Despite numerous race wins, Yamaha's spearhead Gérard Rond is missing points in the final standings due to retirements and weaker days. The two Suzuki riders are more consistent in finishing races over the season, which carries extreme weight in the points system at the time.

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.