Foreword

Consider the many ways that the 1972 Grand Prix season marked a turning point in motocross history:

The 1972 Grand Prix machines, even the hand-built works bikes, used suspensions that provided about four inches of rear-wheel travel and about seven inches at the front. This was the last year that the Grand Prix bikes would meet what are now Vintage Motocross requirements. In the following year, the single-shock Yamaha won the 250cc World Championship, and in the 500cc class Roger DeCoster’s Suzuki was modified midseason to successfully compete with the longer-travel Maico. After 1972, the development of long-travel motocross machines was more revolution than evolution.

The 1972 Grand Prix machines were free of the minimum weight restrictions that were imposed by the FIM in the following year. After 1972, a 500cc-class machine had to weigh in at 209 pounds or more, and the minimum for a 250cc-class bike was about 194 pounds. This meant that titanium chassis components and other weight-saving measures could be phased out and that margins of safety would presumably increase. The factory 250cc Suzukis ridden by Joël Robert and Sylvain Geboers were probably the lightest 1972 Grand Prix bikes, but the speculation was that the works bikes from Husqvarna, KTM, Yamaha and even CZ had to add weight – as much as 15 pounds or more – to pass tech inspection after 1972.

Even Grand Prix point scoring changed after 1972. This was the final year that World Champi- onship points were awarded on a rider’s overall position after both motos. This meant that a rider could win the first moto and still go home with reduced points or even zero points depending on his performance in the second moto. Starting in 1973, Grand Prix points were awarded moto by moto.

There were career milestones, too. The year 1972 was the final full season for East Germany’s Paul Friedrichs, who had dominated the 500cc class with World Championships in 1966, 1967 and 1968. In 1972, Belgian Joël Robert won his sixth and final 250cc World Championship by winning six out of the seven Grands Prix in which he finished. Plagued by injury and riding a less- dominant machine in 1973, Robert rode the full season but did not win a Grand Prix.

The reports included here are presented as they were written at the time of the event. The stories have been edited to a higher standard, but no attempt has been made to update the narra- tive with historical perspective. The stories are based on what we thought we knew at the time, and they are not embellished by facts and developments that have become known since then. The photos speak for themselves.

Terry Pratt