Misplaced Pages

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. As was the case in 1967, the battle for the 500 cc crown would pit a former world champion riding a powerful but, ill-handling four cylinder motorcycle against a young upstart riding a less powerful but better handling three cylinder motorcycle. Also as in 1967, the title chase wouldn't be decided until the final race of the season.

1983 would be the last year for the 50cc class as it would be upgraded to 80cc for the 1984 season. Stefan Dörflinger would take the honor of being the last 50cc World Champion. Angel Nieto won the 125 cc crown in dominating fashion, making it his 12th world championship. 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. 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. Despite the auspicious start to his career, it would be Carter's only Grand Prix victory.

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. 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. Honda also introduced a production version of the NS500 called the RS500 for privateer racers. These were very similar to the NS500 machines used by the factory racing team but, lacked the special exhaust system. 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. Before the season began, Roberts announced that the 1983 season would be his final year in Grand Prix competition. 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. Suzuki's pursuit of a lightweight and compact machine had led to a myriad of handling problems associated with the flexing of the thin aluminum frame tubing. 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. 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. 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. In Round 3 at Monza, Roberts crashed while leading Spencer three laps from the finish. 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.

Things began to go Roberts' way at the Austrian Grand Prix as Roberts won while Spencer's Honda suffered a crankshaft failure. 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. 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. 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.

The British Grand Prix gave Kenny Roberts a third victory in a row, after a race split in two stages following the deaths of Swiss rider Peter Huber and Northern Irish rider Norman Brown during lap 6 of the first stage. The race was subsequently stopped following some confusion over whether the race had been suspended or not. The event was then decided by aggregate times over the two stages, with Roberts leading both stages of the race, taking victory with Freddie Spencer in second.

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 penultimate 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. 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. Roberts considered Spencer's pass to be foolish and dangerous, and exchanged angry words with him on the podium.

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. The two riders dominated the season with each claiming six victories and six pole positions in the 12 race series.

1983 Grand Prix season calendar

The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1983:

Round	Date	Grand Prix	Circuit
1	19 March ††	Nashua Motorcycle Grand Prix	Kyalami
2	3 April	Grand Prix de France	Bugatti Circuit
3	24 April	Gran Premio delle Nazioni	Autodromo Nazionale Monza
4	8 May	Großer Preis von Deutschland	Hockenheimring
5	22 May	Marlboro Gran Premio de España de Motociclismo	Circuito Permanente Del Jarama
6	29 May	Großer Preis von Österreich	Salzburgring
7	12 June	Yu Grand Prix	Automotodrom Rijeka
8	25 June ††	Dutch TT Assen	TT Circuit Assen
9	3 July	Johnson GP of Belgium	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
10	31 July	Marlboro British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit
11	6 August	Swedish TT	Scandinavian Raceway
12	4 September	Grand Prix S. Marino	Autodromo Dino Ferrari

†† = Saturday race

Calendar changes

• The Argentine Grand Prix was taken off the calendar due to the high costs to host the event.
• The South African Grand Prix was added to the calendar.
• The French Grand Prix moved from the Nogaro circuit to the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans after a strike by all the factory teams, as well as some private drivers, due to the very dangerous track conditions.
• The Nations Grand Prix moved from the Circuito Internazionale Santa Monica to the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
• The German Grand Prix was moved forward, from 26 September to 8 May.
• The Austrian Grand Prix was moved back, from 2 to 29 May.
• The Yugoslavian Grand Prix was moved forward, from 18 July to 12 June.
• The Finnish and Czechoslovak Grand Prix were taken off the calendar due to dangerous track conditions.
• The San Marino Grand Prix moved from the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello to the Autodromo Dino Ferrari.

Calendar and Results

1983 Grand Prix season results

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

Participants and Standings

500cc participants

Team Constructor Motorcycle No. Rider Rounds Team HB Suzuki Suzuki ??? 1 Franco Uncini 1–8 12 Boet van Dulmen All 12 Loris Reggiani 1, 10–11 Honda Racing Company Honda Honda NS500 3 Freddie Spencer All 5 Marco Lucchinelli All 8 Takazumi Katayama 1–11 9 47 43 35 Ron Haslam 1–7, 9–12 Yamaha Marlboro Yamaha Yamaha YZR500 (OW70) 4 Kenny Roberts All ??? 22 Carlos Lavado ??? Yamaha OW70 27 Eddie Lawson All Team HB Suzuki Suzuki Suzuki XR45 6 Randy Mamola All ??? 16 Anton Mang 6, 10–12 Heron Team Suzuki Suzuki XR40 7 Barry Sheene 1–4, 6–8, 10–12 ??? 25 Rob McElnea 10 Suzuki RG 500 gamma 47 55 29 Keith Huewen 2–12 Team Sonauto Gauloises Yamaha ??? 10 Marc Fontan All Cagiva Motor Italia Cagiva ??? 11 Virginio Ferrari 1–4, 6, 10, 12 20 Jon Ekerold 1–2, 8, 12 Shell Nederland Suzuki ??? 12 Boet van Dulmen All Honda Switzerland Honda Honda RS500 14 Michel Frutschi 1–2* Marlboro-Tissot Suzuki ??? 15 Sergio Pellandini 1–10 Krauter-Vertrieb Racing 17 Gustav Reiner 1–5, 7 Team Johnson Elf Honda Honda RS500 18 Didier de Radiguès 2, 5, 9–12 ??? Suzuki ??? 19 Wolfgang von Muralt 2–12 20 Jon Ekerold ??? Honda Honda RS500 23 Fabio Biliotti 1, 4–8, 12 HIRT Giapauto ??? 28 Gianni Pelletier 3–7 Stichting Ned. 30 22 Jack Middelburg 2–10, 12 ??? Honda RS500/Honda NS500 35 Raymond Roche 1–8, 11–12 Suzuki ??? 38 39 Leandro Becheroni 1–4, 6, 10–12 Honda Honda RS500 39 Guido Paci 1-2** Marlboro Suzuki ??? 41 33 Philippe Coulon 2–12 Mitsui Yamaha Yamaha 43 26 Steve Parrish 1–6, 8–12 Honda Britain Racing Honda 47 Roger Marshall 8 Honda NS500 51 Wayne Gardner 8, 10 ??? Suzuki ??? 49 46 13 Chris Guy All Jeb's Helmet Sweden 50 41 Peter Sjöstrom 2–4, 6, 8–12 ??? 51 Ernst Gschwender 2–4, 6–9, 12 Honda Italia Honda Honda RS500 59 52 Maurizio Massimiani 1–2, 6–7, 10, 12 ??? Suzuki ??? ??? Franz Kaserer ??? ??? Børge Nielsen ??? Source:

Key Regular Rider Wildcard Rider Replacement Rider

Notes

• * Frutschi was killed at the second round of the season, the French GP.
• ** Paci was killed during a motorcycle endurance race in Imola.

250cc participants

Team Constructor Motorcycle No. Rider Rounds Team Sonauto Gauloises Yamaha ??? 1 Jean-Louis Tournadre 1–7, 10–11 10 Christian Sarron All* 26 Thierry Rapicault All Höstettler 2 Jacques Cornu 1–4, 6, 8–9, 11 Elf Moto Racing Team Armstrong-Rotax 3 Roland Freymond All Team Mitsui Yamaha Yamaha 4 Martin Wimmer All 21 Donny Robinson 2–6 32 28 Alan Carter 1–6, 8–11 62 Paul Tinker ??? Venemotos Racing Team 5 Carlos Lavado All 23 Iván Palazzese All Team Johnson Elf Chevallier 6 Didier de Radiguès All Lumaca MBA/Yamaha ???/??? 7 Paolo Ferretti 1–2, 4, 7–9 Team Green Yamaha ??? 8 Jean-Louis Guignabodet All Team Emco Bartol 9 Jeff Sayle ??? Pernod Pernod 11 Christian Estrosi 1–3, 5–6, 8–11 32 Jacques Bolle 1–2, 5–7 TopCard Krauser Chevallier 12 Jean-François Baldé 1–8 ??? Bernad Fau 1–2, 4–11 ??? Bartol/Yamaha ???/??? 14 Patrick Fernandez All Cobas Motorcycles Cobas ??? 15 Sito Pons 1–6 ??? Yamaha 16 Ángel Nieto 5–7 Massa Real Racing Team Real-Rotax 19 Manfred Herweh 1, 3–9 ??? Armstrong-Rotax 20 Tony Head 1–4, 6–11 Römer Racing Team Yamaha 25 Reinhold Roth All ??? 34 30 Bruno Lüscher 4 Team Forever 34 Massimo Matteoni 3–5, 7–9 Team Go-West 35 Jacques Bolle 10–11 ??? 36 58 Jean-Michel Mattioli 2, 4–5, 7–11 41 33 Bernard Fau 1–2, 4–11 MBA 42 Guy Bertin 2, 4–9, 11 Kawasaki Kawasaki 44 47 2 31 Hervé Guilleux 1, 3–11 ??? Yamaha 46 Teruo Fukuda 7–11 RK Morena-Rotax 48 37 Jean-Marc Toffolo 2, 7, 9 Dalmac Racing Yamaha 49 39 Donnie Mcleod 4–6, 8–11 ??? 54 50 Edwin Weibel 3–4 56 35 Harald Eckl 2–4, 6–11 Chevallier Elf Chevallier 57 21 Thierry Espié All J.J. Moto Club Cobas-Rotax 59 36 Carlos Cardús 1–2, 4–5, 8–11 Source:

Key Regular Rider Wildcard Rider Replacement Rider

Notes

• * The 250cc did not participate in round 12 of the championship, the San Marino GP.

500cc riders' standings

Scoring system

Points are awarded to the top ten finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.

Place Rider Team Machine RSA FRA NAT GER ESP AUT YUG NED BEL GBR SWE RSM Points 1 Freddie Spencer HRC-Honda NS500 1 1 1 4 1 Ret 1 3 2 2 1 2 144 2 Kenny Roberts Marlboro Agostini-Yamaha YZR500 2 4 Ret 1 2 1 4 1 1 1 2 1 142 3 Randy Mamola HB Sinclair-Suzuki RG500 5 Ret 2 7 4 3 2 4 3 3 7 5 89 4 Eddie Lawson Marlboro Agostini-Yamaha YZR500 8 Ret 3 9 6 2 3 5 5 4 5 3 78 5 Takazumi Katayama HRC-Honda NS500 Ret DNS 5 2 3 4 5 2 4 6 3 DNS 77 6 Marc Fontan Sonauto Gauloises-Yamaha YZR500 4 6 7 8 7 6 6 7 6 5 4 6 64 7 Marco Lucchinelli HRC-Honda NS500 9 2 10 3 Ret 7 9 Ret 7 Ret 6 4 48 8 Ron Haslam HRC-Honda NS500 3 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 7 9 9 31 9 Franco Uncini HB Gallina-Suzuki RG500 6 Ret 4 6 5 5 Ret Ret 31 10 Raymond Roche Moto Club Paul Ricard NS500 7 Ret 6 5 Ret Ret Ret 9 DNS 8 7 22 11 Boet van Dulmen Shell Nederland-Suzuki RG500 Ret DNS Ret 10 11 10 7 8 9 8 12 8 17 12 Jack Middelburg Stichting Ned-Honda NS500 10 Ret 11 8 8 11 6 Ret Ret DNS Ret 12 13 Sergio Pellandini Marlboro Tissot-Suzuki RG500 12 9 8 Ret 9 9 10 Ret 10 Ret 11 14 Barry Sheene Heron-Suzuki RG500 10 7 9 Ret 13 13 Ret DNS 9 Ret Ret 9 15 Keith Huewen Heron-Suzuki RG500 5 Ret 17 10 12 Ret Ret 11 11 11 Ret 7 16 Gianni Pelletier HIRT Giapauto-Honda RS500 Ret 13 12 11 8 3 17 Guido Paci RS500 Ret 8 3 18 Anton Mang HB Gallina-Suzuki RG500 Ret 12 10 10 2 19 Paul Lewis RG500 10 1 20 Mark Salle Royal Cars Suzuki RG500 10 12 14 1 Wolfgang von Muralt RG500 DNQ 11 17 21 Ret 23 15 Ret 15 Ret 17 12 0 Leandro Beccheroni RG500 Ret Ret 22 12 Ret 21 Ret Ret 18 11 0 Virginio Ferrari Cagiva GP500 15 Ret 11 Ret 26 Ret Ret Ret 0 Loris Reggiani HB Gallina-Suzuki RG500 11 Ret 15 DNS 0 Stu Avant RG500 17 30 11 16 0 Walter Magliorati Moto Club Carate RG500 DNQ 16 12 14 25 12 17 0 Philippe Coulon Marlboro-Suzuki RG500 DNQ 12 Ret 23 17 16 14 18 Ret 24 19 13 0 Norman Brown† Hector Neill Racing RG500 12 DNS Ret† 0 Chris Guy RG500 Ret Ret 24 25 18 14 23 Ret Ret 13 14 14 0 Peter Sjostrom Jeb's Helmet Sweden RG500 13 14 15 17 Ret Ret 22 16 20 0 Maurizio Massimiani Honda-Italia RS500 13 14 15 Ret 23 Ret 0 Gustav Reiner Krauter-Vertrieb Racing RG500 Ret Ret 13 16 14 Ret 17 0 Steve Parrish Mitsui Yamaha YZR500 20 Ret 15 18 15 20 Ret DNQ Ret 13 16 0 Eero Hyvarinen RG500 Ret 19 15 13 0 Didier de Radigues Team Johnson Elf RS500 Ret Ret DNQ 13 Ret Ret Ret 20 Ret 0 Henk de Vries Henk de Vries Motoren RG500 24 13 0 Fabio Biliotti Moto Club Condor RS500 14 22 16 19 18 17 DNS DNQ 21 0 Franck Gross RS500 16 Ret 14 18 19 0 Rob Punt M. Woestenburg RG500 14 18 20 0 Louis-Luc Maisto RG500 15 0 Kevin Wrettom RG500 15 0 Massimo Broccoli RG500 15 0 Ernst Gschwender MO Motul Racing Team RG500 18 Ret 19 18 21 16 17 22 0 Marco Greco RG500 16 Ret 18 31 Ret Ret DNQ 0 Wayne Gardner Honda Britain Racing NS500 Ret 16 0 Marco Papa RG500 16 0 Jon Ekerold Cagiva GP500 17 19 DNQ Ret DNQ 24 0 Steve Henshaw Harold Coppock RG500 17 0 Corrado Tuzii Beton Bloc Racing RS500 18 DNQ 23 28 19 DNQ Ret 0 Paolo Ferretti YZR500 Ret 20 29 Ret 18 0 Peter Huber† RG500 DNQ 26 33 22 19 Ret† 0 Gary Lingham Myers Motorcycles RG500 19 Ret 0 Lorenzo Ghiselli RG500 DNQ 19 0 Rinus van Kasteren RG500 19 0 Alan Irwin D. McManus RG500 19 0 Borge Nielsen RG500 DNQ DNQ Ret 28 Ret 20 20 29 23 0 Bent Slydal RG500 DNQ 27 20 Ret DNQ Ret 0 Walter Hoffmann Deutsche Tecalemit RG500 20 0 Francisco Rico RG500 20 0 Alfons Ammerschlager Skoal Bandit Heron Suzuki RG500 21 Ret 22 22 0 Franz Kaserer RG500 DNQ 25 Ret 29 24 21 Ret 26 0 Andreas Hofmann RG500 DNQ Ret 21 Ret Ret Ret DNQ 27 0 Dennis Ireland RG500 34 Ret 21 DNQ 0 Con Law RG500 Ret 21 0 Carlos Morante YZR500 21 0 Peter Skold RG500 21 0 Johan van Eijk RG500 22 22 0 Wolfgang Schwarz ES Motorradzubeh Racing Team RG500 22 27 0 Lars Johansson RG500 22 0 Jose Parra RG500 23 0 Jean-Philippe Delers YZR500 23 0 Ake Grahn YZR500 23 0 Josef Ragginger RG500 24 25 0 Steve Williams DTR Fowler Yamaha YZR500 Ret DNQ 24 0 Dimitrios Papandreou YZR500 Ret 25 0 Esko Kuparinen RG500 25 0 Dave Dean RG500 Ret 26 Ret 0 Timo Pohjola YZR500 26 0 Kjeld Sorensen RG500 27 0 Alf Graarud YZR500 28 0 Jan-Olof Odeholm RG500 30 0 Alain Roethlisberger YZR500 Ret Ret 32 0 Dieter Klopfer DIKO 35 0 Jean Lafond Claude Fior Ret Ret DNS 0 Michel Frutschi† Honda Switzerland RS500 Ret Ret† 0 Roger Marshall Honda Britain Racing RS500 Ret Ret 0 Klaus Klein RG500 Ret 0 Gerhard Treusch RG500 Ret 0 Marco Grino RG500 Ret 0 Bernard Denis RG500 Ret 0 Rob McElnea Heron-Suzuki RG500 Ret 0 John Pace RG500 Ret 0 Graham Wood DTR Fowler Yamaha YZR500 Ret 0 Chris Fisker RG500 Ret 0 Peter Linden RG500 Ret 0 Risto Korhonen RG500 Ret 0 Peter Karlsson YZR500 Ret 0 Attilio Riondato RG500 Ret 0 Carlos Lavado Marlboro-Yamaha YZR500 DNS 0 Jean-François Baldé NS500 DNQ 0 Cai Hedstrom DNQ 0 Harry Heutmekers RG500 DNQ 0 Simon Buckmaster RG500 DNQ 0 † denotes the death of a rider 250cc standings Place Rider Team Machine RSA FRA ITA GER ESP AUT YUG NED BEL GBR SWE Points 1 Carlos Lavado Venemotos-Yamaha YZR250 7 Ret 1 1 7 7 1 1 3 4 3 100 2 Christian Sarron Sonauto Gauloises-Yamaha YZR250 Ret Ret Ret 7 2 4 2 Ret 2 3 1 73 3 Didier de Radiguès Team Johnson Elf Chevallier YZR250 2 4 9 3 Ret 2 Ret 7 1 9 8 68 4 Hervé Guilleux Kawasaki KR250 3 6 12 1 6 Ret 3 5 Ret 2 63 5 Thierry Espié Chevallier-Elf Chevallier YZR250 11 9 2 Ret 5 3 15 6 4 2 13 55 6 Martin Wimmer Mitsui-Yamaha YZR250 8 Ret 4 Ret 3 5 Ret 5 6 5 10 45 7 Manfred Herweh Massa Real Racing Team Real-Rotax 6 3 Ret 21 1 3 Ret Ret 40 8 Jean-François Baldé TopCard Krauser Chevallier YZR250 1 15 10 8 6 12 4 Ret 32 9 Jacques Cornu Höstettler-Yamaha YZR250 5 2 5 Ret 9 9 7 18 32 10 Jacques Bolle Pernod-Yamaha YZR250 Ret 7 Ret Ret 18 Ret 6 1 9 26 11 Patrick Fernandez Bartol-Yamaha YZR250 4 6 Ret 2 Ret 11 10 Ret 11 Ret 14 26 12 Alan Carter Mitsui-Yamaha YZR250 Ret 1 Ret 13 Ret Ret DNS Ret DNQ 14 5 21 13 Ivan Palazzese Venemotos-Yamaha YZR250 10 14 8 Ret 10 18 Ret 2 8 16 15 20 14 Thierry Rapicault Sonauto Gauloises-Yamaha YZR250 9 3 7 21 Ret Ret 13 Ret 13 8 Ret 19 15 Jean-Louis Guignabodet Team Green YZR250 13 Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 7 4 9 21 7 18 16 Tony Head Armstrong-Rotax CF250 16 5 13 18 DNQ 17 19 14 Ret 22 4 14 17 Reinhold Roth Römer Racing Team YZR250 18 11 5 15 8 Ret 6 16 14 18 Sito Pons Kobas Kobas-Rotax 15 13 Ret 9 4 DNS DNS 10 19 Bruno Luscher YZR250 16 12 4 Ret 14 14 22 23 27 Ret 8 20 Guy Bertin MBA Ret Ret 13 10 5 Ret Ret Ret 7 21 Jean Michel Mattioli YZR250 11 29 22 17 12 16 18 6 5 21 Roland Freymond Elf Moto Racing Team CF250 12 Ret Ret 6 12 Ret Ret Ret 21 Ret Ret 5 23 Jean Marc Toffolo RK Morena-Rotax 10 Ret Ret Ret 8 Ret 10 Ret 5 24 Teruo Fukuda YZR250 11 21 17 7 Ret 4 25 Christian Estrosi Pernod-Yamaha YZR250 17 17 Ret Ret Ret 16 8 12 Ret Ret 3 25 Donnie Robinson Mitsui-Yamaha YZR250 Ret Ret Ret 8 DNS 3 25 Harald Eckl YZR250 8 14 19 Ret 16 Ret 22 12 17 3 28 Carlos Cardus Kobas Kobas-Rotax Ret 21 Ret 11 9 Ret 16 Ret 11 Ret 2 28 Massimo Matteoni Team Forever YZR250 Ret 17 14 9 Ret 15 2 30 Donnie McLeod Dalmac Racing YZR250 25 Ret 15 10 24 19 12 1 30 Bernard Fau TopCard Krauser Chevallier YZR250 Ret Ret 10 20 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 1 30 Graeme McGregoer EMC EMC-Rotax Ret 19 26 10 1 Jean-Louis Tournadre Sonauto Gauloises-Yamaha YZR250 Ret Ret Ret 14 11 Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 Alan North YZR250 Ret DNQ 23 11 20 15 0 Eilert Lundstedt YZR250 Ret 11 0 Siegfried Minich Rotax Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret Ret 0 Pierre Bolle YZR250 12 0 Herbert Bessendorfer YZR250 Ret 17 18 13 0 Edwin Weibel YZR250 Ret 18 20 20 20 13 Ret 30 22 0 Peter Looijesteijn Waddon 27 18 14 28 0 Jimmy Rodger YZR250 14 0 Paolo Ferretti Rotax 18 20 DNQ Ret Ret Ret 15 25 0 Maurizio Vitali MBA 15 DNQ 0 Jürgen Schmid YZR250 15 0 Karl-Thomas Grassel YZR250 17 16 0 Graham Young EMC EMC-Rotax 16 Ret Ret Ret 20 0 Michel Simeon YZR250 Ret 16 Ret Ret 0 Luis Miguel Reyes Kobas Kobas-Rotax 17 Ret Ret 0 Paul Tinker YZR250 17 0 Kiyotaka Sakai YZR250 22 18 25 0 Stephane Mertens YZR250 19 19 0 Tadasu Ikeda YZR250 19 24 DNS Ret 0 Gabriel Gabria YZR250 28 Ret 19 Ret 0 Robbie Petersen YZR250 19 0 Domingo Gil YZR250 19 0 Con Law EMC EMC-Rotax 20 26 0 Kevin Hellyer YZR250 20 0 Micke Melander YZR250 20 0 Manfred Obinger YZR250 21 21 0 Alan Labrosse YZR250 Ret 21 0 Warren Bristol YZR250 21 0 Massimo Broccoli YZR250 22 Ret Ret 0 Herbert Hauf YZR250 22 0 Leonard Dibon YZR250 23 0 Stefan Förtsch YZR250 23 0 Chris Oldfield Armstrong-Rotax CF250 23 0 Anders Skov YZR250 23 0 Toni Garcia YZR250 DNQ 24 Ret 0 Danny Bristol YZR250 24 0 Andy Watts EMC EMC-Rotax 24 0 Jarmo Liitia Rotax 24 0 Mike Crawford Armstrong-Rotax CF250 25 0 Mar Schouten MBA 26 Ret DNS Ret Ret 0 Rene Delaby Armstrong-Rotax CF250 Ret 27 Ret Ret 0 Eric Saul YZR250 Ret Ret 29 Ret 0 Angel Nieto YZR250 DNQ DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 Bengt Elgh MBA Ret Ret 0 Leif Nielsen Rotax Ret Ret 0 Svend Andersson YZR250 Ret Ret 0 Steve Williams YZR250 DNQ Ret 0 Dave Petersen Rotax Ret 0 Mario Rademeyer YZR250 Ret 0 Richard Porter Rotax Ret 0 Robert Larney Rotax Ret 0 Patrick Chatelet YZR250 Ret 0 Philippe Robles YZR250 Ret 0 Jean Foray YZR250 Ret 0 Patrick Igoa YZR250 Ret 0 Marcellino Lucchi SWM SWM250 Ret 0 Constant Pittet YZR250 Ret 0 Stefan Klabacher Rotax Ret 0 Roger Sibille YZR250 Ret 0 Thomas Bacher YZR250 Ret 0 Bozo Janezic Armstrong-Rotax CF250 Ret 0 Jeffrey Sayle Bartol-Yamaha YZR250 Ret 0 Steve Tonkin Armstrong-Rotax CF250 Ret 0 Steve Wright YZR250 Ret 0 Pete Wild YZR250 Ret 0 Stefano Caracchi MBA Ret 0 Per Jansson YZR250 Ret 0 Paul Ramon YZR250 DNQ 0 125cc standings Place Rider Machine FRA NAT GER ESP AUT YUG NED BEL GBR SWE SMR Points 1 Ángel Nieto Garelli Ret 1 1 1 1 11 1 2 1 DNQ Ret 102 2 Bruno Kneubühler MBA 7 5 4 5 Ret 1 3 Ret 2 1 Ret 76 3 Eugenio Lazzarini Garelli Ret 2 2 2 2 DNS 7 1 67 4 Maurizio Vitali MBA 3 Ret 5 4 6 2 Ret Ret 9 10 1 59 5 Ricardo Tormo MBA 1 4 Ret 10 11 2 3 Ret 5 Ret 52 6 Hans Müller MBA Ret Ret 7 6 9 Ret 6 Ret 3 6 2 43 7 Johnny Wickström MBA 4 17 13 Ret 7 4 5 4 Ret 4 Ret 42 8 Pier Paolo Bianchi Sanvenero Ret 3 3 3 Ret Ret Ret 13 7 5 40 9 Fausto Gresini Garelli Ret 7 6 4 Ret 10 9 6 2 Ret 37 10 August Auinger MBA Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret 15 Ret 5 3 4 30 11 Pierluigi Aldrovandi MBA 9 10 15 Ret 14 5 8 Ret 10 8 3 30 12 Gerhard Waibel MBA Ret 12 8 10 Ret 4 6 11 12 6 22 13 Jean-Claude Selini MBA 2 9 19 11 16 15 9 13 7 Ret Ret 20 14 Stefano Caracchi MBA Ret 8 10 7 13 3 16 10 Ret Ret Ret 19 15 Willy Perez MBA Ret 16 29 8 25 Ret 17 12 4 9 8 16 16 Lucio Pietroniro MBA Ret 11 9 8 6 19 5 Ret 21 Ret 16 17 Henk van Kessel MBA Ret 19 14 9 12 Ret 14 8 8 11 7 12 18 Ezio Gianola MBA 3 Ret DNS 10 19 Thomas Moller-Pedersen MBA 5 33 23 DNQ DNQ 23 DNQ 17 6 20 Erich Klein MBA 15 Ret 21 Ret 7 Ret 14 Ret 13 9 6 21 Jikka Jaakkola MBA 6 23 17 5 22 Libero Piccirillo MBA 15 6 17 Ret Ret 14 Ret 5 23 Giuseppe Ascareggi MBA 8 Ret 28 12 24 Ret 18 Ret 3 24 Stefan Dörflinger MBA 13 Ret 12 Ret Ret 8 11 11 Ret 3 25 Hugo Vignetti MBA Ret 13 15 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 2 26 Patrick Lagrive MBA 10 1 27 Jacky Hutteau MBA 22 26 17 17 10 20 22 Ret Ret 12 1 28 Anton Straver MBA Ret 21 21 15 22 12 18 Ret 14 15 10 1 Helmut Lichtenburg MBA 14 Ret 25 20 13 12 16 15 16 11 0 Miguel Gonzales MBA 13 11 0 Willi Hupperich MBA 11 20 0 Peter Sommer MBA 12 23 16 26 Ret 0 Olivier Liegeois Sanvenero Ret Ret 26 19 12 Ret Ret 0 Alfred Waibel Real Ret Ret 18 13 15 0 Bady Hassaine MBA Ret Ret 22 Ret Ret 24 Ret 18 13 0 Paul Bordes MBA 14 18 18 Ret 16 25 17 Ret Ret Ret 0 Alojz Pavlic Bartol 21 17 14 0 Esa Kytola MBA Ret 20 Ret 14 25 Ret 0 Jussi Hautanimi Yamaha 20 14 0 Peter Balaz MBA 15 0 Antonio Boronat MBA 19 16 0 Rolf Ruttimann† MBA 16 Ret Ret Ret 23 Ret† 0 Ivan Troisi MBA Ret 16 Ret Ret 0 Carlo Succi MBA 16 0 Patrick Daudier MBA 17 0 Robin Appleyard MBA 17 0 Janez Pintar MBA 25 Ret 19 Ret 21 18 0 Chris Baert MBA 34 22 27 DNQ 18 0 Robert Hmeljak MBA 18 24 0 Joe Genoud MBA 18 DNQ 0 Dominico Brigaglia MBA 18 DNS 0 Per-Edward Carlson MBA Ret 24 24 19 Ret Ret 28 21 22 Ret 0 Jan Backstrom MBA Ret Ret DNQ 19 0 Tony Smith MBA Ret 19 0 Zdravko Matulja MBA 19 0 Willem Heykoop Sanvenero Ret Ret 20 DNQ 0 Angel del Pozo MBA 20 0 Håkon Olsson Starol 20 0 Werner Schmied MBA DNQ 21 0 Boy van Erp MBA 22 DNS 25 0 Chris Leah MBA 36 Ret 22 0 Andreas Sanches-Marin MBA Ret 23 31 Ret 26 Ret DNQ Ret 0 Jean-Paul Leonard MBA 23 0 Henrik Rasmussen MBA 23 0 Ton Spek MBA 24 0 Peter Karlsson MBA 24 0 Kees van der Ven MBA 27 26 0 Bernd Lauermann MBA 27 Ret 0 Elfenheimer MBA 30 0 Thomas Weickardt MBA 32 0 Reinhard Koberstein MBA 35 0 Hans Spaan MBA Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 Massimo de Lorenzi Minarelli Ret Ret Ret 0 Fabio Meozzi MBA Ret 0 Norbert Peschke MBA Ret 0 Hubert Abold Bender Ret 0 Hagen Klein [de] FKN-Kreidler Ret 0 Pete Wild MBA Ret 0 Martin van Soest MBA Ret 0 Jan Eggens EGA Ret 0 Ingo Emmerich MBA Ret 0 Peter Banks MBA Ret 0 Bill Robertson MBA Ret 0 Hans Hummel MBA Ret 0 David Fabian Sanvenero Ret 0 Jörgen Ask MBA Ret 0 Olli Kujansuu MBA Ret 0 Juha Pakkanen MBA Ret 0 Marino Neri MBA Ret 0 Stefan Schmitt MBA DNQ 0 Zdravko Ljeljak MBA DNQ 0 † denotes the death of a rider 50cc standings Place Rider Machine FRA NAT GER ESP YUG NED SMR Points 1 Stefan Dörflinger Krauser 1 11 1 2 1 2 2 81 2 Eugenio Lazzarini Garelli 2 1 2 1 DNS 1 Ret 69 3 Claudio Lusuardi Villa Ret 2 Ret 4 Ret 4 3 38 4 Hans Spaan Kreidler Ret 5 6 7 2 9 6 34 5 George Looijestyn Kreidler 6 3 4 6 5 Ret Ret 34 6 Hagen Klein [de] FKN-Kreidler 3 6 7 9 Ret 5 5 33 7 Ricardo Tormo Garelli Ret 3 1 25 8 Rainer Kunz FKN-Kreidler Ret Ret 5 10 3 7 Ret 21 9 Gerhard Bauer Ziegler Ret Ret 3 5 7 21 20 10 Rainer Scheidhauer Kreidler 11 4 Ret 6 8 10 17 10 Theo Timmer Casal 8 Ret 10 Ret Ret 6 4 17 12 Ingo Emmerich Kreidler 4 8 8 Ret Ret 14 13 Jorge Martinez Bultaco 3 10 14 Zdravko Matulja Tomos Ret Ret Ret 4 12 Ret 8 15 Paul Rimmelzwaan Kreidler 5 Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret Ret 6 16 Gerhard Singer Kreidler Ret 7 9 Ret Ret 11 11 6 17 Otto Machinek Kreidler 19 11 8 14 8 6 18 Paul Bordes Moto 2L 7 10 13 13 Ret 13 Ret 5 19 Giuseppe Ascareggi Minarelli 7 4 20 Jos Van Dongen Kreidler 16 9 12 10 10 Ret 4 21 Daniel Mateos Bultaco 8 3 22 Paolo Priori Paolucci Ret 16 Ret 9 2 23 Hans Koopman Kreidler 9 Ret 15 Ret Ret 2 24 Maurizio Stocco Kreidler 14 9 Ret 2 25 Massimo De Lorenzi Minarelli 10 12 17 Ret Ret Ret 1 Claudio Granata Kreidler Ret 11 Ret 0 Ramon Gali Bultaco 12 Ret 14 15 Ret 0 Thomas Engl M1 Ret 18 Ret 12 Ret 15 0 Chris Baert Kreidler 17 17 16 18 17 12 0 Yves Le Toumelin TYL (motorcycle) Ret 20 12 0 Reiner Koster M1 13 Ret Ret Ret 20 Ret 14 0 Ian McConnachie Rudge Ret 23 16 19 Ret 13 0 Kasimir Rapczynski Kreidler Ret 22 13 Ret 0 Sandro de Rosa Villa 13 0 Klaus Kull Kawadrom 14 26 Ret 0 Joaquin Gali Bultaco Ret Ret Ret 14 Ret Ret 0 Mijo Lijsak Kreidler 14 0 Stefan Kurfiss Kreidler 27 15 0 Hans-Joachim Ritter Kreidler 15 Ret Ret 0 Guido Sala MTK 15 0 Bert Smit PRS 15 0 Mika-Sakari Komu Kreidler 18 25 16 19 17 0 Giuliano Tabanelli Kreidler Ret 16 0 Rini Vrijdag Kreidler 16 0 Henrique Sande Moda 17 0 Miklos Bojan Kreidler 17 0 Gunter Schirnhofer Kreidler 21 18 0 Hans Hummel Sachs Ret Ret 30 Ret 18 0 Roberto Rosso Minarelli 18 0 T. Persic Sever 18 0 Peter Verbic Kreidler Ret 19 Ret Ret 0 Nicola Casadei Minarelli Ret 19 0 Gerard Velay Kreidler 19 0 Jean-Francois Verdier Derbi 19 0 Jean-Marc Velay Kreidler 20 DNS 0 Wim de Jong Kreidler 20 0 Stefan Danielsson Kreidler Ret 24 Ret 0 Bruno Treitlein Kawadrom 28 0 Massimo Fargeri Kreidler 29 Ret 0 Spencer Crabbe MBA 31 0 Inge Arends Schuster 32 Ret Ret 0 Mauro Mordenti Rossi Ret Ret 0 Enrico Cereda Kreidler Ret Ret 0 Joe Genoud Kreidler Ret 0 Henri Laporte Moto Ret 0 Philippe Linares SBM Ret 0 Claude Delarbre ABF Ret 0 Ezio Saffiotti UFO Ret 0 Franz Ungar Kreidler Ret 0 Lajos Horti Kreidler Ret 0 Uros Tomanovic Kreidler Ret 0 Radovan Stanojevic Sever Ret 0 Rajko Mitrovic Sever Ret 0 Bertus Grinwis Kreidler Ret 0 Antoon Gevers Kreidler Ret 0 Lothar Dahn Kreidler DNQ 0 References Büla, Maurice & Schertenleib, Jean-Claude (2001). Continental Circus 1949–2000. Chronosports S.A. ISBN 2-940125-32-5 "The Official MotoGP website". Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2010. Footnotes ^ Noyes, Dennis; Scott, Michael (1999), Motocourse: 50 Years of Moto Grand Prix, Hazleton Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1-874557-83-7 ^ DeWitt, Norm (September–October 2012). "Franco Uncini – World Champion – Team Manager – Top Official". Classic Racer (157): 22–28. ISSN 1470-4463. ^ Clifford, Peter (1983), Motocourse 1983–1984, Hazleton Publishing Ltd, ISBN 0-905138-26-0 ^ Abrams, Henry Ray (November 1983). Fastest Freddie. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help) "Michel Frutschi career profile". ozebook.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2012. "Motorcycle Racing Memorium". motorsportmemorial.org. Retrieved 5 December 2012. "Second Le Mans death". The Glasgow Herald. 4 April 1983. p. 16. ^ "Kenny Roberts career statistics". motogp.com. Retrieved 4 December 2012. ^ "Freddie Spencer career statistics". motogp.com. Retrieved 4 December 2012. ^ "Two Motorcyclists Die in Race Crash". The New York Times. United Press International. 1 August 1983. ^ "Roberts says he will never again give an inch of track to Spencer". The Modesto Bee. Bee News Services. 12 August 1983. p. 15. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2012. "Roberts vs Spencer". cyclenews.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2012. """Alle Grand-Prix uitslagen en bijzonderheden, van 1973 (het jaar dat Jack begon met racen) tot heden". Archive.li. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2018. "1983 World Motorcycle Championship". Motorsportmagazine.com. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2018. "500cc Grand Prix entry list for 1983". Motorcycle Racing Online. "250cc Grand Prix entry list for 1983". Motorcycle Racing Online. "1983 500cc Final Standings". motogp.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2012. "1983 500cc Entries List". f1network.net. Retrieved 4 December 2012. "1983 250cc Final Standings". motogp.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012. "1983 250cc Entries List". f1network.net. Retrieved 4 December 2012. "1983 50cc Final Standings". motogp.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2014. v t e Grand Prix motorcycle racing seasons MotoGP 500cc 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 MotoGP 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Moto2 250cc 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 Moto2 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Moto3 125cc 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 Moto3 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 MotoE World Cup 2019 2020 2021 2022 World Championship 2023 2024 2025 Images Category