1978 Venezuelan motorcycle Grand Prix

  1978 Venezuelan Grand Prix

Race details
Race 1 of 13 races in the 1978 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
Date	19 March 1978
Official name	Gran Premio de Venezuela
Location	Autodromo Internacional de San Carlos
Course	Permanent racing facility 4.135 km (2.569 mi)
500 cc
Pole position
Rider	Johnny Cecotto	Yamaha
Time	1:35.3
Fastest lap
Rider	Barry Sheene	Suzuki
Time	1:35.4
Podium
First	Barry Sheene	Suzuki
Second	Pat Hennen	Suzuki
Third	Steve Baker	Suzuki
350 cc
Pole position
Rider	Franco Uncini	Yamaha
Time	1:38.2
Fastest lap
Rider	Franco Uncini	Yamaha
Time	1:36.6
Podium
First	Takazumi Katayama	Yamaha
Second	Patrick Fernandez	Yamaha
Third	Paolo Pileri	Morbidelli
250 cc
Pole position
Rider	Franco Uncini	Yamaha
Time	1:39.4
Fastest lap
Rider	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha
Time	1:38.5
Podium
First	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha
Second	Carlos Lavado	Yamaha
Third	Patrick Fernandez	Yamaha
125 cc
Pole position
Rider	Pierpaolo Bianchi	Minarelli
Time	1:44.9
Fastest lap
Rider	Pierpaolo Bianchi	Minarelli
Time	1:44.8
Podium
First	Pierpaolo Bianchi	Minarelli
Second	Eugenio Lazzarini	MBA
Third	V. T. Leon	Morbidelli

The 1978 Venezuelan motorcycle Grand Prix was the first round of the 1978 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on 19 March 1978 at the San Carlos Circuit.

500 cc classification

Pos	Rider	Manufacturer	Laps	Time	Grid	Points
1	Barry Sheene	Suzuki	30	48:21.3	3	15
2	Pat Hennen	Suzuki	30	+21.7	4	12
3	Steve Baker	Suzuki	30	+57.3	5	10
4	Steve Parrish	Suzuki	29	+1 lap	8	8
5	Roberto Pietri	Yamaha	28	+2 laps	10	6
6	Gerhard Vogt	Yamaha	27	+3 laps	11	5
7	Leandro Becheroni	Suzuki	24	+6 laps	9	4
	Johnny Cecotto	Yamaha			1
	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha			2
	Takazumi Katayama	Yamaha			6
	Virginio Ferrari	Suzuki			7
11 starters in total
[1]

350 cc classification

Pos	Rider	Manufacturer	Laps	Time	Grid	Points
1	Takazumi Katayama	Yamaha	29	48:05.5	5	15
2	Patrick Fernandez	Yamaha	29	+29.7	3	12
3	Paolo Pileri	Morbidelli	29	+41.9	17	10
4	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	29	+43.4	7	8
5	Patrick Pons	Yamaha	29	+50.2	4	6
6	Christian Sarron	Yamaha	29	+58.4	11	5
7	Eric Saul	Yamaha	29	+1:06.4	15	4
8	Franco Bonera	Yamaha	29	+1:14.7	9	3
9	Eduardo Alemán	Yamaha	29	+1:28.0	20	2
10	Antonio Piccioni	Yamaha	29	+1:33.1	10	1
11	Franco Solaroli	Yamaha	28	+1 lap	16
12	Barry Woodland	Yamaha	28	+1 lap
13	C. Cortes	Harley-Davidson	28	+1 lap
14	Kent Rockwell	Yamaha	27	+2 laps
	Franco Uncini	Yamaha			1
	Gregg Hansford	Kawasaki			2
	Olivier Chevallier	Yamaha			6
	Vinicio Salmi	Yamaha			8
	Jose Cecotto	Yamaha			12
	Tom Herron	Yamaha			13
	Mick Grant	Kawasaki			14
	Felice Agostini	Yamaha			18
	"Dallefusine"	Yamaha			19
30 starters in total
[1]

250 cc classification

Pos	Rider	Manufacturer	Laps	Time	Grid	Points
1	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha	28	47:15.6	2	15
2	Carlos Lavado	Yamaha	28	+14.8	3	12
3	Patrick Fernandez	Yamaha	28	+37.3	5	10
4	Olivier Chevallier	Yamaha	28	+43.1	8	8
5	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	28	+43.1	6	6
6	Mario Lega	Morbidelli	28	+54.9	9	5
7	Anton Mang	Kawasaki	28	+1:04.2	11	4
8	Ted Henter	Yamaha	28	+1:35.5	12	3
9	Eduardo Alemán	Yamaha	27	+1 lap	15	2
10	Vic Soussan	Yamaha	27	+1 lap	17	1
11	Tom Herron	Yamaha	27	+1 lap	19
12	Edoardo Elias	Yamaha	27	+1 lap	20
13	Ángel Nieto	Yamaha	27	+1 lap
14	Fernando González	Yamaha	27	+1 lap	18
15	Vinicio Salmi	Yamaha	27	+1 lap
16	Kent Rockwell	Yamaha	26	+2 laps	13
17	Carlos Morante	Yamaha	26	+2 laps
18	P. Betancourt	Yamaha	26	+2 laps
19	F. Perez	Yamaha	26	+2 laps
20	"Prusso"	Yamaha	26	+2 laps
21	G. Martinez	Yamaha	26	+2 laps
	Franco Uncini	Yamaha			1
	Gregg Hansford	Kawasaki			4
	Paolo Pileri	Morbidelli			7
	Mick Grant	Kawasaki			10
	Eric Saul	Yamaha			14
	Barry Woodland	Yamaha			16
26 starters in total
[1]

125 cc classification

Pos	Rider	Manufacturer	Laps	Time	Grid	Points
1	Pierpaolo Bianchi	Minarelli	26	46:05.5	1	15
2	Eugenio Lazzarini	MBA	26	+54.0	3	12
3	V. T. Leon	Morbidelli	26	+1:20.6	7	10
4	Alejandro Alemán	Yamaha	26	+1:21.8	11	8
5	Riccardo Russo	Morbidelli	24	+2 laps	14	6
6	Claudio Granata	Morbidelli	24	+2 laps	15	5
7	Luigi Schiavione	Morbidelli	21	+5 laps	16	4
	Ángel Nieto	Bultaco			2
	Ivan Palazzese	Morbidelli			4
	Maurizio Massimiani	Morbidelli			5
	Claudio Lusuardi	Morbidelli			6
	"Troisi"	Morbidelli			8
	Thierry Espié	Motobécane			9
	Guido Mancini	Morbidelli			10
	Germano Zanetti	Morbidelli			12
	R. Olavarria	Morbidelli			13
	Felice Agostini	Morbidelli			17
	"Moreira"	Yamaha			18
	Keith Gonyou	Yamaha			19
	"Bernard"	Yamaha			20
23 starters in total
[1]

References