1983 Swedish motorcycle Grand Prix

  1983 Swedish Grand Prix
Race details
Race 11 of 12 races in the
1983 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
Date August 6, 1983
Location Scandinavian Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
4.025 km (2.501 mi)
500 cc
Pole position
Rider Freddie Spencer Honda
Fastest lap
Rider Kenny Roberts Yamaha
Podium
First Freddie Spencer Honda
Second Kenny Roberts Yamaha
Third Takazumi Katayama Honda
250 cc
Pole position
Rider Didier de Radiguès Chevallier
Fastest lap
Rider Ivan Palazzese Yamaha
Podium
First Christian Sarron Yamaha
Second Hervé Guilleux Kawasaki
Third Carlos Lavado Yamaha
125 cc
Pole position
Rider Ricardo Tormo MBA
Fastest lap
Rider Ricardo Tormo MBA
Podium
First Bruno Kneubühler MBA
Second Fausto Gresini Garelli
Third August Auinger MBA
Sidecars
Pole position
Rider Rolf Biland LCR-Yamaha
Passenger Kurt Waltisperg
Fastest lap
Rider Rolf Biland LCR-Yamaha
Passenger Kurt Waltisperg
Podium
First Rolf Biland LCR-Yamaha
Kurt Waltisperg
Second Egbert Streuer LCR-Yamaha
Bernard Schnieders
Third Werner Schwärzel Seymaz-Yamaha
Andreas Huber

The 1983 Swedish motorcycle Grand Prix was the eleventh event of the 1983 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Scandinavian Raceway in Anderstorp, Sweden.

One of the most dramatic races in one of the most dramatic Grand Prix seasons ended in controversy as the championship's two main combatants collided on the last lap while battling for the lead.

Coming into the Swedish Grand Prix, Honda's Freddie Spencer led Yamaha's Kenny Roberts 117 to 115 with each man having won 5 of the season's 10 races. Roberts had the momentum, having won four of the previous five rounds.

Roberts led Spencer going into the last lap of the race. Heading down the back straight, Spencer placed his Honda right behind Roberts' Yamaha as they reached the second to the last corner, a ninety degree right-hander. As both riders applied their brakes, Spencer came out of Roberts' slipstream and managed to get inside of the Yamaha. As they exited the corner, both riders ran wide off the track and into the dirt.[1] Spencer was able to get back on the track and back on the power first, crossing the finish line just ahead of Roberts for a crucial victory.[2] Roberts considered Spencer's pass to be foolish and dangerous and, exchanged angry words with him on the podium.[1]

It was a controversial pass by the young Honda rider and one that the two participants still dispute to this day. Roberts contends that it was a dangerous move while Spencer maintains it was a calculated risk he had to take to secure the championship.

Contents

1983 500cc Swedish Grand Prix final standings[3]

Place Rider Number Country Machine Points
1 Freddie Spencer 3 United States Honda 15
2 Kenny Roberts 4 United States Yamaha 12
3 Takazumi Katayama 7 Japan Honda 10
4 Marc Fontan 10 France Yamaha 8
5 Eddie Lawson 21 United States Yamaha 6
6 Marco Lucchinelli 8 Italy Honda 5
7 Randy Mamola 6 United States Suzuki 4
8 Raymond Roche 28 France Honda 3
9 Ron Haslam 9 Britain Honda 2
10 Anton Mang West Germany Suzuki 1

1983 250cc Swedish Grand Prix final standings[4]

Place Rider Number Country Machine Points
1 Christian Sarron 10 France Yamaha 15
2 Hervé Guilleux France Kawasaki 12
3 Carlos Lavado 5 Venezuela Yamaha 10
4 Tony Head 28 Britain Rotax-Armstrong 8
5 Alan Carter Britain Yamaha 6
6 Jean Michel Mattioli 22 France Yamaha 5
7 Jean-Louis Guignabodet 8 France Yamaha 4
8 Didier de Radiguès 6 Belgium Chevallier 3
9 Jacques Bolle 19 France Pernod 2
10 Martin Wimmer 4 West Germany Yamaha 1

1983 125cc Swedish Grand Prix final standings[5]

Place Rider Number Country Machine Points
1 Bruno Kneubühler 15 Switzerland MBA 15
2 Fausto Gresini Italy Garelli 12
3 August Auinger 6 Austria MBA 10
4 Johnny Wickström 10 Finland MBA 8
5 Ricardo Tormo 5 Spain MBA 6
6 Hans Müller 8 Switzerland MBA 5
7 Pier Paolo Bianchi 4 Italy Sanvenero 4
8 Pierluigi Aldrovandi Italy MBA 3
9 Willy Perez Argentina MBA 2
10 Maurizio Vitali 13 Italy MBA 1

Sidecar Classification

Pos Rider Passenger Manufacturer Time/Retired Points
1 Rolf Biland Kurt Waltisperg LCR-Yamaha 15
2 Egbert Streuer Bernard Schnieders LCR-Yamaha 12
3 Werner Schwärzel Andreas Huber Seymaz-Yamaha 10
4 Derek Jones Brian Ayres LCR-Yamaha 8
5 Alain Michel Claude Monchaud LCR-Yamaha 6
6 Frank Wrathall Phil Spendlove Seymaz-Yamaha 5
7 Masato Kumano Kunio Takeshima LCR-Yamaha 4
8 Hein van Drie Willem van Dis LCR-Yamaha 3
9 Alfred Zurbrügg Martin Zurbrügg Seymaz-Yamaha 2
10 Hans Hügli Karl Paul Seymaz-Yamaha 1

References

  1. ^ a b "Roberts says he will never again give an inch of track to Spencer". The Modesto Bee. Bee News Services: p. 15. 12 August 1983. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=I9AqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KNcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1057,5238235&dq=kenny+roberts&hl=en. Retrieved 20 December 2010. 
  2. ^ "Roberts vs Spencer". cyclenews.com. http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2009/08/05/roberts-vs-spencer. Retrieved 15 December 2010. 
  3. ^ "1983 500cc Swedish Grand Prix". motogp.com. http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics/1983/SWE/500cc. Retrieved 22 December 2010. 
  4. ^ "1983 250cc Swedish Grand Prix". motogp.com. http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics/1983/SWE/250cc. Retrieved 22 December 2010. 
  5. ^ "1983 125cc Swedish Grand Prix". motogp.com. http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics/1983/SWE/125cc. Retrieved 22 December 2010. 
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