1979 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

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This article recaps the 1979 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season.

Contents 1 Season summary 2 1979 500cc Season review 2.1 1979 500cc Roadracing World Championship final standings 3 1979 350cc Season review 3.1 1979 350cc Roadracing World Championship final standings 4 1979 250cc Season review 4.1 1979 250cc Roadracing World Championship final standings 5 1979 125cc Season review 5.1 1979 125cc Roadracing World Championship final standings 6 1979 50cc Season review 6.1 1979 50cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

[edit] 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. In the 50cc class, Eugenio Lazzarini won every race in which he finished to take the championship. Angel Nieto dominated on a Minarelli to take his seventh world championship. Kork Ballington would repeat as double world champion in the 250cc and 350cc classes for Kawasaki.

Defending champion Roberts was injured in a pre-season test but came back to win round two in impressive fashion. 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. The 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. The season was also marked by Honda's return to Grand Prix racing with the exotic, oval-cylindered NR500.

The top riders boycotted the Belgian Grand Prix over safety issues showing their increasing disatisfaction with the way the FIM conducted races. Near the end of the year, the top riders banded together to announce they would create a competing championship called the World Series. 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. The FIM announced an increase in prize money for the following year. This would mark the beginning of an era of increased professionalism in the sport.

[edit] 1979 500cc Season review

Round	Race	Location	Winning rider	Winning team	Report
1	Venezuelan Grand Prix	San Carlos	Barry Sheene	Suzuki	Report
2	Austrian Grand Prix	Salzburgring	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha	Report
3	West German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring	Wil Hartog	Suzuki	Report
4	Nations Grand Prix	Imola	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha	Report
5	Spanish Grand Prix	Jarama	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha	Report
6	Yugoslavian Grand Prix	Opatija	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha	Report
7	Dutch TT	Assen	Virginio Ferrari	Suzuki	Report
8	Belgian Grand Prix*	Spa	Dennis Ireland	Suzuki	Report
9	Swedish Grand Prix	Karlskoga	Barry Sheene	Suzuki	Report
10	Finnish Grand Prix	Imatra	Boet Van Dulmen	Suzuki	Report
11	British Grand Prix	Silverstone	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha	Report
12	French Grand Prix	Le Mans	Barry Sheene	Suzuki	Report

[edit] 1979 500cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Kenny Roberts	1	United States	Yamaha	113	5
2	Virginio Ferrari	11	Italy	Suzuki	89	1
3	Barry Sheene	7	United Kingdom	Suzuki	87	3
4	Wil Hartog	4	Netherlands	Suzuki	66	1
5	Franco Uncini		Italy	Suzuki	51	0
6	Boet Van Dulmen	13	Netherlands	Suzuki	50	1
7	Jack Middelburg		Netherlands	Suzuki	42	0
8	Randy Mamola		United States	Suzuki	29	0
9	Philippe Coulon	21	Switzerland	Suzuki	29	0
10	Tom Herron		United Kingdom	Yamaha	28	0

[edit] 1979 350cc Season review

Round	Race	Location	Winning rider	Winning team	Report
1	Venezuelan Grand Prix	San Carlos	Carlos Lavado	Yamaha	Report
2	Austrian Grand Prix	Salzburgring	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	Report
3	West German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring	Jon Ekerold	Yamaha	Report
4	Nations Grand Prix	Imola	Greg Hansford	Kawasaki	Report
5	Spanish Grand Prix	Jarama	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	Report
6	Yugoslavian Grand Prix	Opatija	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	Report
7	Dutch TT	Assen	Greg Hansford	Kawasaki	Report
8	Finnish Grand Prix	Imatra	Greg Hansford	Kawasaki	Report
9	British Grand Prix	Silverstone	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	Report
10	Czechoslovakian Grand Prix	Brno	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	Report
11	French Grand Prix	Le Mans	Patrick Fernandez	Yamaha	Report

[edit] 1979 350cc Roadracing World Championship final standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Kork Ballington	1	South Africa	Kawasaki	99	5
2	Oriol Fernandez		Spain	Yamaha	90	0
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	Sadao Asami		Japan	Yamaha	27	0
10	Jeff Sayle		Australia	Yamaha	24	0

[edit] 1979 250cc Season review

Round	Race	Location	Winning rider	Winning team	Report
1	Venezuelan Grand Prix	San Carlos	Walter Villa	Yamaha	Report
2	West German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	Report
3	Nations Grand Prix	Imola	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	Report
4	Spanish Grand Prix	Jarama	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	Report
5	Yugoslavian Grand Prix	Opatija	Graziano Rossi	Morbidelli	Report
6	Dutch TT	Assen	Graziano Rossi	Morbidelli	Report
7	Belgian Grand Prix*	Spa	Edi Stoellinger	Kawasaki	Report
8	Swedish Grand Prix	Karlskoga	Graziano Rossi	Morbidelli	Report
9	Finnish Grand Prix	Imatra	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	Report
10	British Grand Prix	Silverstone	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	Report
11	Czechoslovakian Grand Prix	Brno	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	Report
12	French Grand Prix	Le Mans	Kork Ballington	Kawasaki	Report

[edit] 1979 250cc Roadracing World Championship final 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		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	Edi Stoellinger		Austria	Kawasaki	28	1
10	Roland Freymond	22	Switzerland	Yamaha	22	0

[edit] 1979 125cc Season review

Round	Race	Location	Winning rider	Winning team	Report
1	Venezuelan Grand Prix	San Carlos	Angel Nieto	Minarelli	Report
2	Austrian Grand Prix	Salzburgring	Angel Nieto	Minarelli	Report
3	West German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring	Angel Nieto	Minarelli	Report
4	Nations Grand Prix	Imola	Angel Nieto	Minarelli	Report
5	Spanish Grand Prix	Jarama	Angel Nieto	Minarelli	Report
6	Yugoslavian Grand Prix	Opatija	Angel Nieto	Minarelli	Report
7	Dutch TT	Assen	Angel Nieto	Minarelli	Report
8	Belgian Grand Prix*	Spa	Barry Smith	Morbidelli	Report
9	Swedish Grand Prix	Karlskoga	Pier Paolo Bianchi	Minarelli	Report
10	Finnish Grand Prix	Imatra	Ricardo Tormo	Bultaco	Report
11	British Grand Prix	Silverstone	Angel Nieto	Minarelli	Report
12	Czechoslovakian Grand Prix	Brno	Guy Bertin	Motobécane	Report
13	French Grand Prix	Le Mans	Guy Bertin	Motobécane	Report

[edit] 1979 125cc Roadracing World Championship final 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	GB Bender	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

[edit] 1979 50cc Season review

Round	Race	Location	Winning rider	Winning team	Report
1	West German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring	Gerhard Weibel	Kreidler	Report
2	Nations Grand Prix	Imola	Eugenio Lazzarini	Kreidler	Report
3	Spanish Grand Prix	Jarama	Eugenio Lazzarini	Kreidler	Report
4	Yugoslavian Grand Prix	Opatija	Eugenio Lazzarini	Kreidler	Report
5	Dutch TT	Assen	Eugenio Lazzarini	Kreidler	Report
6	Belgian Grand Prix*	Spa	Henk Van Kessel	Kreidler	Report
7	French Grand Prix	Le Mans	Eugenio Lazzarini	Kreidler	Report

[edit] 1979 50cc Roadracing World Championship final 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	ABF	32	0
4	Gerhard Weibel		West Germany	Kreidler	31	1
5	Peter Looijensteijn	8	Netherlands	Kreidler	30	0
6	Hagen Klein	17	West Germany	Kreidler	26	0
7	Henk Van Kessel	12	Netherlands	Kreidler	23	1
8	Jacques Hutteau		France	Kreidler	27	0
9	Ingo Emmerich		West Germany	Kreidler	8	0
10	Stefan Dörflinger		Switzerland	Kreidler	6	0

• *Top riders went on strike at the Belgian Grand Prix over track safety

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