norton 26 Ret 0 87 John Rudge Triton 27 0 88 Colin Cross Norton 28 0 89 Abbey de Kock Norton Ret 29 Ret Ret 0 90 Bill Hawthorne BSA-Norton 30 0 - John Denty Norton Ret Ret Ret 0 - John Somers Norton Ret Ret Ret 0 - Hartmut Allner BMW Ret Ret 0 - Bo Brolin Matchless Ret Ret 0 - Agne Carlsson Matchless Ret Ret 0 - Graham Dickson Norton Ret Ret 0 - Bill Ivy Matchless Ret Ret 0 - Endel Kiisa Vostok Ret Ret 0 - Ron Robinson Norton Ret Ret 0 - Bill Smith Matchless / DKW Ret Ret 0 - Dennis Ainsworth Norton Ret 0 - Derek Blackmore Norton Ret 0 - Stan Brassey Norton Ret 0 - Rex Butcher Norton Ret 0 - Heiner Butz Norton Ret 0 - Louis Carr Norton Ret 0 - Antonio de Simone Norton Ret 0 - Arnold Dobbs Matchless Ret 0 - Vincent Duckett Matchless Ret 0 - Bobby Duncan Triumph Ret 0 - Dean Dyess Ducati Ret 0 - Klaus Enders Norton Ret 0 - Karl-Heinz Ewing Norton Ret 0 - Franco Farne Ducati Ret 0 - Ray Flack Norton Ret 0 - Fred Gailey Norton Ret 0 - Andreas Georgeades Matchless Ret 0 - Peter Gould Ducati Ret 0 - Jack Gow Norton Ret 0 - Sven-Olov Gunnarson Norton Ret 0 - Albert Häring Norton Ret 0 - Oliver Howe Norton Ret 0 - John Hudson Norton Ret 0 - Alan Hunter Norton Ret 0 - Dave Jackson Matchless Ret 0 - Lothar John Norton Ret 0 - David Johnson Norton Ret 0 - Derek Jones BSA Ret 0 - Wilber Lawson Triumph Ret 0 - Ivor Lloyd Norton Ret 0 - Gerald MacDonald Paton Ret 0 - Emanuele Maugliani Norton Ret 0 - Stuart Morin Matchless Ret 0 - Albert Moule Norton Ret 0 - Bert Oosterhuis Norton Ret 0 - Gianni Perrone Bianchi Ret 0 - John Pinckney Norton Ret 0 - Laurence Povey Norton Ret 0 - Robert Reid Norton Ret 0 - Bryan Scobie Norton Ret 0 - Horst Seidl Norton Ret 0 - Nikolai Sevostyanov Vostok Ret 0 - John Smith Norton Ret 0 - Hans Sommerhalder Matchless Ret 0 - Brian Taggart Norton Ret 0 - Rolf Thiemig Norton Ret 0 - Franco Trabalzini Gilera Ret 0 - William Walton Norton Ret 0 - Monty Ward Norton Ret 0 - Dave Williams MW Norton Ret 0 - Anthony Woodman Matchless Ret 0 - Derek Woodman Matchless Ret 0 - Benedetto Zambotti Norton Ret 0 - Manfred Zeller Matchless Ret 0 Pos Rider Bike USA GER MAN HOL BEL DDR CZE ULS FIN NAC Pts

Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Points classification Blue Non-points classification Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Retired, not classified (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Withdrew (WD) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Did not arrive (DNA) Excluded (EX) Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap

^[2]

350cc Standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Jim Redman		Rhodesia	Honda	38	4
2	Giacomo Agostini		Italy	MV Agusta	32	3
3	Mike Hailwood		United Kingdom	MV Agusta	20	1
4	Bruce Beale		Rhodesia	Honda	15	0
5	Frantisek Stastny		Czechoslovakia	Jawa	14	1
6	Derek Woodman		United Kingdom	MZ	14	0
7	Gustav Havel		Czechoslovakia	Jawa	12	0
8	Renzo Pasolini		Italy	Aermacchi	9	0
9	Phil Read		United Kingdom	Yamaha	6	0
=	Silvio Grassetti		Italy	Benelli	6	0
11	Frantisek Bocek		Czechoslovakia	Jawa	6	0
12	Gilberto Milani		Italy	Aermacchi	6	0
13	Nicolaï Sevostianov		USSR	Vostok	4	0
=	Tarquinio Provini		Italy	Benelli	4	0
=	Isamu Kasuya		Japan	Honda	4	0
16	Chris Conn		United Kingdom	Norton	3	0
=	Agne Carlsson		Sweden	AJS	3	0
=	Isao Yamashita		Japan	Honda	3	0
19	Griff Jenkins		United Kingdom	Norton	3	0
=	John Cooper		United Kingdom	Norton	3	0
21	Endel Kiisa		USSR	CKEB	2	0
=	Lewis Young		United Kingdom	AJS	2	0
23	Dan Shorey		United Kingdom	Norton	2	0
24	Paddy Driver		South Africa	AJS	1	0
=	Eric Hinton		Australia	Norton	1	0
=	Bill Smith		United Kingdom	Norton	1	0

250cc Standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Phil Read		United Kingdom	Yamaha	56	7
2	Michelle Duff		Canada	Yamaha	42	1
3	Jim Redman		Rhodesia	Honda	34	3
4	Heinz Rosner		East Germany	MZ	18	0
5	Derek Woodman		United Kingdom	MZ	15	0
6	Bruce Beale		Rhodesia	Honda	14	0
7	Tarquinio Provini		Italy	Benelli	11	1
8	Ramón Torras		Spain	Bultaco	10	0
9	Frank Perris		United Kingdom	Suzuki	9	0
10	Mike Hailwood		United Kingdom	Honda	8	1
11	Frantisek Stastny		Czechoslovakia	ČZ	8	0
12	Isamu Kasuya		Japan	Honda	6	0
13	Ralph Bryans		United Kingdom	Honda	6	0
14	Yoshimi Katayama		Japan	Suzuki	6	0
15	Giuseppe Visenzi		Italy	Aermacchi	5	0
16	Silvio Grassetti		Italy	Morini	4	0
=	Barry Smith		Australia	Bultaco	4	0
=	Remo Venturi		Italy	Benelli	4	0
=	Bill Ivy		United Kingdom	Yamaha	4	0
20	Ginger Molloy		New Zealand	Bultaco	4	0
21	Jean-Claude Guénard		France	Bultaco	3	0
=	Gosuke Yamashita		Japan	Honda	3	0
23	Günter Beer		West Germany	Honda	3	0
24	José Busquets		Spain	Montesa	2	0
=	Kevin Cass		Australia	Cotton	2	0
=	Rex Avery		United Kingdom	Bultaco	2	0
=	Hiroshi Hasegawa		Japan	Yamaha	2	0
28	John Buckner		United States	Yamaha	1	0
=	Gilberto Milani		Italy	Aermacchi	1	0
=	Alberto Pagani		Italy	Aermacchi	1	0
=	Alain Barbaroux		France	Aermacchi	5	0
=	Dave Williams		United Kingdom	FB-Mondial	1	0
=	Bob Coulter		United Kingdom	Bultaco	1	0

125cc Standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Hugh Anderson		New Zealand	Suzuki	56	7
2	Frank Perris		United Kingdom	Suzuki	44	2
3	Derek Woodman		United Kingdom	MZ	28	0
4	Ernst Degner		West Germany	Suzuki	23	1
5	Luigi Taveri		Switzerland	Honda	14	0
6	Michelle Duff		Canada	Yamaha	12	1
7	Klaus Enderlein		East Germany	MZ	11	0
8	Ralph Bryans		United Kingdom	Honda	11	0
9	Joachim Leitert		East Germany	MZ	10	0
10	Phil Read		United Kingdom	Yamaha	8	1
11	Yoshimi Katayama		Japan	Suzuki	6	0
=	Dieter Krumpholz		East Germany	MZ	6	0
13	Bill Ivy		United Kingdom	Yamaha	6	0
14	Bruce Beale		Rhodesia	Honda	6	0
15	Ramón Torras		Spain	Bultaco	4	0
=	Heinz Rosner		East Germany	MZ	4	0
17	Roland Rentzsch		East Germany	MZ	4	0
18	Rick Schell		United States	Honda	3	0
=	Bruno Spaggiari		Italy	Ducati	3	0
20	Giuseppe Visenzi		Italy	Honda	3	0
21	Jeff Tate		United States	Honda	2	0
=	Hans-Georg Anscheidt		West Germany	MZ-Kreidler	2	0
=	Yasuhara Yuzawa		Japan	Honda	2	0
24	Bob Gehring		United States	Bultaco	1	0
=	Walter Scheimann		West Germany	Honda	1	0
=	Arthur Fegbli		Switzerland	Honda	1	0
=	Jürgen Lenk		East Germany	MZ	1	0
=	Frantisek Bocek		Czechoslovakia	ČZ	1	0
=	Tommy Robb		United Kingdom	Bultaco	1	0
=	Ginger Molloy		New Zealand	Bultaco	1	0
=	Hironori Matsushima		Japan	Yamaha	1	0

50cc Standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Ralph Bryans		United Kingdom	Honda	36	3
2	Luigi Taveri		Switzerland	Honda	32	2
3	Hugh Anderson		New Zealand	Suzuki	32	1
4	Ernst Degner		West Germany	Suzuki	26	2
5	Mitsuo Itoh		Japan	Suzuki	16	0
6	Michio Ichino		Japan	Suzuki	6	0
7	Hans-Georg Anscheidt		West Germany	Kreidler	6	0
8	José Busquets		Spain	Derbi	4	0
9	Jacques Roca		France	Derbi	4	0
10	Haruo Koshino		Japan	Suzuki	3	0
=	Charlie Mates		United Kingdom	Honda	3	0
12	Angel Nieto		Spain	Derbi	2	0
=	Ian Plumridge		United Kingdom	Derbi	2	0
14	Cees van Dongen		Netherlands	Kreidler	2	0
15	Gastón Biscia		Uruguay	Suzuki	1	0
=	Barry Smith		Australia	Derbi	1	0
=	Leslie Griffiths		United Kingdom	Honda	1	0
=	Akira Itoh		Japan	Honda	1	0