Gaston and Suzuki continued to set the standard in the 125cc World Championship, even though the RA77 still had to manage without water cooling.

With the strong Gerard Rond, Yamaha now also managed to get involved in the World Championship, having long since become one of the most important brands in the USA. Yamaha was not only a pioneer in the field of monoshocks with Cantilever, but also equipped the OW27 with water cooling in the World Championship this year.

After achieving average success in the 500cc class in previous years, the second Yamaha rider, Andre Massant, performed particularly well in the second half of the season. He won the Canadian Grand Prix and finished on the podium several times.

Gilbert de Roover finished in a strong 7th place in the final standings. Last year, he scored points several times with the 500cc Beta. This year, however, the Italians focused entirely on the small class and sent de Roover into the race alongside Paolo Piron. At the Belgian home GP in Retinne, he achieved his first podium finish for Beta behind Rahier and Massant.

At the start of the season, it looked like Suzuki would achieve a double victory. Akira Watanabe led Gaston at the start of the season, but broke his leg at the Belgian Grand Prix and was out for the rest of the season. 

Ivan Alborghetti and Aprilia focused more on the domestic championship, which he secured in both the 125cc and 250cc classes.