Mike Baldwin (motorcyclist)

Mike Baldwin (born January 15, 1955 in Pasadena, California) is an American former professional motorcycle road racer. He was a top contender in AMA Superbike racing during the 1980s who also competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Mike Baldwin
NationalityUnited States
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Active years1979, 1981, 1985 - 1988
First race1979 500cc Austrian Grand Prix
Last race1988 500cc British Grand Prix
Team(s)Yamaha
Championships0
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
37 0 6 1 1 133

Baldwin led the American team to an upset win over the favored British team when he was the highest points scorer at the 1979 Trans-Atlantic Match Races.[1] The Trans-Atlantic Match Races pitted the best British riders against the top American road racers on 750cc motorcycles in a six-race series in England. Baldwin won five AMA Formula 1 titles as well as becoming the first rider to win three Suzuka 8 Hours races.[2][3][4]

His best finish in the 500cc world championships was a fourth place in the 1986 season while racing for the Kenny Roberts-Yamaha team.[5] Baldwin seemed poised to become one of the top American road racers, but injuries curtailed his career. He rode a Bimota at the WSBK Championship in 1989, scoring a podium finish in France

In 2001, he was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.[6]

Grand Prix career statistics

Points system from 1969 to 1987:

Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Points 15 12 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1

Points system from 1988 to 1992:

Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Points 20 17 15 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Team Machine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Points Rank Wins
1979 500cc Zago-Suzuki RG500 VEN
-		 AUT
14		 GER
10		 NAT
5		 ESP
3		 YUG
-		 NED
-		 BEL
-		 SWE
-		 FIN
-		 GBR
-		 FRA
-		 17 13th 0
1981 500cc Suzuki RG500 AUT
-		 GER
-		 NAT
-		 FRA
NC		 YUG
-		 NED
-		 BEL
-		 RSM
-		 GBR
-		 FIN
-		 SWE
-		 0 - 0
1985 500cc Michael Baldwin Racing NS500 RSA
9		 ESP
7		 GER
NC		 NAT
11		 AUT
7		 YUG
-		 NED
NC		 BEL
11		 FRA
10		 GBR
-		 SWE
7		 RSM
8		 18 11th 0
1986 500cc Kool Yamaha YZR500 ESP
3		 NAT
3		 GER
3		 AUT
5		 YUG
5		 NED
3		 BEL
NC		 FRA
4		 GBR
18		 SWE
3		 RSM
4		 78 4th 0
1987 500cc Lucky Strike Yamaha YZR500 JPN
NC		 ESP
NC		 GER
-		 NAT
-		 AUT
-		 YUG
-		 NED
-		 FRA
-		 GBR
-		 SWE
-		 CZE
-		 RSM
-		 POR
NC		 BRA
10		 ARG
6		 6 18th 0
1988 500cc Katayama Racing Team RS500 JPN
-		 USA
10		 ESP
NC		 EXP
-		 NAT
-		 GER
-		 AUT
-		 NED
-		 BEL
20		 YUG
14		 FRA
13		 GBR
13		 SWE
-		 CZE
-		 BRA
-		 14 19th 0

References
  1. "Underdog Yanks Blitz British". Google Books. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  2. 1978 Suzuka 8 Hours results at Moto Racing Japan
  3. 1981 Suzuka 8 Hours results at Moto Racing Japan
  4. 1984 Suzuka 8 Hours results at Moto Racing Japan
  5. Mike Baldwin career statistics at MotoGP.com
  6. Motorcycle Hall of Fame
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.