As of round 17 Race · updated 10/13/2026, 07:18 PM (Japan time)

Riders

John Williams

No freely licensed photo found, so the race number and team colour are shown instead. About photos

Nationality: United Kingdom
Born: May 27, 1946(age 80)

Birth date and place from the official rider profile

Career

Made a Grand Prix debut in 500cc at Ulster in 1969.

In 500cc (1969–1970): 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 podiums. In 350cc (1971): 1 starts, 0 wins, 0 podiums. In 250cc (1972): 1 starts, 0 wins, 1 podiums. In 350cc (1973): 1 starts, 0 wins, 1 podiums. In 500cc (1974): 1 starts, 0 wins, 0 podiums. In 350cc (1974): 1 starts, 0 wins, 0 podiums. In 500cc (1974): 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 podiums. In 350cc (1975): 1 starts, 0 wins, 0 podiums. In 250cc (1975): 1 starts, 0 wins, 1 podiums. In 500cc (1975): 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 podiums. In 250cc (1975): 1 starts, 0 wins, 0 podiums. In 500cc (1976–1977): 4 starts, 1 wins, 1 podiums. In 350cc (1977): 1 starts, 0 wins, 1 podiums.

First podium: Isle of Man 1972 (250cc). First win: Spa 1976 (500cc).

In all, 23 Grand Prix starts, 1 wins and 6 podiums (within the official results database).

Written automatically from the official results database (no opinions about the rider)

Note: these totals are incomplete. The official data has no result for 2 races in seasons and classes this rider raced in; they are not counted: 1974 350cc (TT) / 1975 500cc (TT)

Season by season

500cc350cc250cc ★ Champion

The strip shows each year's team (team colour). Tap for team and machine

Teams in years without official results: 1973 250cc

Scope: official results DB, 1969–1978 (the rider's racing years); excludes 2 races with no official result data

Totals

250cc1972–1978

Win rate0.0%

Podium rate28.6%

Average finish (when classified)avg P6.4

27 pts · Poles 0

4 of these races have no result in the official data; their results come from the Italian Wikipedia.

350cc1971–1977

Win rate0.0%

Podium rate22.2%

Average finish (when classified)avg P7.1

44 pts · Poles 0

4 of these races have no result in the official data; their results come from the Italian Wikipedia.

500cc1969–1978

Win rate4.0%

Podium rate8.0%

Average finish (when classified)avg P7.2

89 pts · Poles 0

Includes 12 points from races with no result in the official records (counted from the official standings).

10 of these races have no result in the official data; their results come from the Italian Wikipedia.

Points are counted per class, never added across classes. Tap a number for the list of races | Scope: official results DB, 1969–1978 (the rider's racing years); excludes 2 races with no official result data

Against the greats, and the class of their debut

Grand Prix debut in 1969. Of the 79 riders who debuted that year, 0 also raced in 2026.

Giacomo Agostini 15 world titles
26 races together: ahead 7, behind 17, both out 2
Phil Read 7 world titles
13 races together: ahead 1, behind 11, both out 1
Barry Sheene 2 world titles
15 races together: ahead 2, behind 10, both out 3
Dieter Braun 2 world titles
14 races together: ahead 2, behind 11, both out 1

Greats: 2+ world titles or 30+ MotoGP / 500cc wins. Up to 4 who shared 10+ races, most titles first. A finisher counts as ahead of a non-finisher.

Results by condition (races)

All classes 41 races · 250cc / 350cc / 500cc

By circuit (best average first)Small sample

In All classes, best at Isle of Man (average P4.2, 6 races)

Isle of Man500cc 2 · 350cc 2 · 250cc 2avg P4.2

Spa500cc 4 · 250cc 2avg P6.8

Anderstorp500cc 3avg P7.0

Ulster500cc 2 · 350cc 1avg P7.0

Silverstone500cc 2 · 350cc 1 · 250cc 1avg P7.5

Imatra350cc 1 · 500cc 2 · 250cc 1avg P7.7

Assen500cc 3 · 350cc 1avg P7.8

Salzburgring500cc 2 · 350cc 1avg P8.5

Jarama350cc 1 · 250cc 1avg P10.0

Clermont-Ferrand350cc 1 · 500cc 1avg P10.5

Brno500cc 2—

Paul Ricard500cc 1—

Hockenheim500cc 1—

Average finish across classes (Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP and so on together). See each class below for class-only figures. Only circuits with 3+ races count as a best track.

250cc 7 races · 1972–1978

By circuit (best average first)Small sample

Isle of Man2 racesavg P3.0

Imatra1 racesavg P8.0

Spa2 racesavg P9.0

Jarama1 races—

Silverstone1 races—

250cc: all in the Multiple suppliers era; no track-condition records; no grid records.

500cc 25 races · 1969–1978

By circuit (best average first)Small sample

In 500cc, best at Spa (average P5.8, 4 races)

Spa4 racesavg P5.8

Imatra2 racesavg P6.0

Isle of Man2 racesavg P6.0

Anderstorp3 racesavg P7.0

Clermont-Ferrand1 racesavg P7.0

Assen3 racesavg P7.7

Salzburgring2 racesavg P8.0

Ulster2 racesavg P8.5

Silverstone2 racesavg P12.0

Brno2 races—

Paul Ricard1 races—

Hockenheim1 races—

500cc: all in the Multiple suppliers era; no track-condition records; always on the grid Grid 1–3.

350cc 9 races · 1971–1977

By tyre eraSmall sample

Win rate

Podium rate

Average finish (when classified)

By circuit (best average first)Small sample

Silverstone1 racesavg P3.0

Isle of Man2 racesavg P3.5

Ulster1 racesavg P4.0

Assen1 racesavg P8.0

Salzburgring1 racesavg P9.0

Imatra1 racesavg P9.0

Jarama1 racesavg P10.0

Clermont-Ferrand1 racesavg P14.0

350cc: no track-condition records; no grid records.

Fewer than 30 races: small sample (dashed). Average finish counts classified finishes only | Scope: official results DB, 1969–1978 (the rider's racing years); excludes 2 races with no official result data

Distance ridden and distance travelled

Counted from 1949 (lap lengths before 1998 researched from published sources: estimates)3 races with an estimated lap length

Ridden on the bike

Every session

at least 160 miles
0.0× around the Earth · 61 laps

Travelled between circuits

at least 2,295 miles
0.1× around the Earth · at least 0.3 days

From 1949. Every session in the seasons with the lap analysis documents, races only before. Tests not included. Laps × that year's lap length.A minimum, calculated from straight-line distances between circuits. Connections, tests and trips home are not included, so the real figures are longer.

Every race

60%Start rate (18/30)

2Longest run of absences (races)

5Longest run of starts (races)

15.6Estimated points lost to absences

1Win3Podium8Points18No pointsRRetired–Absent

1974 500cc P11 · 18 pts

1975 500cc P5 · 32 pts

1976 no Grand Prix starts

1977 500cc

Tap a cell for the event, qualifying, sprint and race results and points

? How the estimate is made

Estimate = average of the last 3 races before each absence

Seasons in which at least half of the races were started | Scope: official results DB, 1969–1978 (the rider's racing years); excludes 2 races with no official result data

1972	Isle of Man	3 +10
1974	Spa	9 +2
1975	Jarama	DNF
1975	Isle of Man	3 +10
1975	Spa	9 +2
1975	Imatra	8 +3
1978	Silverstone	DNF

1971	Isle of Man	4 +8
1971	Ulster	4 +8
1973	Isle of Man	3 +10
1974	Clermont-Ferrand	14
1974	Salzburgring	9 +2
1974	Assen	8 +3
1974	Imatra	9 +2
1975	Jarama	10 +1
1977	Silverstone	3 +10

1969	Ulster		8 +3
1970	Isle of Man		5 +6
1970	Ulster		9 +2
1974	Clermont-Ferrand		7 +4
1974	Salzburgring		8 +3
1974	Assen		10 +1
1974	Spa		7 +4
1974	Anderstorp		10 +1
1974	Imatra		6 +5
1975	Salzburgring		DNF
1975	Assen		7 +4
1975	Spa		5 +6
1975	Anderstorp		3 +10
1975	Imatra		DNF
1975	Brno		DNF
1976	Isle of Man		7 +4
1976	Assen		6 +5
1976	Spa	grid 2	1 +15
1977	Hockenheim		DNF
1977	Paul Ricard		DNF
1977	Spa		10 +1
1977	Anderstorp		8 +3
1977	Brno		DNF
1977	Silverstone		DNF
1978	Silverstone		12