500cc Grand Prix entry lists for 1976 to 1978
By Dan Moakes
October 13 2006
500cc Grand Prix leading entries for 1976: #
| no. | rider | entrant | bike |
| 1 | Giacomo Agostini ITA | Team Agostini-Marlboro | MV Agusta/Suzuki |
| 2 | Phil Read ENG* | Team Life International | Suzuki RG |
| 4 | Tepi Länsivuori FIN | Life Racing Team | Suzuki RG500 |
| 4 | Billy Guthrie NIR* | Danfay | Yamaha |
| 5 | John Williams ENG | Texaco Heron Team Suzuki | Suzuki |
| 7 | Barry Sheene ENG | Texaco Heron Team Suzuki | Suzuki RG500 |
| 8 | John Newbold ENG | Texaco Heron Team Suzuki | Suzuki RG500 |
| 14 | Tom Herron NIR** | Texaco Heron Team Suzuki | Suzuki |
| 6 | Alex George SCO | Hermetite | various |
| 10 | Jack Findlay AUS | Meuaui Racing Team ? | Suzuki |
| 11 | Chas Mortimer ENG | Team Sarome | Yamaha/Suzuki |
| 41 | Takazumi Katayama JAP | Team Sarome | Yamaha |
| 12 | Karl Auer AUT | Yamaha | |
| 13 | Dieter Braun BRD | Boeri Dainese Racing Team ? | Suzuki |
| 19 | Olivier Chevallier FRA | Esso ? | Yamaha |
| 21 | Michel Rougerie FRA | Ecurie Elf | Suzuki |
| 22 | Bernard Fau FRA | Yamaha | |
| 23 | Tom Herron NIR | Castrol/Jim Findlay | Yamaha TZ |
| 23 | Roger Nicholls WAL | Beale | Yamaha |
| 24 | Christian Estrosi FRA | Suzuki | |
| 25 | Ian Richards GBR* | Yamaha | |
| 26 | Børge Nielsen DAN | Yamaha | |
| 27 | Marcel Ankoné NED | Suzuki | |
| 28 | Virginio Ferrari ITA* | Gallina Corse | Suzuki RG500 |
| 33 | Marco Lucchinelli ITA | Gallina Corse | Suzuki RG500 |
| 34 | Roberto Gallina ITA* | Gallina Corse | Suzuki |
| 34 | Wil Hartog NED | Riemersma ? | Suzuki RG500 |
| 38 | Jon Ekerold RSA* | Padgett | Yamaha |
| 40 | Philippe Coulon SUI | Frankonia Suzuki ? | Suzuki |
| 41 | Helmut Kassner BRD | Suzuki | |
| 43 | Victor Palomo ESP | Swaep Motor-Racing | Yamaha |
| 51 | Boet van Dulmen NED | Laponder | Yamaha/Suzuki |
| 54 | Pat Hennen USA | Colemans | Suzuki |
| 56 | Stu Avant NZL | Colemans | Suzuki |
| 55 | Johnny Cecotto VEN* | Team Venemotos | Yamaha OW29 |
| 57 | Max Wiener AUT | Yamaha |
* did not race full season
** one-off substitute ride
Read also ran number 9; Länsivuori 2, 3; Williams 2, 30; Newbold 3, 6, 7
George 8, 3; Findlay 6, 5; Mortimer 8, 10; Katayama 17; Auer 8, 9, 11
Braun 14, 30, 10, 12; Chevallier 18, 25, 29; Rougerie 20; Fau 13, 16
Herron 15, 19, 21; Estrosi 52, 21, 48; Nielsen 41, 31, 24; Ankoné 33, 28, 43, 12
Ferrari 40, 26, 31; Lucchinelli 40, 34, 32, 30, 17; Hartog 31, 48; Ekerold 26
Coulon 38, 18, 43, 51, 22, 23, 71; Kassner 39, 19, 44, 63; Palomo 33, 24, 20
van Dulmen 43, 32, 27, 39, 14, 29; Hennen 45, 25, 40, 28, 22, 66
Avant 47, 32, 35, 42, 25; Cecotto 3, 21, 16; Wiener 28, 44, 27
500cc Grand Prix leading entries for 1977: #
| no. | rider | entrant | bike |
| 1 | Giacomo Agostini ITA | Yamoto Marlboro | Yamaha OW35 |
| 2 | Tepi Länsivuori FIN | Life Racing Team | Suzuki |
| 4 | Marco Lucchinelli ITA | Life Racing Team | Suzuki |
| 3 | Pat Hennen USA | Texaco Heron Team Suzuki | Suzuki RGA |
| 7 | Barry Sheene ENG | Texaco Heron Team Suzuki | Suzuki RGA |
| 21 | Steve Parrish ENG | Texaco Heron Team Suzuki | Suzuki RGA |
| 6 ? | Philippe Coulon SUI | Suzuki RG500 | |
| 8 | Jack Findlay AUS | Hermetite Racing International | Suzuki |
| 24 | Alex George SCO | Hermetite Racing International | Suzuki |
| 12 | Michel Rougerie FRA | Elf | Suzuki |
| 12 | Virginio Ferrari ITA | Team Nava-Olio Fiat | Suzuki |
| 22 | Gianfranco Bonera ITA | Team Nava-Olio Fiat | Suzuki RG500 |
| 14 | Johnny Cecotto VEN | Venemotos | Yamaha OW35 |
| 15 | Armando Toracca ITA | Ceramiche Della Robbia | Suzuki |
| 22 | Wil Hartog NED | Riemersma | Suzuki |
| 25 | Steve Baker USA | Yamaha International | Yamaha OW35 |
| 37 | Helmut Kassner BRD | Boeri Dainese Guidici Racing Team | Suzuki |
| 46 | Max Wiener AUT | MSC Rottenegg | Suzuki |
# rider numbers were not fixed in this era:
Agostini also ran number 10; Lucchinelli 19; Parrish 1; Rougerie 16
Ferrari 14?; Bonera 13; Cecotto 19; Baker 32
500cc Grand Prix leading entries for 1978: #
| no. | rider | entrant | bike |