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1979 British motorcycle Grand Prix

The 1979 British motorcycle Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 1979 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 10–12 August 1979 at the Silverstone Circuit.

United Kingdom  1979 British Grand Prix
Race details
Race 11 of 13 races in the
1979 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
Date12 August 1979
Official nameMarlboro British Grand Prix[1][2][3]
LocationSilverstone Circuit
Course
  • Permanent racing facility
  • 4.711 km (2.927 mi)
500cc
Pole position
Rider United States Kenny Roberts
Time 1:29.810
Fastest lap
Rider United Kingdom Barry Sheene
Time 1:29.980
Podium
First United States Kenny Roberts
Second United Kingdom Barry Sheene
Third Netherlands Wil Hartog
350cc
Pole position
Rider France Éric Saul
Time Unknown
Fastest lap
Rider South Africa Kork Ballington
Time Unknown
Podium
First South Africa Kork Ballington
Second Australia Gregg Hansford
Third Australia Jeff Sayle
250cc
Pole position
Rider South Africa Kork Ballington
Time 1:36.220
Fastest lap
Rider South Africa Kork Ballington
Time 1:35.110
Podium
First South Africa Kork Ballington
Second United States Randy Mamola
Third West Germany Anton Mang
125cc
Pole position
Rider Switzerland Hans Müller
Time 1:42.650
Fastest lap
Rider Italy Pier Paolo Bianchi
Time 1:42.200
Podium
First Spain Ángel Nieto
Second West Germany Gert Bender
Third France Guy Bertin
Sidecar (B2A)
Pole position
Rider United Kingdom Derek Jones
Fastest lap
Rider United Kingdom Jock Taylor
Podium
First Switzerland Rolf Biland
Second United Kingdom Jock Taylor
Third United Kingdom Dick Greasley
Sidecars (B2B)
Pole position
Rider Switzerland Rolf Biland
Fastest lap
Rider France Alain Michel
Podium
First France Alain Michel
Second Switzerland Bruno Holzer
Third Japan Masato Kumano

Race summary

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The 500cc British Grand Prix would be one of the closest races in Grand Prix history.[4][5] The race began with Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts and Wil Hartog breaking away from the rest of the field. At the midpoint of the race, Hartog fell off the pace as Sheene and Roberts continued to battle for the lead.[5] The event featured numerous lead changes throughout the 28 lap race.[4] Heading into the final lap of the race, the two leaders came upon lapped riders. Roberts was unhindered as he passed the slower riders however, Sheene was momentarily held up, allowing Roberts to increase his lead.[4] An undeterred Sheene put in an impressive lap time to catch Roberts as they entered the final corner.[4] With momentum on his side, Sheene attempted a last second pass, but Roberts was able to prevail over Sheene by a narrow margin of just three-tenths of a second.[4]

Minutes before the start of the race, Roberts' Yamaha blew a seal and sprayed the bike with oil.[5] His crew managed to replace the seal in time but, Roberts went to the starting line with his gloves coated with oil, causing his hand to slip on the throttle during the race.[5]

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.[6] 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.[6]

Classification

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500 cc

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Pos. Rider Team Manufacturer Time/Retired Points
1   Kenny Roberts Yamaha Motor Company Yamaha 42'56.720 15
2   Barry Sheene Texaco Heron Team Suzuki Suzuki +0.030 12
3   Wil Hartog Riemersma Racing Suzuki +4.970 10
4   Virginio Ferrari Team Gallina Nava Olio Fiat Suzuki +35.280 8
5   Boet van Dulmen Suzuki +36.820 6
6   Christian Sarron Team Sonauto Gauloises Yamaha +40.650 5
7   Franco Uncini Team Zago International Suzuki +51.090 4
8   Philippe Coulon Suzuki +51.250 3
9   Marco Lucchinelli Suzuki +56.790 2
10   John Newbold Team Appleby Glade Suzuki +1'16.490 1
11   Carlo Perugini Yamaha +1'18.280
12   Gianni Rolando Scuderia Naldoni Suzuki +1'19.910
13   Peter Sjöström Ava MC Stockholm Suzuki +1 lap
14   Steve Ward Auto 66 Club Suzuki +1 lap
15   Keith Huewen Len Manchester Motorcycles Yamaha +1 lap
16   Max Wiener Suzuki +2 laps
17   George Fogarty Sports Motorcycles Suzuki +2 laps
18   Henk de Vries Team 77 Suzuki +2 laps
19   Corrado Tuzii Suzuki +2 laps
Ret   Michel Rougerie Suzuki Retired
Ret   Ron Haslam Mal Carter Suzuki Retired
Ret   Stan Woods Yamaha Retired
Ret   Eddie Grant Retired
Ret   Gary Lingham Suzuki Retired
Ret   Gerhard Vogt Bill Smith Racing Suzuki Retired
Ret   John Woodley Suzuki Retired
Ret   Roberto Pietri Suzuki Retired
Ret   Gianni Pelletier Suzuki Retired
Ret   Dennis Ireland Derry's Racing Suzuki Retired
Ret   Toni Garcia Suzuki Retired
Ret   Josef Hage Dieter Braun Team Suzuki Retired
Ret   Roger Marshall Dieter Braun Team Silver Dream Retired
Ret   Alex George Suzuki Retired
Ret   Randy Mamola Serge Zago Suzuki Retired
Ret   Johnny Cecotto Yamaha Motor Company Yamaha Retired
Ret   Graziano Rossi Morbidelli Morbidelli Retired
Ret   Rod Scivyer Suzuki Retired
Ret   Seppo Rossi Kouv MK Suzuki Retired
Ret   Tony Rutter Harold Coppock Suzuki Retired
Ret   Ikujiro Takai Yamaha Motor Company Yamaha Retired
Ret   Takazumi Katayama Honda International Racing Honda Retired
Ret   Lennart Backström Suzuki Retired
Ret   Russell Wood Yamaha Retired
Ret   Steve Parrish Texaco Heron Team Suzuki Suzuki Accident
Ret   Dave Potter Team Mitsui Yamaha Yamaha Retired
Ret   Mick Grant Honda International Racing Honda Accident
DNS   Jack Middelburg Suzuki Did not start
Sources:[7][8]

350cc

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Place Rider Number Country Machine Time/Retired Points
1   Kork Ballington 1 South Africa Kawasaki 38min 9.91sec 15
2   Gregg Hansford 15 Australia Kawasaki 12
3   Jeff Sayle 25 Australia Yamaha 10
4   Michel Frutschi 14 Switzerland Yamaha 8
5   Roland Freymond 24 Switzerland Yamaha 6
6   Michel Rougerie 55 France Yamaha 5
7   Olivier Chevallier 10 France Chevallier-Yamaha 4
8   Tony Head 47 United Kingdom Yamaha 3
9   Alan North 43 South Africa Yamaha 2
10   Jon Ekerold 4 South Africa Yamaha 1
Sources:[9]

250cc

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Place Rider Number Country Machine Points
1   Kork Ballington 1 South Africa Kawasaki 15
2   Randy Mamola 17 United States Yamaha 12
3   Anton Mang 5 West Germany Kawasaki 10
4   Graeme McGregor 35 Australia Yamaha 8
5   Roland Freymond 39 Switzerland Yamaha 6
6   Olivier Chevallier 20 France Chevallier-Yamaha 5
7   Edi Stoellinger 28 Austria Yamaha 4
8   Patrick Fernandez 2 France Yamaha 3
9   Christian Estrosi 12 France Kawasaki 2
10   Tony Head 51 United Kingdom Yamaha 1
11   Eero Hyvarinen 38 Finland Yamaha
12   Eric Saul 21 France Bimota Adriatica Yamaha
13   Rene Delaby 23 Belgium Yamaha
Sources:[10]

125cc

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Place Rider Number Country Machine Points
1   Angel Nieto 2 Spain Minarelli 15
2   Gert Bender 11 West Germany Bender 12
3   Guy Bertin 5 France Motobécane 10
4   Stefan Dörflinger 12 Switzerland Morbidelli 8
5   Pier Paolo Bianchi 3 Italy Minarelli 6
6   Maurizio Massimiami 6 Italy MBA 5
7   Hans Müller 7 Switzerland MBA 4
8   August Auinger 16 Austria Morbidelli 3
9   Bruno Kneubühler 17 Switzerland MBA 2
10   Clive Horton 10 United Kingdom Morbidelli 1
Sources:[11]

B2A Sidecars Standings

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Pos Rider Passenger Number Manufacturer Time/Retired Points
1   Rolf Biland   Kurt Waltisperg 1 Schmid-Yamaha 33min 39.47sec 15
2   Jock Taylor   Benga Johansson 7 Windle-Yamaha 12
3   Dick Greasley   John Parkins 5 Busch-Yamaha 10
4   Werner Schwärzel   Andreas Huber 4 Yamaha 8
5   Rolf Steinhausen   Kenny Arthur 12 KSA-Yamaha 6
6   Walter Ohrmann   Erich Schmitz 27 Yamaha 5
7   Siegfried Schauzu   Lorenzo Puzo 13 Busch-Yamaha 4
8   John Barker   Nick Cutmore 28 Reynoldson-Yamaha 3
9   Hermann Huber   Bernhard Schappacher 14 Krauser-Yamaha 2
10   Kalevi Rahko   Kari Laatikainen 16 Yamaha 1

[12]

B2B Sidecars Standings

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Pos Rider Passenger Manufacturer Time/Retired Points
1   Alain Michel   Michael Burkhard Seymaz-Yamaha 15
2   Bruno Holzer   Karl Meierhans LCR-Yamaha 12
3   Masato Kumano   Isao Arifuku Yamaha 10
4   Heinz Luthringshauser   Karl Paul Yamaha 8
5   Yvan Trolliet   Marc Petel Seymaz-Yamaha 6
6   Bernard Chabert   Patrice Daire CB-Yamaha 5
7   Cees Smit   Charles Vroegop Seymaz-Yamaha 4
8   Klaus Sprengel   Derek John Booth Suzuki 3
9   Steve Sinnott   John Horspole ?-Yamaha 2
10   Rudolf Reinhard   Karin Sterzenbach GEP-Yamaha 1

[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Alle Grand-Prix uitslagen en bijzonderheden, van 1973 (het jaar dat Jack begon met racen) tot heden". Archive.li. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  2. ^ Mitchell, Malcolm. "1979 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes - The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". Progcovers.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  3. ^ Mitchell, Malcolm. "Silverstone Circuit - The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". Progcovers.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e "An All-Time Classic: Sheene vs Roberts 40 Years On". motogp.com. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Sam Moses (20 August 1979). "A Thriller At Silverstone". sportsillustrated.com. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  6. ^ a b "The NR500s: A Humiliating Debut". World.honda.com. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  7. ^ "1979 British MotoGP - Motor Sport Magazine Database". Motorsportmagazine.com. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  8. ^ "BRITISH GRAND PRIX · 500cc Race Classification 1979". Motogp.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  9. ^ "BRITISH GRAND PRIX · 350cc Race Classification 1979". Motogp.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  10. ^ "BRITISH GRAND PRIX · 250cc Race Classification 1979". Motogp.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  11. ^ "BRITISH GRAND PRIX · 125cc Race Classification 1979". Motogp.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  12. ^ "1979 - Sidecars 500cc B2A (Sidecars classiques)". Racing Memory (in French). Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  13. ^ "1979 - Sidecars 500cc B2B (Sidecars modernes)". Racing Memory (in French). Retrieved 13 November 2011.
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1979 Finnish Grand Prix 		FIM Grand Prix World Championship
1979 season 		Next race:
1979 Czechoslovakian Grand Prix
Previous race:
1978 British Grand Prix 		British Grand Prix Next race:
1980 British Grand Prix
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