- Permanent racing facility
- 4.711 km (2.927 mi)
500 cc |
---|
Pole position |
---|
Rider | Kenny Roberts |
---|
Time | 1:29.810 |
---|
Fastest lap |
---|
Rider | Barry Sheene |
---|
Time | 1:29.980 |
---|
Podium |
---|
First | Kenny Roberts |
---|
Second | Barry Sheene |
---|
Third | Wil Hartog |
---|
|
350 cc |
---|
Pole position |
---|
Rider | Éric Saul |
---|
Time | Unknown |
---|
Fastest lap |
---|
Rider | Kork Ballington |
---|
Time | Unknown |
---|
Podium |
---|
First | Kork Ballington |
---|
Second | Gregg Hansford |
---|
Third | Jeff Sayle |
---|
|
250 cc |
---|
Pole position |
---|
Rider | Kork Ballington |
---|
Time | 1:36.220 |
---|
Fastest lap |
---|
Rider | Kork Ballington |
---|
Time | 1:35.110 |
---|
Podium |
---|
First | Kork Ballington |
---|
Second | Randy Mamola |
---|
Third | Anton Mang |
---|
|
125 cc |
---|
Pole position |
---|
Rider | Hans Müller |
---|
Time | 1:42.650 |
---|
Fastest lap |
---|
Rider | Pier Paolo Bianchi |
---|
Time | 1:42.200 |
---|
Podium |
---|
First | Ángel Nieto |
---|
Second | Gert Bender |
---|
Third | Guy Bertin |
---|
|
Sidecar (B2A) |
---|
Pole position |
---|
Rider | Derek Jones |
---|
Fastest lap |
---|
Rider | Jock Taylor |
---|
Podium |
---|
First | Rolf Biland |
---|
Second | Jock Taylor |
---|
Third | Dick Greasley |
---|
|
Sidecars (B2B) |
---|
Pole position |
---|
Rider | Rolf Biland |
---|
Fastest lap |
---|
Rider | Alain Michel |
---|
Podium |
---|
First | Alain Michel |
---|
Second | Bruno Holzer |
---|
Third | Masato Kumano |
---|
|
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.
Race summary
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
500 cc
350cc
250cc
125cc
B2A Sidecars Standings
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
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
- ^ "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.
- ^ Mitchell, Malcolm. "1979 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes - The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". Progcovers.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ Mitchell, Malcolm. "Silverstone Circuit - The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". Progcovers.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "An All-Time Classic: Sheene vs Roberts 40 Years On". motogp.com. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d Sam Moses (20 August 1979). "A Thriller At Silverstone". sportsillustrated.com. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ^ a b "The NR500s: A Humiliating Debut". World.honda.com. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ "1979 British MotoGP - Motor Sport Magazine Database". Motorsportmagazine.com. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "BRITISH GRAND PRIX · 500cc Race Classification 1979". Motogp.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "BRITISH GRAND PRIX · 350cc Race Classification 1979". Motogp.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "BRITISH GRAND PRIX · 250cc Race Classification 1979". Motogp.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "BRITISH GRAND PRIX · 125cc Race Classification 1979". Motogp.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "1979 - Sidecars 500cc B2A (Sidecars classiques)". Racing Memory (in French). Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ "1979 - Sidecars 500cc B2B (Sidecars modernes)". Racing Memory (in French). Retrieved 13 November 2011.
External links
- A Thriller At Silverstone - Sports Illustrated, August 20, 1979
- 1979 British Grand Prix on YouTube Part 1
- 1979 British Grand Prix on YouTube Part 2
- 1979 British Grand Prix on YouTube Part 3
- 1979 British Grand Prix on YouTube Part 4