1979 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1979 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 31st F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
Season summary[]
A season of changing fortunes in the 500cc class saw American, Kenny Roberts capture his second crown in the face of the Suzuki-mounted opposition.[1] In the 50cc class, Eugenio Lazzarini won every race in which he finished to take the championship.[1] Angel Nieto dominated on a Minarelli to take his seventh world championship.[1] Kork Ballington would repeat as double world champion in the 250cc and 350cc classes for Kawasaki.[1]
Defending champion Roberts was injured in a pre-season test but came back to win round two in impressive fashion.[2] His rivals also suffered from bad luck. Hartog breaking his arm in practice, Cecotto badly breaking his kneecap in Austria and Sheene suffering from mechanical failures.[1] The 1979 British Grand Prix would be remembered as one of the greatest races of the modern era with Roberts beating Sheene to the finish line by three-hundredths of a second.[3]
After an eleven-year absence from world championship racing, Honda returned to competition with the exotic, four-stroke NR500 ridden by riders Mick Grant and Takazumi Katayama at the British Grand Prix.[4] The motorcycle featured an engine with oval-shaped cylinders as well as a monocoque chassis. Both bikes retired from the race, Grant crashing out on the first turn after the bike spilled oil onto his rear tire. Katayama retired on the seventh lap due to ignition problems.[4]
The top riders boycotted the Belgian Grand Prix over safety issues showing their increasing dissatisfaction with the way the FIM conducted races.[5] After several safety issues, the top riders banded together near the end of the year to announce that they would create a competing championship called the World Series.[1] Although the series never got off the ground, the riders had flexed their political muscles and it forced the FIM to change the way they dealt with races and the riders themselves.[1] The FIM announced an increase in prize money for the following year.[1] This would mark the beginning of an era of increased professionalism in the sport.[1]
1979 Grand Prix season calendar[]
Round | Date | Race | Location | 50cc winner | 125cc winner | 250cc winner | 350cc winner | 500cc winner | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | March 18 | Venezuelan Grand Prix | San Carlos | Angel Nieto | Walter Villa | Carlos Lavado | Barry Sheene | Report | |
2 | April 29 | Austrian Grand Prix | Salzburgring | Angel Nieto | Kork Ballington | Kenny Roberts | Report | ||
3 | May 6 | German Grand Prix | Hockenheimring | Gerhard Waibel | Angel Nieto | Kork Ballington | Jon Ekerold | Wil Hartog | Report |
4 | May 13 | Nations Grand Prix | Imola | Eugenio Lazzarini | Angel Nieto | Kork Ballington | Gregg Hansford | Kenny Roberts | Report |
5 | May 20 | Spanish Grand Prix | Jarama | Eugenio Lazzarini | Angel Nieto | Kork Ballington | Kork Ballington | Kenny Roberts | Report |
6 | June 17 | Yugoslavian Grand Prix | Rijeka | Eugenio Lazzarini | Angel Nieto | Graziano Rossi | Kork Ballington | Kenny Roberts | Report |
7 | June 23 | Dutch TT | Assen | Eugenio Lazzarini | Angel Nieto | Graziano Rossi | Gregg Hansford | Virginio Ferrari | Report |
8 | July 1 | Belgian Grand Prix[6] | Spa-Francorchamps | Henk van Kessel | Barry Smith | Dennis Ireland | Report | ||
9 | July 22 | Swedish Grand Prix | Karlskoga | Pier Paolo Bianchi | Graziano Rossi | Barry Sheene | Report | ||
10 | July 29 | Finnish Grand Prix | Imatra | Ricardo Tormo | Kork Ballington | Gregg Hansford | Boet van Dulmen | Report | |
11 | August 12 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone | Angel Nieto | Kork Ballington | Kork Ballington | Kenny Roberts | Report | |
12 | August 19 | Czechoslovakian Grand Prix | Brno | Guy Bertin | Kork Ballington | Kork Ballington | |||
13 | September 2 | French Grand Prix | Le Mans | Eugenio Lazzarini | Guy Bertin | Kork Ballington | Patrick Fernandez | Barry Sheene | Report |
Final standings[]
500cc standings[]
Place | Rider | Team | Machine | Points | Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kenny Roberts | Yamaha USA | YZR500 | 113 | 5 |
2 | Virginio Ferrari | Nava Gallina-Suzuki | RG500 | 89 | 1 |
3 | Barry Sheene | Heron-Suzuki | RG500 | 87 | 3 |
4 | Wil Hartog | Riemersma Racing | RG500 | 66 | 1 |
5 | Franco Uncini | Zago-Suzuki | RG500 | 51 | 0 |
6 | Boet van Dulmen | RG500 | 50 | 1 | |
7 | Jack Middelburg | RG500 | 42 | 0 | |
8 | Randy Mamola | Zago-Suzuki | RG500 | 29 | 0 |
9 | Philippe Coulon | Frankonia Suzuki | RG500 | 29 | 0 |
10 | Tom Herron | Heron-Suzuki | RG500 | 28 | 0 |
11 | Christian Sarron | Sonauto Gauloises-Yamaha | YZR500 | 26 | |
12 | Steve Parrish | Heron-Suzuki | RG500 | 19 | |
13 | Mike Baldwin | Zago-Suzuki | RG500 | 17 | |
14 | Dennis Ireland | Derry's Racing | RG500 | 17 | 1 |
15 | Michel Rougerie | Ecurie Ste Pernod | RG500 | 16 | |
16 | Suzuki-France | RG500 | 13 | ||
17 | RG500 | 12 | |||
18 | Marco Lucchinelli | RG500 | 11 | ||
19 | RG500 | 10 | |||
20 | Johnny Cecotto | Venemotos-Yamaha | YZR500 | 10 | |
21 | Gustav Reiner | Dieter Braun Team | RG500 | 8 | |
22 | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | Heron-Suzuki | RG500 | 6 | |
23 | Henk De Vries | Team 77 | RG500 | 6 | |
24 | Gerhard Vogt | Bill Smith Racing | RG500 | 6 | |
25 | Roberto Pietri | RG500 | 5 | ||
26 | Sepp Hage | Dieter Braun Team | RG500 | 5 | |
27 | Jacky Matagne | RG500 | 4 | ||
28 | Max Wiener | RG500 | 4 | ||
29 | Ikujiro Takai | Yamaha International | YZR500 | 3 | |
30 | Carlo Perugini | RG500 | 3 | ||
31 | Sergio Pellandini | RG500 | 2 | ||
32 | Guy Cooremans | RG500 | 2 | ||
33 | Graziano Rossi | Morbidelli | 2 | ||
34 | John Woodley | RG500 | 2 | ||
35 | Peter Sjostrom | Ava MC Stockholm | RG500 | 1 | |
36 | Seppo Rossi | Kouv MK | RG500 | 1 | |
37 | Dieter Heinen | RG500 | 1 | ||
38 | Mick Grant | Honda-HRC | RG500/NR500 | 1 | |
39 | John Newbold | Team Appleby Glade | RG500 | 1 | |
40 | Gianni Pelletier | RG500 | 1 |
350cc standings[]
Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kork Ballington | 1 | South Africa | Kawasaki | 99 | 5 |
2 | Patrick Fernandez | France | Yamaha | 90 | 1 | |
3 | Gregg Hansford | 3 | Australia | Kawasaki | 77 | 3 |
4 | Anton Mang | 16 | West Germany | Kawasaki | 64 | 0 |
5 | Michel Frutschi | Switzerland | Yamaha | 47 | 0 | |
6 | Michel Rougerie | 6 | France | Yamaha | 47 | 0 |
7 | Roland Freymond | 27 | Switzerland | Yamaha | 40 | 0 |
8 | Jon Ekerold | 4 | South Africa | Yamaha | 34 | 1 |
9 | Japan | Yamaha | 27 | 0 | ||
10 | Jeff Sayle | Australia | Yamaha | 24 | 0 | |
11 | 23 | |||||
12 | Penti Korhonen | 17 | ||||
13 | Christian Estrosi | 16 | ||||
14 | Carlos Lavado | 15 | ||||
15 | Patrick Pons | 12 | ||||
16 | Eric Saul | 10 | ||||
17 | Michel Rougerie | 10 | ||||
18 | 9 | |||||
19 | Herve Guilleux | 8 | ||||
20 | Olivier Chevallier | 8 | ||||
21 | Victor Soussan | 8 | ||||
22 | 5 | |||||
23 | Murray Sayle | 5 | ||||
24 | 4 | |||||
25 | 4 | |||||
26 | Paolo Pileri | 4 | ||||
27 | 4 | |||||
28 | Reinhold Roth | 3 | ||||
29 | 3 | |||||
30 | Klaas Hernamdt | 3 | ||||
31 | Victor Palomo | 3 | ||||
32 | 3 | |||||
33 | Alan North | 3 | ||||
34 | 2 | |||||
35 | Joey Dunlop | 2 | ||||
36 | 2 | |||||
37 | Gianfranco Bonera | 2 | ||||
38 | 1 |
250cc standings[]
Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kork Ballington | 1 | South Africa | Kawasaki | 141 | 7 |
2 | Gregg Hansford | 2 | Australia | Kawasaki | 81 | 0 |
3 | Graziano Rossi | 46 | Italy | Morbidelli | 67 | 3 |
4 | Randy Mamola | United States | Yamaha | 64 | 0 | |
5 | Patrick Fernandez | 3 | France | Yamaha | 63 | 0 |
6 | Anton Mang | 5 | West Germany | Kawasaki | 56 | 0 |
7 | Walter Villa | 16 | Italy | Yamaha | 39 | 1 |
8 | Jean-François Baldé | 13 | France | Kawasaki | 29 | 0 |
9 | Austria | Kawasaki | 28 | 1 | ||
10 | Roland Freymond | 22 | Switzerland | Yamaha | 22 | 0 |
11 | Olivier Chevallier | 22 | ||||
12 | Christian Estrosi | 19 | ||||
13 | Chas Mortimer | 14 | ||||
14 | Paolo Pileri | 14 | ||||
15 | 14 | |||||
16 | Barry Ditchburn | 13 | ||||
17 | Victor Soussan | 11 | ||||
18 | Eric Saul | 11 | ||||
19 | M.Sayle | 10 | ||||
20 | 9 | |||||
21 | Penti Korhonen | 9 | ||||
22 | Jon Ekerold | 8 | ||||
23 | 7 | |||||
24 | Guy Bertin | 6 | ||||
25 | 5 | |||||
26 | Jeffrey Sayle | 4 | ||||
27 | Hans Müller | 4 | ||||
28 | 3 | |||||
29 | Maurizio Massimiani | 3 | ||||
30 | 3 | |||||
31 | J.Lazo | 3 | ||||
32 | B.Elgh | 2 | ||||
33 | Y.Matsumoto | 2 | ||||
34 | 1 | |||||
35 | 1 | |||||
36 | 1 | |||||
37 | Thierry Espié | 1 | ||||
38 | Alan North | 1 | ||||
39 | 1 |
125cc standings[]
Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Angel Nieto | 2 | Spain | Minarelli | 120 | 8 |
2 | Maurizio Massimiani | 6 | Italy | MBA | 53 | 0 |
3 | Hans Müller | 7 | Switzerland | MBA | 50 | 0 |
4 | Thierry Espié | 5 | France | Motobécane | 48 | 0 |
5 | Gert Bender | West Germany | 47 | 0 | ||
6 | Guy Bertin | France | Motobécane | 40 | 2 | |
7 | Ricardo Tormo | 8 | Spain | Bultaco | 39 | 1 |
8 | Harald Bartol | 4 | Austria | Morbidelli | 36 | 0 |
9 | Bruno Kneubühler | Switzerland | MBA | 36 | 0 | |
10 | Pier Paolo Bianchi | 3 | Italy | Minarelli | 35 | 1 |
11 | Stefan Dörflinger | 35 | ||||
12 | Barry Smith | |||||
13 | 25 | |||||
14 | August Auinger | 25 | ||||
15 | Eugenio Lazzarini | 22 | ||||
16 | Jean Louis Guignabodet | 20 | ||||
17 | 19 | |||||
18 | 18 | |||||
19 | 17 | |||||
20 | 16 | |||||
21 | Per-Edward Carlson | 14 | ||||
22 | 12 | |||||
23 | Patrick Plisson | 12 | ||||
24 | 10 | |||||
25 | 10 | |||||
26 | Rolf Blatter | 8 | ||||
27 | 8 | |||||
28 | 7 | |||||
29 | 7 | |||||
30 | 7 | |||||
31 | 5 | |||||
32 | 5 | |||||
33 | Pierluigi Conforti | 4 | ||||
34 | 4 | |||||
35 | Peter Balaz | 3 | ||||
36 | 2 | |||||
37 | 2 | |||||
38 | 2 | |||||
39 | Henk van Kessel | 2 | ||||
40 | Jan Huberts | 2 | ||||
41 | 2 | |||||
42 | 1 | |||||
43 | 1 | |||||
44 | 1 | |||||
45 | 1 |
50cc standings[]
Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Eugenio Lazzarini | 2 | Italy | Kreidler | 75 | 5 |
2 | Rolf Blatter | 5 | Switzerland | Kreidler | 62 | 0 |
3 | Patrick Plisson | 3 | France | 32 | 0 | |
4 | Gerhard Waibel | West Germany | Kreidler | 31 | 1 | |
5 | 8 | Netherlands | Kreidler | 30 | 0 | |
6 | 17 | West Germany | Kreidler | 26 | 0 | |
7 | Henk van Kessel | 12 | Netherlands | Sparta | 23 | 1 |
8 | France | Kreidler | 27 | 0 | ||
9 | West Germany | Kreidler | 8 | 0 | ||
10 | Stefan Dörflinger | Switzerland | Kreidler | 6 | 0 | |
11 | 17 | |||||
12 | Theo Timmer | 16 | ||||
13 | 16 | |||||
14 | Rudolf Kunz | 13 | ||||
15 | E.Saffioti | 10 | ||||
16 | 9 | |||||
17 | Ricardo Tormo | 6 | ||||
18 | 5 | |||||
19 | 5 | |||||
20 | 4 | |||||
21 | M.Servadio | 4 | ||||
22 | 4 | |||||
23 | P.Verbic | 3 | ||||
24 | 3 | |||||
25 | R.Oosting | 2 | ||||
26 | 2 | |||||
27 | Hans Hummel | 2 | ||||
28 | Cees Van Dongen | 1 | ||||
29 | D.Priori | 1 | ||||
30 | 1 |
Notes[]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Noyes, Dennis; Scott, Michael (1999), Motocourse: 50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix, Hazleton Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1-874557-83-7
- ^ "Roberts Ruptures Spleen In Crash". The Hour. United Press International. 16 February 1979. p. 26. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ "Silverstone 1979 – a Roberts-Sheene classic". motogp.com. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ a b "The NR500s: A Humiliating Debut". world.honda.com. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ "Roberts Suspended For Boycott". Modesto Bee. Modesto Bee. 2 July 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ Top riders went on strike at the Belgian Grand Prix over track safety.
References[]
- Büla, Maurice & Schertenleib, Jean-Claude (2001). Continental Circus 1949-2000. Chronosports S.A. ISBN 2-940125-32-5
- "The Official MotoGP website". Retrieved 2010-07-06.
- Grand Prix motorcycle racing seasons
- 1979 in motorsport
- 1979 in Grand Prix motorcycle racing