1983 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 1983 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 35th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season.

Season summary

The 1983 battle for 500 cc supremacy between Honda's Freddie Spencer and Yamaha's Kenny Roberts would be one of the most dramatic seasons since the 1967 duel between Giacomo Agostini and Mike Hailwood.^[1] As was the case in 1967, the title chase wouldn't be decided until the final race of the season.^[1]

1983 would be the last year for the 50cc class as it would be upgraded to 80cc for the 1984 season.^[1] Stefan Dörflinger would take the honor of being the last 50cc World Champion.^[1] Angel Nieto won the 125 cc crown in dominating fashion, making it his 12th world championship.^[1] Carlos Lavado would capture his first 250 cc world championship in a season that saw eight riders share wins over eleven races, Lavado being the only competitor to win more than once.^[1] Eighteen-year-old British rider, Alan Carter, created excitement by winning the 250cc French Grand Prix in only his second world championship race, becoming the youngest winner of a 250cc Grand Prix race.^[1] Despite the auspicious start to his career, it would be Carter's only Grand Prix victory.^[1]

The departure of Kawasaki from the 500cc class left the remaining three Japanese factories to contend for the premier division. Suzuki returned with defending champion, Franco Uncini, Loris Reggiani and Randy Mamola aboard a new version of the RG500 which featured a square tube, welded aluminium frame.^[2] The Honda team of Freddie Spencer, Marco Lucchinelli and Takazumi Katayama was made even stronger with the addition of British rider, Ron Haslam, all competing on the three-cylinder NS500. Yamaha team manager Giacomo Agostini had been unable to agree on a contract with rider Graeme Crosby, so AMA Superbike champion Eddie Lawson was brought in as Kenny Roberts' new teammate, both competing with the OW70 YZR500 with a V4 engine.^[1] Before the season began, Roberts announced that the 1983 season would be his final year in Grand Prix competition.^[1] Cagiva continued to campaign bikes ridden by Jon Ekerold and Virginio Ferrari.

Uncini's title defense was hampered as Suzuki experienced development problems with their chassis which left the team struggling to post good results.^[2] Roberts began the season with his YZR500 having problems with overheating and rear suspension, while Spencer started strongly, winning the first three races and five out of the first seven.^[1] Roberts was leading the second race in France, when his Yamaha split an expansion chamber causing it to lose power as Spencer won, with Roberts falling to fourth place.^[3] The French Grand Prix was marred by the deaths of Japanese rider Iwao Ishikawa during practice after colliding with Reggiani, while Swiss rider, Michel Frutschi, died from injuries sustained during the 500cc race.^[4][5][6] In Round 3 at Monza, Roberts crashed while leading Spencer three laps from the finish.^[3] Roberts came back to win the German Grand Prix, but then finished second to Spencer in Spain in a race Spencer called one of the toughest of his career.^[3]

Things began to go Roberts' way at the Austrian Grand Prix as Roberts won while Spencer's Honda suffered a crankshaft failure.^[3] In the Yugoslavian Grand Prix, Roberts' Yamaha failed to start immediately, while Spencer charged to an early lead, leaving Roberts to fight through the field to finish in fourth place.^[3] Roberts then went on a three-race winning streak with victories in the Netherlands, Belgium and England, while Spencer stayed close with a third place and two-second place finishes.^[7][8] Uncini was injured in an accident at the Dutch TT when he crashed while exiting a curve, then was struck in the helmet by Wayne Gardner's motorcycle as he tried to run off the track. The injury left Uncini in a coma, from which he recovered, but which forced him to sit out the remainder of the season.^[2]

The championship then moved to the penultimate round at the Swedish Grand Prix with Spencer holding a two-point lead over Roberts. 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.^[9] 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.^[10] Roberts considered Spencer's pass to be foolish and dangerous, and exchanged angry words with him on the podium.^[9] Roberts would have to win the final round at the San Marino Grand Prix with Spencer finishing no better than third place in order for Roberts to win his fourth world championship. In a fitting end to a successful career, Roberts won his last-ever Grand Prix race, however Spencer was able to secure second place to claim the world championship.^[7][8] The two riders dominated the season with each claiming six victories and six pole positions in the 12 race series.^[7][8]

Grands Prix

Round	Date	Race	Location	50cc winner	125cc winner	250cc winner	500cc winner	Report
1	March 19	South African Grand Prix	Kyalami			Jean-François Baldé	Freddie Spencer	Report
2	April 3	French Grand Prix	Le Mans	Stefan Dörflinger	Ricardo Tormo	Alan Carter	Freddie Spencer	Report
3	April 24	Nations Grand Prix	Monza	Eugenio Lazzarini	Ángel Nieto	Carlos Lavado	Freddie Spencer	Report
4	May 8	German Grand Prix	Hockenheim	Stefan Dörflinger	Ángel Nieto	Carlos Lavado	Kenny Roberts	Report
5	May 22	Spanish Grand Prix	Jarama	Eugenio Lazzarini	Ángel Nieto	Hervé Guilleux	Freddie Spencer	Report
6	May 29	Austrian Grand Prix	Salzburgring		Ángel Nieto	Manfred Herweh	Kenny Roberts	Report
7	June 12	Yugoslavian Grand Prix	Rijeka	Stefan Dörflinger	Bruno Kneubühler	Carlos Lavado	Freddie Spencer	Report
8	June 25	Dutch TT	Assen	Eugenio Lazzarini	Ángel Nieto	Carlos Lavado	Kenny Roberts	Report
9	July 3	Belgian Grand Prix	Spa-Francorchamps		Eugenio Lazzarini	Didier de Radiguès	Kenny Roberts	Report
10	July 31	British Grand Prix	Silverstone		Ángel Nieto	Jacques Bolle	Kenny Roberts	Report
11	August 6	Swedish Grand Prix	Anderstorp		Bruno Kneubühler	Christian Sarron	Freddie Spencer	Report
12	September 4	San Marino Grand Prix	Imola	Ricardo Tormo	Maurizio Vitali		Kenny Roberts	Report

Final standings

500cc standings^[11][12]

Place	Rider	Number	Team	Machine	Points	Wins	P.P.	F.L.
1	Freddie Spencer	3	HRC-Honda	NS500	144	6	6	3
2	Kenny Roberts	4	Marlboro-Yamaha	YZR500	142	6	6	7
3	Randy Mamola	6	HB-Suzuki	RG500	89	0	0	1
4	Eddie Lawson	27	Marlboro-Yamaha	YZR500	78	0	0	0
5	Takazumi Katayama	8	HRC-Honda	NS500	77	0	0	1
6	Marc Fontan	10	Sonauto Gauloises-Yamaha	YZR500	64	0	0	0
7	Marco Lucchinelli	5	HRC-Honda	NS500	48	0	0	0
8	Ron Haslam	9	HRC-Honda	NS500	31	0	0	0
9	Franco Uncini	1	HB-Suzuki	RG500	31	0	0	0
10	Raymond Roche	28	HRC-Honda	NS500	22	0	0	0
11	Boet van Dulmen	12	Shell Nederland	RG500	17	0	0	0
12	Jack Middelburg	22	Stichting Nederland	NS500	12	0	0	0
13	Sergio Pellandini	15	Marlboro-Tissot	RG500	11	0	0	0
14	Barry Sheene	7	Heron Team Suzuki	RG500	9	0	0	0
15	Keith Huewen	47	Heron Team Suzuki	RG500	7	0	0	0
16	Gianni Pelletier	28	Hirt Giapauto	RS500	3	0	0	0
17	Guido Paci	39		RS500	3	0	0	0
18	Anton Mang	16	HB Suzuki	RG500	2	0	0	0
19	Paul Lewis			RG500	1	0	0	0
20	Mark Salle			RG500	1	0	0	0

250cc standings^[13][14]

Place	Rider	Number	Team	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Carlos Lavado	5	Venemotos-Yamaha	TZ250	100	4
2	Christian Sarron	10	Sonauto Gauloises-Yamaha	TZ250	73	1
3	Didier de Radiguès	6	Johnson Elf-Chevallier	Chevallier-Yamaha	68	1
4	Hervé Guilleux	44	Kawasaki	KR250	63	1
5	Thierry Espié	57	Elf-Chevallier	Chevallier-Yamaha	55	0
6	Martin Wimmer	4	Mitsui-Yamaha	TZ250	45	0
7	Manfred Herweh	19	Massa-Real	Real-Rotax	40	1
8	Jean-François Baldé	12	TopCard Krauser-Chevallier	Chevallier-Yamaha	32	1
9	Jacques Cornu	2	Höstettler-Yamaha	TZ250	32	0
10	Jacques Bolle	32	Pernod-Yamaha	Pernod-TZ250	26	1
11	Patrick Fernandez	14	Bartol-Yamaha	TZ250	26	0
12	Alan Carter	28	Mitsui-Yamaha	TZ250	21	1
13	Ivan Palazzese	23	Venemotos-Yamaha	TZ250	20	0
14	Thierry Rapicault	26	Sonauto Gauloises-Yamaha	TZ250	19	0
15	Jean-Louis Guignabodet	8	Team Green	TZ250	18	0
16	Tony Head	20	Armstrong	Armstrong-Rotax	14	0
17	Reinhold Roth	25	Römer Racing Team	TZ250	14	0
18	Sito Pons	15	Cobas	Kobas-Rotax	10	0
19	Bruno Luscher	34		TZ250	8	0
20	Guy Bertin	42		MBA	7	0
21	Jean Michel Mattioli	36		TZ250	5	0
21	Roland Freymond	3	Elf Moto Racing	Armstrong-Rotax	5	0
23	Jean Marc Toffolo	48		Morena-Rotax	5	0
24	Teruo Fukuda	46		TZ250	4	0
25	Christian Estrosi	11	Pernod-Yamaha	Pernod-TZ250	3	0
25	Donnie Robinson	21	Mitsui-Yamaha	TZ250	3	0
25	Harald Eckl	56		TZ250	3	0
28	Carlos Cardus	59	J.J. Moto Club	Cobas-Rotax	2	0
28	Massimo Matteoni	34	Team Forever	TZ250	2	0
30	Donnie McLeod	49	Dalmac Racing	TZ250	1	0
30	Bernard Fau	41		TZ250	1	0
30	Graeme McGregoer			EMC-Rotax	1	0

125cc standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Ángel Nieto	1	Spain	Garelli	102	6
2	Bruno Kneubühler	15	Switzerland	MBA	76	2
3	Eugenio Lazzarini	2	Italy	Garelli	67	1
4	Maurizio Vitali	13	Italy	MBA	67	1
5	Ricardo Tormo	5	Spain	MBA	52	1
6	Hans Müller	8	Switzerland	MBA	43	0
7	Johnny Wickström	10	Finland	MBA	42	0
8	Pier Paolo Bianchi	4	Italy	Sanvenero	40	0
9	Fausto Gresini		Italy	Garelli	37	0
10	August Auinger	6	Austria	MBA	30	0
11	Pierluigi Aldrovandi				30
12	Gerhard Waibel				22
13	Jean-Claude Selini				20
14	Stefano Caracchi				19
15	Willy Perez				16
16	Lucio Pietroniro				16
17	Henk van Kessel				12
18	Ezio Gianola				10
19	Thomas Moller-Pedersen				6
20	Erich Klein				6
21	Jikka Jaakkola				5
22	Libero Piccirillo				5
23	Giuseppe Ascareggi				3
24	Stefan Dörflinger				3
25	Hugo Vignetti				2
26	Patrick Lagrive				1
27	Jacky Hutteau				1
28	Anton Straver				1

50cc standings^[15]

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points	Wins
1	Stefan Dörflinger	1	Switzerland	Krauser	81	3
2	Eugenio Lazzarini	2	Italy	Garelli	69	3
3	Claudio Lusuardi	3	Italy	Villa	38	0
4	Hans Spaan	9	Netherlands	Kreidler	34	0
5	George Looijestyn	13	Netherlands	Kreidler	34	0
6	Hagen Klein	10	West Germany	FKN	33	0
7	Ricardo Tormo	4	Spain	Garelli	25	1
8	Rudolf Kunz		West Germany	FKN	21	0
9	Gerhard Bauer	14	West Germany	Ziegler	20	0
10	Rainer Scheidhauer	12	West Germany	Kreidler	17	0
10	Theo Timmer	7	Netherlands	Bultaco	17	0
12	Ingo Emmerich				14
13	Jorge Martinez				10
14	Zdravko Matulja				8
15	Paul Rimmelzwaan				6
16	Graham Singer				6
17	Otto Machinek				6
18	Paul Bordes				5
19	Giuseppe Ascareggi				4
20	Cees Van Dongen				4
21	Daniel Mateos				3
22	Paolo Priori				2
23	Hans Koopman				2
24	Maurizio Stocco				2
25	Massimo De Lorenzi				1

References

• Büla, Maurice & Schertenleib, Jean-Claude (2001). Continental Circus 1949–2000. Chronosports S.A. ISBN 2-940125-32-5
• "The Official MotoGP website". Retrieved 6 July 2010. 

Footnotes

Grand Prix motorcycle racing seasons 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Moto2 Moto3 2015 Moto2 Moto3 2016 Moto2 Moto3