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	II Grand Prix de Venezuela
Location	Autodromo Internacional de San Carlos
Course	Permanent racing facility 4.135 km (2.569 mi)
500cc
Pole position Rider Johnny Cecotto Time 1:35.300 Fastest lap Rider Barry Sheene Time 1:35.400 Podium First Barry Sheene Second Pat Hennen Third Steve Baker
350cc
Pole position Rider Franco Uncini Time 1:38.200 Fastest lap Rider Franco Uncini Time 1:36.600 Podium First Takazumi Katayama Second Patrick Fernandez Third Paolo Pileri
250cc
Pole position Rider Franco Uncini Time 1:39.400 Fastest lap Rider Kenny Roberts Time 1:38.500 Podium First Kenny Roberts Second Carlos Lavado Third Patrick Fernandez
125cc
Pole position Rider Pierpaolo Bianchi Time 1:44.900 Fastest lap Rider Pierpaolo Bianchi Time 1:44.800 Podium First Pierpaolo Bianchi Second Eugenio Lazzarini Third Víctor León-Pacheco

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.

500cc classification

Pos.	Rider	Team	Manufacturer	Time/Retired	Points
1	Barry Sheene	Texaco Heron Team Suzuki	Suzuki	48'21.300	15
2	Pat Hennen		Suzuki	+21.700	12
3	Steve Baker	Team Gallina Nava Olio Fiat	Suzuki	+57.300	10
4	Steve Parrish		Suzuki	+1 lap	8
5	Roberto Pietri		Yamaha	+2 laps	6
6	Gerhard Vogt	Bill Smith Racing	Yamaha	+3 laps	5
7	Leandro Becheroni		Suzuki	+6 laps	4
	Johnny Cecotto	Yamaha Motor Company	Yamaha	Tyre problems
	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha Motor Company	Yamaha	Retired
	Takazumi Katayama	Sarome & Motul Team	Yamaha	Accident
	Virginio Ferrari	Team Gallina Nava Olio Fiat	Suzuki	Retired
Sources:

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

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

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