[6] In 1965 Saarinen won the 250cc Finnish ice racing national championship ahead of Länsivuori, Martti Pesonen, and future 500cc Motocross World Champion, Heikki Mikkola.

[2] Saarinen was noted for his distinctive riding style in which he kept his chest just above the motorcycle's fuel tank, and for the way he negotiated curves by shifting his body towards the inside of a turn while extending his knee out.

[8] His riding style, and the way he made his rear tyre slide in the turns influenced future world champion, Kenny Roberts, when he witnessed Saarinen during a race at the Ontario Motor Speedway in 1972.

[9] Saarinen rode at the Ontario Champion Sparkplugs Classic in 1972, aboard a privately entered ex-works Al Godin Yamaha 350cc.

[12] He finished the season in fourth place despite missing the final three rounds of the championship to complete his education by graduating as an engineer from the Turku Technical Institute.

[1] The Yamaha factory recalled Kanaya back to Japan for testing duties after the second Grand Prix in France, while Read and Jansson failed to score points.

[14][15] Saarinen rewarded Yamaha's faith in him by winning four of the last six Grand Prix races to clinch the 250cc World Championship, after a season-long battle with Renzo Pasolini and Rod Gould.

[1] The threat from Saarinen's performance was so strong that the previously dominant MV Agusta factory was forced to produce a new 350cc motorcycle for Agostini and to hire Phil Read as his teammate for the remainder of the season.

[8] With Saarinen signed to a contract, and a new 4-cylinder 2-stroke YZR500 0W20, Yamaha was finally ready to challenge MV Agusta's sixteen-year reign in the 500cc class with a competitive package.

Saarinen started the 1973 season competing in the season-opening Daytona 200, riding a Yamaha TZ 350 production racer against much larger 750cc motorcycles from the Kawasaki and Suzuki factory racing teams.

[17][19][20][21] Saarinen jumped to an early lead in the 1973 world championships by scoring a double victory at the season-opening French Grand Prix.

[8] The steel guardrails lining the circuit were installed as a result of demands by automobile racers following an accident which occurred during the 1961 Italian Grand Prix when racing driver Wolfgang von Trips and 15 spectators were killed.

[2] Despite the installation of two new chicanes for cars during the previous year's Formula One season (placed before the Curva Grande and at Vialone) they were not used for motorcycle racing at Monza.

[24][25] On the first lap of the 250cc race, tragedy struck when the second-placed rider, Renzo Pasolini's motorcycle lurched sideways and crashed into the guardrail, killing him instantly.

[8] The crash caused a chain reaction accident in which more than 14 riders were involved including; Hideo Kanaya, Walter Villa, Victor Palomo, Fosco Giansanti, Börje Jansson and Chas Mortimer with several of them suffering serious injuries.

[16] However, some articles have appeared showing photos of Pasolini's bike consistent with engine seizure, locking the rear wheel and causing the crash.

[12] During the 1979 FIM Congress, new rules were passed increasing prize money substantially and in subsequent years, stricter safety regulations were imposed on race organizers.

Saarinen remains the only Finn to have won a motorcycle road racing world championship, winning 15 Grands Prix during his career.

[16] Source:[1] (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) 1949  B. Ruffo 1950  D. Ambrosini 1951  B. Ruffo 1952  E. Lorenzetti 1953  W. Haas 1954  W. Haas 1955  H. Müller 1956  C. Ubbiali 1957  C. Sandford 1958  T. Provini 1959  C. Ubbiali 1960  C. Ubbiali 1961  M. Hailwood 1962  J. Redman 1963  J. Redman 1964  P. Read 1965  P. Read 1966  M. Hailwood 1967  M. Hailwood 1968  P. Read 1969  K. Carruthers 1970  R. Gould 1971  P. Read 1972  J. Saarinen 1973  D. Braun 1974  W. Villa 1975  W. Villa 1976  W. Villa 1977  M. Lega 1978  K. Ballington 1979  K. Ballington 1980  A. Mang 1981  A. Mang 1982  J. Tournadre 1983  C. Lavado 1984  C. Sarron 1985  F. Spencer 1986  C. Lavado 1987  A. Mang 1988  S. Pons 1989  S. Pons 1990  J. Kocinski 1991  L. Cadalora 1992  L. Cadalora 1993  T. Harada 1994  M. Biaggi 1995  M. Biaggi 1996  M. Biaggi 1997  M. Biaggi 1998  L. Capirossi 1999  V. Rossi 2000  O. Jacque 2001  D. Kato 2002  M. Melandri 2003  M. Poggiali 2004  D. Pedrosa 2005  D. Pedrosa 2006  J. Lorenzo 2007  J. Lorenzo 2008  M. Simoncelli 2009  H. Aoyama 2010  T. Elías 2011  S. Bradl 2012  M. Márquez 2013  P. Espargaró 2014  T. Rabat 2015  J. Zarco 2016  J. Zarco 2017  F. Morbidelli 2018  F. Bagnaia 2019  Á. Márquez 2020  E. Bastianini 2021  R. Gardner 2022  A. Fernández 2023  P. Acosta 2024  A. Ogura