Retro: Have there really been 1000 Grands Prix?

This will not have escaped your notice; at Le Mans, DORN and the FIM celebrated the 1000th motorcycling Grand Prix in history. Celebrations and parades with great fanfare punctuated the race weekend, and rightly so. It is necessary not to forget the past in order to legitimize its place in the sporting landscape. We particularly appreciated the event as well as what was done for the 1000th meeting but... was it really the 1000th? The history of GPs is made up of anomalies that we particularly like; Let’s look at one of them.

A little context. Before the start of the 2023 French Grand Prix, you were able to see a very beautiful infographic showing the great legends to stick to this festive weekend. At the bottom of the screen were listed the different categories that have marked the prestigious calendar since 1949. Namely, in order of displacement: 50cc, 80cc, 125cc, 250cc, Moto3, 350cc, 500cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. But wait. Aren't we forgetting one?

We tend to omit it, but the sidecars were an integral part of the world championship and were a highly anticipated event for fans when they raced. Because yes, from 1949 to 1996, the champions were also rewarded at the end of the year, in the same way as someone crowned in Moto3 or Moto2 today. In fact, these strange three-wheeled machines were on the program at the same time as the other categories, so that shouldn't change the score, you will agree. Except that. Except that by looking at a singular year, namely the 1968 season, we come across something that is strange to say the least.

 

 

It all starts with the legendary Grand Prix des Nations, run at Monza. Like every year, the “temple of speed” welcomes the champions, and rewards – as often – Giacomo Agostini in 500cc. The sidecar race is canceled due to a government decision. Weird. So, we had to compensate, because the world title had not yet been awarded! The FIM decided to organize a race in Hockenheim to determine the winner at the same time as the German championship.

During the event, no crew was able to catch up with the duo Helmut Fath/Wolfgang Kalauch on chassis URS-BMW, the world champions. At the time, the category was totally dominated by the Germans and this is also why this place was chosen to compete one last time in 1968. Furthermore, it was during this event that Rolf Schmid died in the stadium. A new victim of the merciless Hockenheimring.

We therefore have a singularity. This race was indeed held as part of the motorcycling world championship, but had no name and above all, was not counted in the 1000 Grands Prix contested. You can find the complete list of all GPs organized by clicking on this highlighted link and see for yourself the absence of this “additional round”.

 

So yes, wasn't this, at Le Mans, the 1000th Grand Prix involving the premier category, 500cc or MotoGP? Absolutely not. In the past, some GPs took place without certain classes, and the most popular were no exception to the rule. We think of 1986 Baden-Württemberg Grand Prix, or, more recently, the 2020 Qatar Grand Prix, where only Moto3 and Moto2 participated due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Be sure ; our idea was not to harm DORNA's communication, because the account is good if we exclude the sidecars. But it is always fun to look back on the few particularities which shaped the history of our sport.

Did you know about the existence of this “phantom Grand Prix”? Tell us in the comments!

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport