Maico returned with the 1973 500cc championship runner-up, Willy Bauer and 35-year-old Adolf Weil, while the Yamaha team was represented by Jaak van Velthoven and Åke Jonsson.

[5] Mikkola won a fifth consecutive moto at the Danish Grand Prix while De Coster retired, DNF (did not finish) with a loose exhaust pipe.

[5] A malfunctioning front brake caused De Coster to crash in the second race (he was out in the 1975 season after hitting a tree) while his Suzuki teammate, Gerrit Wolsink took the win.

[5] Three weeks later at the British Grand Prix, Mikkola was back in action however, a bent brake pedal in a first turn crash forced him out of the race.

[5] De Coster was leading the race when his rear suspension broke and led to his retirement, allowing Yamaha rider Jaak van Velthoven to claim the victory.

[6] In the first moto, Wolsink held the lead before being passed by his teammate De Coster and collect maximum championship points three laps from the finish.

[6][7] Back in Europe for the Dutch Grand Prix, Mikkola and De Coster traded moto wins in the exhausting deep, sand track at Markelo.

[5] Going into the final two events of the season, Mikkola held a 10-point lead meaning that De Coster would have to win three of the last four motos to secure his fifth consecutive 500cc world championship.

[5] De Coster continued to widen his lead to win the second moto to extend the championship points battle to the final race of the season in Luxembourg.

[9][10] Mikkola credited much of his success to his Husqvarna factory mechanic, Per-Olaf Persson, whose meticulous preparation and maintenance greatly improved the reliability of his motorcycle.

[2] Falta was able to catch up and pass Everts and Gaston Rahier to recapture the lead and win the race, apparently clinching the world championship.

[2] However two hours after the conclusion of the race, jury officials penalized Falta one minute for jumping the start which dropped him to eighth place handing the world championship to Moiseyev.