The 125cc World Championship was set to be a duel between two Italians, but Michele Rinaldi crashed at the opening GP in Vittorio Veneto and had to be taken to hospital with a shoulder injury. He underwent surgery and subsequently missed three GPs. He was back at the start of the fifth GP in Schefflenz, where he scored points and went on to win nine more races. However, Corrado Maddi remained equally alert and maintained his comfortable 30-point lead until the start of the final Grand Prix in Ettelbrück, Luxembourg. In a dramatic season finale, Michele was crowned world champion, Suzuki's tenth world championship title.

Corrado Maddi only needed to finish fifth in the last race to become world champion. The drama surrounding Corrado Maddi unfolded on Sunday morning during training. He collided with his Italian compatriot Michele Fanton and broke his left leg in three places.