1957 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
# 1957 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 1957 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the ninth F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of six Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 19 May, with German Grand Prix and ended with Nations Grand Prix in Italy on 1 September.

## Season summary

1957 marked the end of a Golden Era in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. There had been an impressive variety of machinery competing during the 1950s including, works teams from AJS, Norton, Gilera, MV Agusta, Moto Guzzi, and BMW. That's six factories taking part with singles, twins and four-cylinder machines. Include privateer Nortons and Matchless and it made for a colorful competition.

Then the Italian firms dropped a bombshell by announcing they would pull out of racing at the conclusion of the 1957 season, citing escalating costs and dwindling motorcycle sales. MV Agusta initially went along with the pull out before reconsidering. The firm would go on to claim 17 consecutive 500cc crowns.

1957 would also mark a new era in other respects with the banning of the dustbin fairings due to their dangerous instability in crosswinds. Another harbinger of change was the introduction of two-stroke engines in competition. An East German firm named MZ placed respectably in races at the Nürburgring although few people viewed the two-strokes as a threat to the mighty four-strokes.

## 1957 Grand Prix season calendar

| Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit | 125cc winner | 250cc winner | 350cc winner | 500cc winner | Sidecars 500cc winner | Report |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 19 May | German Grand Prix | Hockenheimring | Carlo Ubbiali | Carlo Ubbiali | Libero Liberati | Libero Liberati | Hillebrand / Grunwald | Report |
| 2 | 7 June | Isle of Man TT | Snaefell Mountain | Tarquinio Provini | Cecil Sandford | Bob McIntyre | Bob McIntyre | Hillebrand / Grunwald | Report |
| 3 | 29 June | Dutch TT | TT Circuit Assen | Tarquinio Provini | Tarquinio Provini | Keith Campbell | John Surtees | Hillebrand / Grunwald | Report |
| 4 | 7 July | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa-Francorchamps | Tarquinio Provini | John Hartle | Keith Campbell | Libero Liberati | Schneider / Strauß | Report |
| 5 | 10 August | Ulster Grand Prix | Dundrod Circuit | Luigi Taveri | Cecil Sandford | Keith Campbell | Libero Liberati | | Report |
| 6 | 1 September | Nations Grand Prix | Monza | Carlo Ubbiali | Tarquinio Provini | Bob McIntyre | Libero Liberati | Milani / Milani | Report |

## Standings

### Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top six finishers in each race. Only the four best races were counted in all five classes: the Sidecars, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc and 500cc championships.

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

**500cc final standings**

| Pos | Rider | Machine | GER | MAN | HOL | BEL | ULS | NAC | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Libero Liberati | Gilera | 1 | | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 32 (38) |
| 2 | Bob McIntyre | Gilera | 2 | 1 | Ret | | 2 | | 20 |
| 3 | John Surtees | MV Agusta | Ret | 2 | 1 | Ret | Ret | 4 | 17 |
| 4 | Geoff Duke | Gilera | | | | | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 5 | Jack Brett | Norton | | Ret | 4 | 2 | Ret | | 9 |
| 6 | Walter Zeller | BMW | 3 | Ret | 3 | Ret | | | 8 |
| 7 | Keith Bryen | Matchless / Norton / Moto Guzzi | | 13 | 6 | 3 | 5 | | 7 |
| 8 | Dickie Dale | Moto Guzzi | 4 | 4 | | | | | 6 |
| 9 | Alfredo Milani | Gilera | | | | Ret | | 3 | 4 |
| 10 | Bob Brown | Gilera | | 3 | | | | | 4 |
| 11 | Terry Shepherd | MV Agusta | 5 | | Ret | | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| 12 | Derek Minter | Norton | | 16 | 9 | 4 | | | 3 |
| 13 | Geoffrey Tanner | Norton | | 28 | | | 4 | | 3 |
| 14 | Ernst Hiller | BMW | 6 | | 5 | | | | 3 |
| 15 | Mike O'Rourke | Norton | | 29 | 10 | 5 | | | 2 |
| 16 | Keith Campbell | Moto Guzzi | Ret | 5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | | 2 |
| = | Umberto Masetti | MV Agusta | Ret | | Ret | | | 5 | 2 |
| 18 | Hans-Günter Jäger | Norton / BMW | 13 | | Ret | 6 | | 13 | 1 |
| 19 | Alan Trow | Norton | | 6 | | | | | 1 |
| 20 | John Hempleman | Norton | | Ret | 7 | Ret | 11 | | 0 |
| 21 | Carlo Bandirola | MV Agusta | | | | | | 7 | 0 |
| = | Alistair King | Norton | | 7 | | | | | 0 |
| = | Bob Matthews | Norton | | | | | 7 | | 0 |
| = | Ernst Riedelbauch | BMW | 7 | | | | | | 0 |
| 25 | Jimmy Buchan Jr. | Norton | | 9 | | | 8 | | 0 |
| 26 | Roger Barker | Norton | | 10 | 8 | | | | 0 |
| 27 | Gerold Klinger | BMW | Ret | | Ret | Ret | | 8 | 0 |
| 28 | Eugen Hagenlocher | BMW | 8 | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Peter Murphy | Matchless | | 8 | | | | | 0 |
| 30 | Alois Huber | BMW | 9 | | | | | 11 | 0 |
| 31 | John Clark | Moto Guzzi | | Ret | Ret | Ret | 9 | | 0 |
| = | John Hartle | Norton | | | Ret | Ret | Ret | 9 | 0 |
| 33 | Jackie Wood | Norton | | Ret | | | 10 | | 0 |
| 34 | Giuseppe Cantoni | Gilera | | | | | | 10 | 0 |
| 35 | Ken Tostevin | Norton | 10 | 18 | 11 | | | | 0 |
| 36 | Bernard Codd | Norton | | 11 | | | | | 0 |
| = | Jacques Insermini | Norton | 11 | | | | | | 0 |
| 38 | Denis Christian | Matchless | | Ret | | | 12 | | 0 |
| 39 | Austin Carson | Norton | 12 | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Frank Fox | Norton | | 12 | | | | | 0 |
| = | Francesco Guglieminetti | Norton | | | | | | 12 | 0 |
| = | Priem Rozenberg | BMW | | | 12 | | | | 0 |
| 43 | Fred Wallis | BSA | | Ret | | | 13 | | 0 |
| 44 | Kees Koster | Norton | | | 13 | | | | 0 |
| = | Nico Tagli | Gilera | | | | | | 13 | 0 |
| 46 | Ralph Rensen | Norton | | Ret | | | 14 | | 0 |
| 47 | Peter Davey | Norton | | 14 | | | | | 0 |
| = | Anton Elbersen | Norton | | | 14 | | | | 0 |
| 49 | Derek Powell | Matchless | | Ret | | | 15 | | 0 |
| = | George Catlin | Norton | | 15 | | Ret | | | 0 |
| 51 | Vernon Cottle | Norton | | | | | 16 | | 0 |
| 52 | Dennis Chapman | Norton | | Ret | | | 17 | | 0 |
| 53 | George Costain | Norton | | 17 | | | | | 0 |
| 54 | Dick Thomson | Norton / Matchless | Ret | Ret | | | 18 | | 0 |
| 55 | John Denton | Norton | | 19 | | | | | 0 |
| = | Jimmy Jones | Norton | | | | | 19 | | 0 |
| 57 | Harry Lowe | BSA | | 27 | | | 20 | | 0 |
| 58 | John Anderson | Norton | | 20 | Ret | Ret | | | 0 |
| 59 | Harry Grant | BSA | | Ret | | | 21 | | 0 |
| 60 | Louis Carr | Matchless | | 21 | | | | | 0 |
| 61 | Martin Brosnan | Norton | | | | | 22 | | 0 |
| = | Stan Setaro | Norton | | 22 | | | | | 0 |
| 63 | Tommy Holmes | BSA | | | | | 23 | | 0 |
| = | Arthur Wheeler | Moto Guzzi | | 23 | | | | | 0 |
| 65 | Ray Fay | Norton | | 24 | | | | | 0 |
| = | Jimmy Hayes | AJS | | | | | 24 | | 0 |
| 67 | Bob Coulter | BSA | | | | | 25 | | 0 |
| = | Ken Tully | Norton | | 25 | | | | | 0 |
| 69 | M.S. Hall | Norton | | | | | 26 | | 0 |
| = | Ken Willis | Norton | | 26 | | | | | 0 |
| 71 | Bill Roberton | Norton | | 30 | | | | | 0 |
| 72 | Roly Capner | Norton | | 31 | | | | | 0 |
| 73 | Ernie Barrett | Norton | | 32 | | | | | 0 |
| 74 | Robert King | Norton | | 33 | | | | | 0 |
| 75 | Arnold Jones | AJS | | 34 | | | | | 0 |
| 76 | Basil King | Norton | | 35 | | | | | 0 |
| 77 | Llewellyn Ranson | Norton | | 36 | | | | | 0 |
| 78 | Bob Rowbottom | Norton | | 37 | | | | | 0 |
| 79 | Joe Glazebrook | AJS | | 38 | | | | | 0 |
| - | Noel McCutcheon | Norton | | Ret | Ret | Ret | | | 0 |
| - | Martinus van Son | Matchless | Ret | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Andy Aharonian | BSA | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Sven Andersson | Norton | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Piet Bakker | Norton | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| - | John Banks | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Bill Beevers | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Raymond Bogaerdt | Norton | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| - | Joe Brindley | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Stan Cameron | AJS | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Paolo Campanelli | Gilera | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Fabio Ceredi | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Dave Chadwick | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Jacques Collot | Norton | Ret | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Giuseppe Colnago | Moto Guzzi | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| - | Ronald Cousins | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | René Deschamps | Norton | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Bob Ferguson | Matchless | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Enrico Galante | Norton | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Ulf Gate | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Martino Giani | Gilera | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Walter Hancock | BSA | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Eric Hinton | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Heinz Kauert | Matchless | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Rudolf Knees | BMW | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Guy Ligier | Norton | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Robert Lilley | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Giuseppe Mantelli | Gilera | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Kurt Maul | Norton | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Robert McCracken | Norton | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| - | Bernard Morle | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Albert Moule | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Andrew Mustard | BSA | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Pierre Nicholas | Norton | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| - | Jules Nies | Norton | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| - | Frank Norris | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | George Northwood | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Grenville Pennington | BSA | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Harry Plews | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Brian Purslow | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Charlie Salt | BSA | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | George Salt | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Karl-Heinz Scheifel | Matchless | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Toni Schmitz | Norton | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Brian Setchell | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Casper Swart | Norton | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| - | Percy Tait | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Don Tickle | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Hermann Vogt | Matchless | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Danny Walker | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Trevor Williams | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Ian Yeates | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Gianvittorio Ziglioli | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| Pos | Rider | Bike | GER | MAN | HOL | BEL | ULS | NAC | Pts |
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Red | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Blank | Did not arrive (DNA) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |

### 1957 350cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Keith Campbell | | Australia | Moto Guzzi | 30 | 3 |
| 2 | Bob McIntyre | | United Kingdom | Gilera | 22 | 2 |
| 3 | Libero Liberati | 7 | Italy | Gilera | 22 | 1 |
| 4 | Keith Bryen | | Australia | Moto Guzzi | 12 | 0 |
| 5 | John Hartle | 8 | United Kingdom | Norton | 11 | 0 |
| 6 | Giuseppe Colnago | | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 7 | 0 |
| 7 | Bob Brown | 17 | Australia | Gilera | 6 | 0 |
| 8 | Alano Montanari | 3 | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 5 | 0 |
| 9 | Helmut Hallmeier | | West Germany | NSU | 4 | 0 |
| 10 | Jack Brett | 12 | United Kingdom | Norton | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | Umberto Masetti | 14 | Italy | MV Agusta | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | Alfredo Milani | | Italy | Gilera | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | John Surtees | 4 | United Kingdom | MV Agusta | 3 | 0 |

### 1957 250cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Cecil Sandford | 5 | United Kingdom | Mondial | 26 | 2 |
| 2 | Tarquinio Provini | | Italy | Mondial | 16 | 2 |
| 3 | Sammy Miller | 7 | United Kingdom | Mondial | 14 | 0 |
| 4 | Roberto Colombo | | Italy | MV Agusta | 10 | 0 |
| 5 | John Hartle | 8 | United Kingdom | MV Agusta | 8 | 1 |
| 5 | Carlo Ubbiali | 1 | Italy | MV Agusta | 8 | 1 |
| 7 | Luigi Taveri | 2 | Switzerland | MV Agusta | 8 | 0 |
| 8 | Dave Chadwick | | United Kingdom | MV Agusta | 7 | 0 |
| 9 | Enrico Lorenzetti | | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 7 | 0 |
| 10 | Remo Venturi | 6 | Italy | MV Agusta | 6 | 0 |

### 1957 125cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Tarquinio Provini | 4 | Italy | Mondial | 30 | 3 |
| 2 | Luigi Taveri | 3 | Switzerland | MV Agusta | 22 | 1 |
| 3 | Carlo Ubbiali | 1 | Italy | MV Agusta | 22 | 2 |
| 4 | Sammy Miller | | United Kingdom | Mondial | 12 | 0 |
| 5 | Roberto Colombo | | Italy | MV Agusta | 11 | 0 |
| 6 | Cecil Sandford | | United Kingdom | Mondial | 9 | 0 |
| 7 | Remo Venturi | | Italy | MV Agusta | 6 | 0 |
| 8 | Fortunato Libanori | 5 | Italy | MV Agusta | 5 | 0 |
| 9 | František Bartoš | | Czechoslovakia | CZ | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | Dave Chadwick | | United Kingdom | MV Agusta | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | Horst Fügner | | East Germany | MZ | 3 | 0 |
