 MV Agusta teammates Phil Read and Giacomo Agostini battled it out for supremacy of the 500cc class but the season was overshadowed by the deaths of Jarno Saarinen and Renzo Pasolini at the Italian round at Monza.The 500cc title runner-up, Kim Newcombe, also died at a non-championship race at Silverstone late in the year.Agostini claimed his 13th championship in the 350cc class.