1997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
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The 1997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 49th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
A fourth world championship in a row for Honda's Mick Doohan with another dominating performance. He broke Giacomo Agostini's record for victories in one season with 12 wins.[1] It was also dominating year for Honda with eight of the top ten riders aboard Hondas.[1] The Yamaha and Suzuki teams were in disarray.[1] Kenny Roberts left Yamaha to start his own venture with a lightweight, three-cylinder Modenas.[1] Wayne Rainey's team was left with the inconsistent Norifumi Abe and Sete Gibernau, a rookie.[1] Daryl Beattie wasn't able to come back from head injuries and retired at the end of the year while Anthony Gobert failed a drug test and was dismissed by the Suzuki team.[1] The Elf team soldiered on with their Swiss-Auto V4 but Aprilia decided to pull their V twin from the 500 class at the end of the year.[1]
Max Biaggi had a harder time defending his title from Tetsuya Harada and Ralf Waldmann, not clinching the title until the last race of the year.[1] A new star emerged from the 125 class with Valentino Rossi winning 11 races for a commanding win on an Aprilia.[1]
As of 2025 it was the last season that only one manufacturer won every race in one season in the premier class to date.
1997 Grand Prix season calendar
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1997:[2][3]
| Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 April |  Marlboro Malaysian Grand Prix |
Shah Alam Circuit |
| 2 | 20 April |  Marlboro Grand Prix of Japan |
Suzuka Circuit |
| 3 | 4 May |  Gran Premio Lucky Strike de España |
Circuito Permanente de Jerez |
| 4 | 18 May |  Gran Premio d'Italia Polini |
Mugello Circuit |
| 5 | 1 June |  Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich |
A1-Ring |
| 6 | 8 June |  Grand Prix de France |
Circuit Paul Ricard |
| 7 | 28 June †† |  Lucky Strike Dutch Grand Prix |
TT Circuit Assen |
| 8 | 6 July |  Gran Premio Cirio Città di Imola |
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari |
| 9 | 20 July |  ADAC Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland |
Nürburgring |
| 10 | 3 August |  Lucky Strike Rio Grand Prix |
Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet |
| 11 | 17 August |  Sun British Grand Prix |
Donington Park |
| 12 | 31 August |  Grand Prix České republiky |
Brno Circuit |
| 13 | 14 September |  Gran Premi Marlboro de Catalunya |
Circuit de Catalunya |
| 14 | 28 September |  Marlboro Indonesian Grand Prix |
Sentul International Circuit |
| 15 | 5 October |  Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix |
Phillip Island |
†† = Saturday race
Calendar changes
- The Malaysian Grand Prix replaced the Japanese Grand Prix with hosting the opening round Grand Prix.
- The Indonesian Grand Prix was moved back from 7 April to 28 September.
- The Austrian Grand Prix was moved forward from 4 August to 1 June.
- The Australian Grand Prix moved from the Eastern Creek Raceway to the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
1997 Grand Prix season results
†† = Saturday race
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