1955 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
# 1955 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 1955 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the seventh F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of eight Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 1 May, with Spanish Grand Prix and ended with Nations Grand Prix in Italy on 4 September.

## 1955 Grand Prix season calendar

| Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit | 125cc winner | 250cc winner | 350cc winner | 500cc winner | Sidecars 500cc winner | Report |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 May | Spanish Grand Prix | Montjuïc circuit | Luigi Taveri | | | Reg Armstrong | Faust / Remmert | Report |
| 2 | 15 May | French Grand Prix | Reims | Carlo Ubbiali | | Duilio Agostini | Geoff Duke | | Report |
| 3 | 10 June | Isle of Man TT | Snaefell Mountain | Carlo Ubbiali | Bill Lomas | Bill Lomas | Geoff Duke | Schneider / Strauß | Report |
| 4 | 26 June | German Grand Prix | Nürburgring Nordschleife | Carlo Ubbiali | Hermann Paul Müller | Bill Lomas | Geoff Duke | Faust / Remmert | Report |
| 5 | 3 July | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa-Francorchamps | | | Bill Lomas | Giuseppe Colnago | Noll / Cron | Report |
| 6 | 16 July | Dutch TT | TT Circuit Assen | Carlo Ubbiali | Luigi Taveri | Ken Kavanagh | Geoff Duke | Faust / Remmert | Report |
| 7 | 13 August | Ulster Grand Prix | Dundrod Circuit | | John Surtees | Bill Lomas | Bill Lomas | | Report |
| 8 | 4 September | Nations Grand Prix | Monza | Carlo Ubbiali | Carlo Ubbiali | Dickie Dale | Umberto Masetti | Noll / Cron | Report |

## Standings

### Scoring system

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

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

**500cc final standings**

| Pos | Rider | Machine | ESP | FRA | MAN | GER | BEL | HOL | ULS | NAC | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Geoff Duke | Gilera | Ret | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ret | 1 | | 3 | 36 |
| 2 | Reg Armstrong | Gilera | 1 | 3 | 2 | Ret | Ret | 2 | | 2 | 30 |
| 3 | Umberto Masetti | MV Agusta | 3 | | | 4 | | 3 | | 1 | 19 |
| 4 | Giuseppe Colnago | Gilera | 7 | | | 5 | 1 | Ret | | 4 | 13 |
| 5 | Carlo Bandirola | MV Agusta | 2 | 11 | | 3 | Ret | | | Ret | 10 |
| 6 | Bill Lomas | Moto Guzzi | | | 7 | | | | 1 | | 8 |
| 7 | Pierre Monneret | Gilera | | 10 | | | 2 | | | Ret | 6 |
| 8 | John Hartle | Norton | | | 13 | | | | 2 | | 6 |
| 9 | Libero Liberati | Gilera | | 2 | | | | | | Ret | 6 |
| 10 | Walter Zeller | BMW | | | | 2 | | | | | 6 |
| 11 | Bob McIntyre | Norton | | | 5 | | | | 4 | | 5 |
| 12 | Dickie Dale | Moto Guzzi | Ret | | | | | | 3 | | 4 |
| = | Ken Kavanagh | Moto Guzzi | Ret | | 3 | | | | | | 4 |
| 14 | Léon Martin | Gilera | | | | | 3 | | | | 4 |
| 15 | Tito Forconi | MV Agusta | 6 | 4 | | | Ret | | | Ret | 4 |
| 16 | Duilio Agostini | Moto Guzzi | Ret | | | | 4 | | | | 3 |
| = | Jack Brett | Norton | | | 4 | | | | Ret | | 3 |
| 18 | Orlando Valdinoci | Gilera | 4 | | | | | | | | 3 |
| = | Drikus Veer | Gilera | | | | | | 4 | | | 3 |
| 20 | Bob Brown | Matchless | | | 16 | | 11 | 5 | | | 2 |
| 21 | Alfredo Milani | Gilera | | | | | Ret | 14 | | 5 | 2 |
| 22 | Peter Murphy | Matchless | | Ret | Ret | | | Ret | 5 | | 2 |
| 23 | Auguste Goffin | Norton | | Ret | | Ret | 5 | | | | 2 |
| 24 | Jacques Collot | Norton | | 5 | | | | | | Ret | 2 |
| = | Nello Pagani | MV Agusta | 5 | Ret | | | | | | | 2 |
| 26 | Jack Ahearn | Norton | | | Ret | 6 | 7 | Ret | Ret | | 1 |
| 27 | Eddie Grant | Matchless / Norton | | | 14 | | 16 | 6 | | | 1 |
| 28 | John Clark | Matchless | | | Ret | | | | 6 | | 1 |
| = | Ernst Riedelbauch | BMW | | | | Ret | | | | 6 | 1 |
| = | John Storr | Norton | | Ret | | | 6 | | | | 1 |
| 31 | Firmin Dauwe | Norton | | 6 | | | | | | | 1 |
| = | Derek Ennett | Matchless | | | 6 | | | | | | 1 |
| 33 | Hans-Günther Jäger | Norton | | | | 7 | | 8 | | | 0 |
| = | Eric Jones | Norton | | | 8 | | | | 7 | | 0 |
| 35 | Florian Camathias | Norton | | 7 | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| = | Gerold Klinger | BMW | | | | Ret | | | | 7 | 0 |
| 37 | Piet Bakker | Norton | | | | | | 7 | | | 0 |
| 38 | Len Aislabie | Norton | | | 20 | Ret | 8 | | Ret | | 0 |
| 39 | Sven Andersson | Norton | | | Ret | 8 | | | | Ret | 0 |
| 40 | William Hall | Norton | | | | | | Ret | | 8 | 0 |
| 41 | Marcel Beauvais | Norton | | 8 | | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Alfredo Flores | Norton | 8 | | | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Priem Rozenberg | BMW | | | | | | 8 | | | 0 |
| 44 | Bob Matthews | Norton | | | | 11 | 9 | Ret | 11 | | 0 |
| 45 | Bill Collett | Matchless | | | 23 | | Ret | | 9 | | 0 |
| 46 | Derek Powell | Matchless | | | 9 | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| = | Percy Tait | Norton | | | Ret | | | | 9 | | 0 |
| 48 | Jean-Pierre Bayle | Norton | | 9 | | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Enrico Galante | Norton | | | | | | | | 9 | 0 |
| = | Kuno Johansson | Matchless | | | | 9 | | | | | 0 |
| 51 | Phil Heath | Norton | | | | 14 | 13 | 10 | Ret | | 0 |
| 52 | Peter Davey | Norton | | | 10 | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| = | Ernst Hiller | Matchless | | | | 10 | | | | Ret | 0 |
| = | Maurice Low | Triumph / BSA | | | Ret | | | | 10 | | 0 |
| 55 | Artemio Cirelli | Gilera | | | | | | | | 10 | 0 |
| = | Edouard Texidor | Norton | | | | | 10 | | | | 0 |
| 56 | Robin Fitton | Norton | | Ret | | | | 11 | Ret | | 0 |
| = | Piet Knijnenburg | Matchless | | | | | | 11 | | | 0 |
| = | Ray Travers | Norton | | | 11 | | | | | | 0 |
| 59 | Malcolm Templeton | Matchless | | | 30 | | | | 12 | | 0 |
| 60 | John Hempleman | Norton | | | Ret | | 12 | | Ret | | 0 |
| 61 | Mike O'Rourke | Norton | | | 12 | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Hans-Joachim Scheel | Norton | | | | 12 | | | | | 0 |
| 63 | Ken Tostevin | Matchless | | | Ret | | | | 13 | | 0 |
| 64 | Heinz Schreiber | Norton | | | | 13 | | | | | 0 |
| = | Casper Swart | Norton | | | | | | 13 | | | 0 |
| 66 | Angus Martin | Norton | | | 40 | | | | 14 | | 0 |
| 67 | Peter Davey | Norton | | | | | 14 | | | | 0 |
| 68 | Arthur Wheeler | Matchless | | | 17 | | 15 | | Ret | | 0 |
| 69 | Harry Pearce | Matchless | | | 15 | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Karl-Heinz Scheifel | Norton | | | | 15 | | | | | 0 |
| = | Gerrit Ten Kate | Norton | | | | | | 15 | | | 0 |
| = | Harry Turner | Norton | | | | | | | 15 | | 0 |
| 73 | Ralph Rensen | Norton | | | 33 | | | | 16 | | 0 |
| 74 | Frederick Cook | Matchless | | | 18 | | 17 | Ret | Ret | | 0 |
| 75 | Ernie Oliver | Norton | | | | | | | 17 | | 0 |
| 76 | Dick Knox | Norton | | | | | | | 18 | | 0 |
| 77 | Robert King | Norton | | | Ret | | | | 19 | | 0 |
| 78 | Johm Denton | Norton | | | 19 | | | | | | 0 |
| 79 | Ken Swallow | Matchless | | | 43 | | | | 20 | | 0 |
| 80 | George Costain | Norton | | | 21 | | | | | | 0 |
| = | Jimmy Hayes | AJS | | | | | | | 21 | | 0 |
| 82 | Roy Evans | Matchless | | | | | | | 22 | | 0 |
| = | Ivor Lloyd | Norton | | | 22 | | | | | | 0 |
| 84 | Geoff Read | Norton | | | 24 | | | | | | 0 |
| 85 | Dave Chadwick | Norton | | | 25 | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| 86 | Frank Perris | Matchless | | | 26 | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| 87 | Eric Pantilin | Norton | | | 27 | | | | | | 0 |
| 88 | Albert Moule | BSA | | | 28 | | | | | | 0 |
| 89 | John Surtees | Norton | | | 29 | Ret | | | Ret | | 0 |
| 90 | Bob Rowbottom | Norton | | | 31 | | | | | | 0 |
| 91 | George Catlin | Norton | | | 32 | | | | | | 0 |
| 92 | Philip Palmer | BSA | | | 34 | | | | | | 0 |
| 93 | Ken Tully | Norton | | | 35 | | | | | | 0 |
| 94 | Terry Shepherd | Norton | | | 36 | | | | | | 0 |
| 95 | Jack Bailey | Norton | | | 37 | | | | | | 0 |
| 96 | Bill Beevers | Norton | | | 38 | | | | | | 0 |
| 97 | Bill Roberton | Norton | | | 39 | | | | | | 0 |
| 98 | Joe Glazebrook | Norton | | | 41 | | | | | | 0 |
| 99 | Ray Fay | BSA | | | 42 | | | | | | 0 |
| 100 | Ralph Wijesinghe | BSA | | | 44 | | | | | | 0 |
| 101 | Walter Hancock | BSA | | | 45 | | | | | | 0 |
| 102 | Willie Wilshere | Norton | | | 46 | | | | | | 0 |
| 103 | Frank Norris | Norton | | | 47 | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Tony McAlpine | BMW | | | | Ret | Ret | Ret | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Keith Campbell | Norton | | | | Ret | | Ret | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Chris Stormont | BSA | | | Ret | | | Ret | Ret | | 0 |
| – | Francis Flahaut | Norton | | Ret | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| – | Ulf Gate | Matchless | | | Ret | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Hans Haldemann | Norton | | Ret | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| – | Dick Thomson | Matchless | | | Ret | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Fergus Anderson | Moto Guzzi | | | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| – | Fernando Aranda | Norton | | | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| – | Bruno Böhrer | Horex | | | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Paolo Campanelli | Gilera | | | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Roly Capner | BSA | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Louis Carr | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Louis Carter | Norton | | | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| – | Phil Carter | Matchless | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Eric Cheers | Matchless | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Franco Chinelli | Gilera | | | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Javier de Ortueta | Norton | | | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| – | Rally Dean | Norton | | | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| – | Stanley Dibben | Norton | Ret | | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Anton Elbersen | Norton | | | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| – | Lodovico Facchinelli | Gilera | | | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Luigi Folconi | Moto Guzzi | | | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Bob Ferguson | AJS | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Jack Forrest | BMW | | | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| – | Frank Fox | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Martino Giani | Gilera | | | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Francisco González | Norton | Ret | | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | John Grace | Norton | Ret | | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Francesco Guglielminetti | Norton | | | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Wilf Herron | Norton | | | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| – | Eric Houseley | Matchless | | | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| – | Roy Ingram | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Arnold Jones | Matchless | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Harald Karlsson | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Rudolf Knees | Norton | | | | Ret | | | | | 0 |
| – | George Leigh | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Robert McCracken | Triumph | | | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| – | George Northwood | BSA | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Pierre Nicholas | Norton | | | | | Ret | | | | 0 |
| – | Tony Ovens | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Harry Plews | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Maurice Quincey | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Gerald Robarts | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Michael Roche | Norton | | | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| – | Charlie Salt | BSA | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | George Salt | Matchless | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | W. Stewart | Norton | | | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| – | Martinus van Son | Norton | | | | | | Ret | | | 0 |
| – | John Williamson | Norton | | | | | | | Ret | | 0 |
| – | Jackie Wood | Norton | | | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Erich Wünsche | Norton | | | | | | | | Ret | 0 |
| – | Georg Braun | Horex | | | DNS | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Allen Burt | Matchless | | | DNS | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Ricardo Galvagni | Norton | | | | DNS | | | | | 0 |
| – | Sakari Järvimaa | Matchless | | | DNS | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Armando Poggi | Norton | | | | DNS | | | | | 0 |
| – | R. Siriwardena | Norton | | | DNS | | | | | | 0 |
| – | W.H. Spence | Norton | | | DNS | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Des Wright | BSA | | | DNS | | | | | | 0 |
| Pos | Rider | Bike | ESP | FRA | MAN | GER | BEL | HOL | 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) |

### 350cc Standings

| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Bill Lomas | 72 | United Kingdom | Moto Guzzi | 32 | 4 |
| 2 | Dickie Dale | | United Kingdom | Moto Guzzi | 18 | 1 |
| 3 | August Hobl | | Germany | DKW | 17 | 0 |
| 4 | Ken Kavanagh | | Australia | Moto Guzzi | 14 | 1 |
| 5 | Cecil Sandford | | United Kingdom | Moto Guzzi | 13 | 0 |
| 6 | John Surtees | | United Kingdom | Norton | 11 | 0 |
| 7 | Duilio Agostini | | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 8 | 1 |
| 8 | Bob McIntyre | | United Kingdom | Norton | 8 | 0 |
| 9 | John Hartle | | United Kingdom | Norton | 7 | 0 |
| 10 | Roberto Colombo | | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 7 | 0 |
| 11 | Keith Campbell | | Australia | Norton | 4 | 0 |
| 12 | Enrico Lorenzetti | | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 3 | 0 |
| = | Auguste Goffin | | Belgium | Velocette | 3 | 0 |
| 14 | Peter Murphy | | New Zealand | AJS | 3 | 0 |
| = | Karl Hofmann | | Germany | DKW | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | Maurice Quincey | | Australia | Norton | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | Hans Bartl | | Netherlands | DKW | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | Jacques Collot | | France | Norton | 1 | 0 |

### 250cc Standings

| Place | Rider | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Hermann Paul Müller | Germany | NSU | 16 | 1 |
| 2 | Cecil Sandford | United Kingdom | Moto Guzzi | 14 | 0 |
| 3 | Bill Lomas | United Kingdom | MV Agusta | 13 | 1 |
| 4 | Luigi Taveri | Switzerland | MV Agusta | 11 | 1 |
| 5 | Umberto Masetti | Italy | MV Agusta | 11 | 0 |
| 6 | Sammy Miller | United Kingdom | NSU | 10 | 0 |
| 7 | John Surtees | United Kingdom | NSU | 8 | 1 |
| = | Carlo Ubbiali | Italy | MV Agusta | 8 | 1 |
| 9 | Hans Baltisberger | Germany | NSU | 6 | 0 |
| = | Wolfgang Brandt | Germany | NSU | 6 | 0 |
| 11 | Arthur Wheeler | United Kingdom | Moto Guzzi | 6 | 0 |
| 12 | Enrico Lorenzetti | Italy | Moto Guzzi | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | Dave Chadwick | United Kingdom | RD Special | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | Bill Webster | United Kingdom | Velocette | 1 | 0 |
| = | Helmut Hallmeier | Germany | NSU | 1 | 0 |

### 125cc Standings

| Place | Rider | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Carlo Ubbiali | Italy | MV Agusta | 32 | 5 |
| 2 | Luigi Taveri | Switzerland | MV Agusta | 26 | 1 |
| 3 | Remo Venturi | Italy | MV Agusta | 16 | 0 |
| 4 | Giuseppe Lattanzi | Italy | Mondial | 11 | 0 |
| 5 | Angelo Copeta | Italy | MV Agusta | 8 | 0 |
| 6 | Romolo Ferri | Italy | Mondial | 7 | 0 |
| 7 | Bill Webster | United Kingdom | MV Agusta | 5 | 0 |
| 8 | Rudolf Grimas | Austria | Mondial | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | Bill Lomas | United Kingdom | MV Agusta | 3 | 0 |
| = | August Hobl | Germany | DKW | 3 | 0 |
| = | Karl Lottes | Germany | MV Agusta | 3 | 0 |
| = | Tarquinio Provini | Italy | Mondial | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | Bernhard Petruschke | Germany | IFA | 2 | 0 |
| = | Willi Scheidhauer | Germany | MV Agusta | 2 | 0 |
| = | Sigfried Wünsche | Germany | DKW | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | Marcelo Cama | Spain | Montesa | 1 | 0 |
| = | Paolo Campanelli | Italy | Mondial | 1 | 0 |
| = | Erhard Krumpholz | Germany | IFA | 1 | 0 |
| = | Ross Porter | United Kingdom | MV Agusta | 1 | 0 |
| = | Erich Wünsche | Germany | MV Agusta | 1 | 0 |
