1950 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
# 1950 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 1950 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the second 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 600cc. It began on 10 June, with Isle of Man TT and ended with Nations Grand Prix on 10 September.

## 1950 Grand Prix season calendar

| Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit | 125cc winner | 250cc winner | 350cc winner | 500cc winner | Sidecars 600cc winner | Report |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 10 June | Isle of Man TT | Snaefell Mountain | | Dario Ambrosini | Artie Bell | Geoff Duke | | Report |
| 2 | 2 July | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa-Francorchamps | | | Bob Foster | Umberto Masetti | Oliver / Dobelli | Report |
| 3 | 8 July | Dutch TT | Assen | Bruno Ruffo | | Bob Foster | Umberto Masetti | | Report |
| 4 | 23 July | Swiss Grand Prix | Geneva | | Dario Ambrosini | Leslie Graham | Leslie Graham | Oliver / Dobelli | Report |
| 5 | 18 August | Ulster Grand Prix | Clady | Carlo Ubbiali | Maurice Cann | Bob Foster | Geoff Duke | | Report |
| 6 | 10 September | Nations Grand Prix | Monza | Gianni Leoni | Dario Ambrosini | Geoff Duke | Geoff Duke | Oliver / Dobelli | Report |

## Standings

### Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top six finishers in each race. All rounds counted towards the championship in the 125cc and Sidecars, the best three races counted in the 250cc, while in the 350cc and 500cc championships, only the best four results counted.

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

**500cc final standings**

| Pos | Rider | Machine | MAN | BEL | HOL | SUI | ULS | NAC | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Umberto Masetti | Gilera | | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 28 (29) |
| 2 | Geoff Duke | Norton | 1 | Ret | Ret | 4 | 1 | 1 | 27 |
| 3 | Leslie Graham | AJS Porcupine | 4 | Ret | Ret | 1 | 2 | 7 | 17 |
| 4 | Nello Pagani | Gilera | | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 | Ret | 12 |
| 5 | Carlo Bandirola | Gilera | | 4 | 4 | 3 | Ret | 5 | 12 |
| 6 | Johnny Lockett | Norton | 3 | Ret | Ret | 6 | 3 | 8 | 9 |
| 7 | Artie Bell | Norton | 2 | Ret | | | | | 6 |
| 8 | Arciso Artesiani | MV Agusta | | 5 | Ret | 12 | | 3 | 6 |
| 9 | Harry Hinton | Norton | 10 | 6 | 3 | Ret | DNS | | 5 |
| 10 | Ted Frend | AJS | 15 | 3 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 11 | 4 |
| 11 | Dickie Dale | Norton | 7 | 9 | Ret | | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| 12 | Harold Daniell | Norton | 5 | Ret | Ret | 5 | DNS | 10 | 4 |
| 13 | Alfredo Milani | Gilera | | | | Ret | | 4 | 3 |
| 14 | Eric McPherson | AJS / Norton | 14 | Ret | 5 | | | | 2 |
| 15 | Jock West | AJS | | | | | 5 | | 2 |
| 16 | Syd Jensen | Triumph / AJS | Ret | 12 | 6 | Ret | | | 1 |
| 17 | Reg Armstrong | Velocette | 6 | 8 | | | | Ret | 1 |
| 18 | Phil Heath | Norton | 34 | 13 | 7 | Ret | 8 | | 0 |
| 19 | Bob Foster | Moto Guzzi / AJS / Velocette | Ret | 7 | Ret | Ret | | 15 | 0 |
| 20 | Georges Cordey | Norton / Velocette | | | | 7 | | Ret | 0 |
| 21 | Ken Armstrong | MV Agusta / Velocette | | | 9 | 8 | | | 0 |
| 22 | Albert Moule | Norton | 17 | Ret | 8 | 11 | Ret | | 0 |
| 23 | Cromie McCandless | Norton | 8 | | | | | | 0 |
| 24 | Jack Brett | Norton | 9 | 11 | | | | | 0 |
| 25 | Georges Houel | Gilera | | Ret | | 9 | | | 0 |
| = | Harry Turner | Norton | Ret | | | | 9 | | 0 |
| 26 | Giuseppe Colnago | Gilera | | | | | | 9 | 0 |
| 27 | Jim Swarbrick | Norton | 18 | 11 | 10 | 15 | | | 0 |
| 28 | Felice Benasedo | Moto Guzzi | | 10 | Ret | | | Ret | 0 |
| 29 | Ernie Barrett | Norton | Ret | | | | 10 | | 0 |
| 30 | George Morrison | Norton | 11 | Ret | | | DNS | | 0 |
| 31 | Jim Kentish | Norton | Ret | | | | 11 | | 0 |
| = | Louis van Rijswijk | Triumph | | Ret | 11 | | | | 0 |
| 33 | Arthur Wheeler | Norton | 26 | 14 | 12 | | DNS | | 0 |
| 34 | Freddie Fairbairn | Vincent Grey Flash | 51 | | | | 12 | | 0 |
| 35 | Ken Bills | Vincent Grey Flash | 12 | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Guido Leoni | MV Agusta | | | | | | 12 | 0 |
| 37 | Ernie Braine | Norton | 46 | Ret | 14 | | 13 | | 0 |
| 38 | Albert Vertriest | Triumph | | 16 | 13 | | | | 0 |
| 39 | Benoit Musy | Moto Guzzi | | | | 13 | | 18 | 0 |
| 40 | Tommy McEwans | Triumph | 13 | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Armando Miele | Gilera | | | | | | 13 | 0 |
| 42 | Dante Bianchi | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | 14 | 0 |
| = | Hans Haldemann | Norton | | | | 14 | | | 0 |
| 44 | Auguste Goffin | Norton | | 15 | | | | 17 | 0 |
| 45 | Sidney Mason | Norton | | Ret | 15 | | | | 0 |
| 46 | Evert Carlsson | Norton | | 19 | 16 | | | | 0 |
| 47 | Roy Evans | Norton | 16 | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Georges Monneret | Norton | | | | | | 16 | 0 |
| 49 | Ernie Thomas | Triumph | | Ret | 17 | Ret | | Ret | 0 |
| 50 | Jaak Delsing | Triumph | | 17 | | | | | 0 |
| 51 | Väinö Hollming | Norton / Velocette | | 18 | Ret | Ret | | Ret | 0 |
| 52 | Adelmo Mandolini | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | 19 | 0 |
| = | David Whitworth | Triumph | 19 | | | | | | 0 |
| 54 | Sid Lawton | AJS / Rudge | 20 | | | | DNS | | 0 |
| 55 | Lodovico Facchinelli | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | 20 | 0 |
| 56 | Dario Basso | Gilera | | | | | | 21 | 0 |
| = | Ashley Len Parry | Norton | 21 | | | | | | 0 |
| 58 | Libero Liberati | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | 22 | 0 |
| = | Stan Miller | Norton | 22 | | | | | | 0 |
| 60 | Bill Beevers | Norton | 23 | | | | | | 0 |
| 61 | John Simister | Triumph | 24 | | | | | | 0 |
| 62 | Vic Willoughby | Norton | 25 | Ret | Ret | | | | 0 |
| 63 | Les Archer | Norton | 27 | | | | | | 0 |
| 64 | Charlie Brett | Velocette | 28 | | | | | | 0 |
| 65 | Guy Newman | Norton | 29 | | | | | | 0 |
| 66 | Charlie Gray | AJS | 30 | | | | | | 0 |
| 67 | George Paterson | AJS | 31 | | | | | | 0 |
| 68 | Roy Walker | Norton | 32 | | | | | | 0 |
| 69 | Jack Varlow | Norton | 33 | | | | | | 0 |
| 70 | Jack Harding | Norton | 35 | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| 71 | Syd Barnett | AJS | 36 | | | | | | 0 |
| 72 | Eric Hardy | Norton | 37 | | | | | | 0 |
| 73 | Humphrey Ranson | AJS | 38 | | | | | | 0 |
| 74 | John Fisher | Norton | 39 | | | | | | 0 |
| 75 | Ernest Walker | Norton | 40 | | | | | | 0 |
| 76 | Reg Lee | AJS | 41 | | | | | | 0 |
| 77 | Jack Bailey | Triumph | 42 | | | | | | 0 |
| 78 | Charlie Salt | Velocette | 43 | Ret | Ret | | Ret | | 0 |
| 79 | Leslie Harris | Velocette | 44 | | | | | | 0 |
| 80 | Joe Glazebrook | Triumph | 45 | | | | | | 0 |
| 81 | Syl Anderton | Triumph | 47 | | | | | | 0 |
| 82 | Llewelyn Ranson | AJS | 48 | | | | | | 0 |
| 83 | John Dale | Norton | 49 | | | | | | 0 |
| 84 | Reg McDonald | Velocette | 50 | | | | | | 0 |
| 85 | Bob McDonald | AJS | 52 | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Eric Briggs | Norton | Ret | Ret | Ret | | | | 0 |
| - | Oliver Scott | Norton | Ret | Ret | Ret | | | | 0 |
| - | Bill Hall | Triumph | Ret | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Bill Lomas | Velocette | | Ret | Ret | | | | 0 |
| - | Bob Matthews | Velocette | Ret | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Bert Meyers | Norton | Ret | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| - | Fergus Anderson | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Manliff Barrington | Vincent Grey Flash | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Bruno Bertacchini | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Aldo Brini | Gilera | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Thomas Byrne | Triumph | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| - | Maurice Cann | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Gerard Carter | Norton | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| - | Luigi Ciai | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Eugéne Cordang | Triumph | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Les Dear | Norton | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Wilmot Evans | Bitza | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| - | Mike Featherstone | AJS | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Lennart Fenning | Norton | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| - | Jack Fletcher | BSA | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Cees Fokke-Bosch | Norton | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| - | Sante Geminiani | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Rob Harrison | Triumph | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Johnny Hodgkin | Vincent Grey Flash | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Chris Horn | Norton | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Eddie Iffland | Norton | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Denis Jenkinson | Norton | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| - | Piet Knijnenburg | BMW R51/2 | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| - | Max Klein | Norton | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Willy Lips | Norton | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| - | Bill Maddrick | Velocette | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Léon Martin | Norton | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| - | Robert Müller | Norton | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| - | Bill Petch | Norton | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Hub Pellikaan | BMW R51/2 | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| - | Cecil Sandford | Velocette | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Jacques Schot | Norton | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| - | Elio Scopingo | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| - | Cyril Stevens | Vincent | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Drikus Veer | Triumph | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| - | Jan Veer | Triumph | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| - | Robert Weston | Norton | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| - | Henri Widonne | Norton | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| Pos | Rider | Bike | MAN | BEL | HOL | SUI | 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) |

**Constructors' 500cc World Championship**

| Pos | Constructor | | | | | | | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Norton | 1 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 28 (32) |
| 2 | Gilera | – | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 28 (29) |
| 3 | AJS | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | | 21 |
| 4 | MV Agusta | – | 5 | 9 | 8 | – | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Triumph | 13 | 12 | 6 | Ret | Ret | – | 1 |
| | Velocette | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | Ret | 15 | 1 |
| – | Bitza | – | – | – | – | Ret | – | 0 |
| – | BMW | – | – | Ret | – | – | – | 0 |
| – | BSA | Ret | – | – | – | – | – | 0 |
| – | Moto Guzzi | Ret | 7 | Ret | 13 | – | 14 | 0 |
| – | Rudge-Whitworth | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | 0 |
| – | Vincent | 12 | – | – | – | 12 | – | 0 |

### 1950 350cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

| Place | Rider | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Bob Foster | United Kingdom | Velocette | 30 | 3 |
| 2 | Geoff Duke | United Kingdom | Norton | 24 | 1 |
| 3 | Leslie Graham | United Kingdom | AJS | 17 | 1 |
| 4 | Artie Bell | United Kingdom | Norton | 14 | 1 |
| 5 | Reg Armstrong | United Kingdom | Velocette | 11 | 0 |
| 6 | Eric Hinton | Australia | Norton | 9 | 0 |
| 7 | Bill Lomas | United Kingdom | Velocette | 9 | 0 |
| 8 | Harold Daniell | United Kingdom | Norton | 6 | 0 |
| 9 | John Lockett | United Kingdom | Norton | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | Dickie Dale | United Kingdom | AJS | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | Ted Frend | United Kingdom | AJS | 4 | 0 |
| 12 | Eric McPherson | Australia | AJS | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | Cecil Sandford | United Kingdom | AJS | 3 | 0 |

### 1950 250cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

| Place | Rider | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Dario Ambrosini | Italy | Benelli | 24 | 3 |
| 2 | Maurice Cann | United Kingdom | Moto Guzzi | 14 | 1 |
| 3 | Fergus Anderson | United Kingdom | Moto Guzzi | 6 | 0 |
| 3 | Bruno Ruffo | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 6 | 0 |
| 5 | Dickie Dale | United Kingdom | Benelli | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | Wilf Billington | Ireland | Moto Guzzi | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | Bruno Francisci | Italy | Benelli | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | Ronald Mead | United Kingdom | Velocette | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | Arthur Burton | United Kingdom | Excelsior | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | Claudio Mastellari | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | Benoit Musy | Switzerland | Moto Guzzi | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | Roland Pike | United Kingdom | Rudge | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | David Andrews | United Kingdom | Excelsior | 2 | 0 |

### 1950 125cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

| Place | Rider | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Bruno Ruffo | Italy | Mondial | 17 | 1 |
| 2 | Gianni Leoni | Italy | Mondial | 14 | 1 |
| 2 | Carlo Ubbiali | Italy | Mondial | 14 | 1 |
| 4 | Giuseppe Matucci | Italy | Morini | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | Luigi Zinzani | Italy | Morini | 4 | 0 |
| 6 | Umberto Braga | Italy | Mondial | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | Raffaele Alberti | Italy | Mondial | 2 | 0 |
| 7 | Felice Benasedo | Italy | MV Agusta | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | Gijs Lagervey | Netherlands | Sparta | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | Emilio Soprani | Italy | Morini | 1 | 0 |
