the four-cylinder two-stroke Yamaha TZ 500 appeared, on which Jarno Saarinen won the first two GPs. Agostini still trusted the three-cylinder, but in the first race he was beaten by Read on the four-cylinder. In the GP of Germany, Read won after Saarinen, Kanaya (both Yamaha) and Agostini had dropped out. After the fatal accident in Monza, where Saarinen and Renzo Pasolini died, the 500 cc race was cancelled and Yamaha withdrew for the remainder of the season. As previously agreed, the top riders stayed away from the Isle of Man TT, meaning the next race would be in Yugoslavia. However, due to a controversial decision by team leader Magni, the MV drivers were not allowed to drive. He was not convinced of the safety of the track, which was approved by a delegation of four drivers, including Agostini. In the TT of Assen, Agostini dropped out again and Read won. Agostini won in Belgium and Czechoslovakia, but Read still had a comfortable lead in points and Ago was behind Kim Newcombe and Jack Findlay in the rankings. Read became the world champion at the Grand Prix of Sweden. He had driven the new four-cylinder for most of the season. Agostini was third in the World Motorcycle Championship. 1974 After the surprising departure of Agostini to Yamaha (he felt with Read in the team he was no longer the No 1 rider), Gianfranco Bonera joined Phil Read at MV. Bonera, however, was primarily engaged to win the Italian championship title. The four-cylinder was a now a considerable improvement on the three-cylinder, but in 1974 there was much more competition. Yamaha now had the updated YZR 500 factory racer, but a whole fleet of TZ 500 production racers also appeared. In addition, Barry Sheene, Paul Smart and Jack Findlay launched the new Suzuki RG 500. Agostini had switched to Yamaha. Both Read and Bonera were unhappy with the bike's chassis. A central rear suspension was tried along with new Ceriani forks. A 4.50-18 rear wheel slick was experimented with. Probably no other racing model by MV Agusta has been modified so frequently. MV Agusta stopped the 350cc class early in the season, allowing them to concentrate fully on the 500cc class. In the season opening French GP, for the first time in years, there was a battle between three brands, which was won by Phil Read after Agostini dropped out. The