1961 Motocross World Championship

Sten Lundin, riding a Monark motorcycle rebadged as a Lito, took an early championship lead by winning the first three Grand Prix races of the year then, held off a challenge from Husqvarna's Bill Nilsson to claim his second 500cc Motocross World Championship.[1][2][3] Dave Bickers riding for the Greeves factory racing team claimed his second consecutive 250cc European Motocross Championship over his countrymen, BSA teammates Arthur Lampkin and Jeff Smith.[4][5] Future four-time 250cc world champion, Torsten Hallman, wins the first world championship race of his career at the 1961 250cc Finnish Grand Prix.

Points are awarded to the top 6 classified finishers.

500cc

Pos	Rider	Machine	CH	AUT	FRA	CZE	ITA	UK	NED	BEL	LUX	SWE	GER	Points
1	Sten Lundin	Lito	1	1	1	3	2		2	1	1	2	1	48
2	Bill Nilsson	Husqvarna	2			1	1		3			1	5	36
3	Gunnar Johansson	Lito	3	4			3	3	6	2		3	6	25
4	Miloslav Soucek	ESO	4	3		2					2			19
5	Rolf Tibblin	Husqvarna				5	4				4	6	2	15
6	John Burton	BSA		2				4			3			13
7	Broer Dirk	BSA							1				3	12
8	David Curtis	Matchless						1						8
9	Ove Lundell	Monark			2	6								7
10	Ervín Krajčovič	ESO		5		4				5				7
11	Lars Gustavsson	Lito						2						6
12	Jeff Smith	BSA					5			3				6
13	Herman De Soete	Matchless			5		6			4				6
14	Derek Rickman	Triumph-Métisse			3									4
15	Guy Bertrand	BSA			4									3
16	Jan Clijnk	BSA							4					3
17	Per Olaf Persson	Monark										4		3
18	Gordon Blakeway	Triumph											4	3
19	Tim Gibbes	AJS	5											2
20	John Harris	BSA						5						2
21	Frans Slechten	BSA							5					2
22	Hubert Scaillet	Triumph									5			2
23	Roine Lööf	BSA										5		2
24	Georges Delpeyrat	Triumph			6									1
25	Josef Hrebecek	ESO		6										1
26	Florian Thevenaz	Triumph	6											1
27	Roger Vanderbecken	BSA						6						1
28	Jef Theuwissen	BSA								6				1
28	Jacques Langel	BSA									6			1

Source:[6]

250cc

Pos	Rider	Machine	BEL	FRA	NED	CZE	POL	LUX	FIN	ITA	GER	UK	CH	SWE	GDR	Pts
1	Dave Bickers	Greeves	1	1	4		1	1				1		1		51
2	Arthur Lampkin	BSA			2	2	2	4	3	1	1	2	1	2		48
3	Jeff Smith	BSA		2	1	1	4	2	4	2	3		2			40
4	Torsten Hallman	Husqvarna	4	3	3	5		3	1		2	3	4			33
5	Jaromír Čížek	Jawa	3			3		6				5			1	19
6	Aarno Erola	Husqvarna			5		5		2			4		3		17
7	Vlastimil Valek	ČZ/Greeves					3		5					5	2	14
8	Lennart Dahlén	Jawa	2											4		9
9	Fritz Selling	Greeves			6					3					3	9
10	Fritz Betzelbacher	Maico	6					5					3			7
11	Sivert Eriksson	Husqvarna							6		4		6		5	7
12	John Draper	BSA	5	4								6				6
13	Nic Jansen	Greeves		5						4						5
14	Miloslav Soucek	ESO				4										3
	Fred Willamowski	MZ													4	3
16	Josef Chara	Jawa				6	6				6					3
17	Luciano Conti	Aermacchi								5						2
	Gerhard Stauch	Maico									5					2
	Otto Walz	Maico											5			2
20	Vincenzo Soletti	Parilla								6						1
	Bryan Sharp	Greeves		6												1
	Jan Johansson	Husqvarna												6		1
	Paul Friedrichs	ESO													6	1

Source:[7]