Mike Baldwin (motorcyclist)
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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. Baldwin was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2001.[1]
Baldwin led the American team to an upset win over the favored British team when he was the highest points scorer at the 1979 Transatlantic Trophy match races.[2] The Transatlantic Trophy 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.[3][4][5]
His best finish in the 500cc world championships was a fourth place in the 1986 season while racing for the Kenny Roberts-Yamaha team.[6] 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.[1]
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 | Lucky Strike 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
- ^ a b "Mike Baldwin at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame". motorcyclemuseum.org. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ Assoc, American Motorcyclist (July 1979). "Underdog Yanks Blitz British". Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ^ "1978 Suzuka 8 Hours results at Moto Racing Japan". Archived from the original on 2017-10-08. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
- ^ "1981 Suzuka 8 Hours results at Moto Racing Japan". Archived from the original on 2017-12-10. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
- ^ "1984 Suzuka 8 Hours results at Moto Racing Japan". Archived from the original on 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
- ^ Mike Baldwin career statistics at MotoGP.com