January’s AUTOSPORT International show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham is the ultimate Christmas/New Year hangover cure for race fans of all ages and tastes. Organised for the past 20 years by the world’s …
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Here is a full length video of the season opening Argentine 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix from 1982.
The opening parts of the video are arguably the best bits with some good interviews with Sheene, Croz and Lucky and a look at the paddock, which was just starting to show signs of big money pouring into the sport.
1982 was a good year for 500cc racing. Many riders had changed brands, there were three previous world champions doing battle and the rivalry between the Japanese manufacturers, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha had reached fever pitch.
Honda was gunning for glory having hired defending Champion Marco Lucchinelli, new sensation Freddie Spencer and a Japanese star, the folk singing veteran Takazumi Katayama.
Yamaha was developing a new V4 with Kenny Roberts, plus they had Kiwi wonder kid Graeme Crosby and crowd favourite Barry Sheene.
Suzuki, the defending champions, had Italian Franco Uncini as their lead rider on the Roberto Gallina backed machine, plus another American in the form of Randy Mamola.
The Buenos Aires race itself turns out to be a cracker with Roberts prevailing in the end ahead of Sheene and Spencer.
As for the rest of the season, the most aggressive development push came from Honda. The Japanese giant had abandoned its NR500 four-stroke in favor of a V3 two-stroke NS500. Spencer managed to claim victory at the Belgiam Grand Prix to give Honda its first 500cc win since the 1967 season and its first ever with a two-stroke bike. Spencer backed up for another win at Mugello.
In the end the season was dominated by Franco Uncini taking five wins for Suzuki. Graeme Crosby finished an impressive second on his Yamaha, despite not winning a race, but the man who impressed many with his speed was Freddie Spencer, who took two wins to finish the season in 3rd place.
Sheene of course had that massive practice prang exiting Abbey at Silverstone, when he it Patrick Igoa’s fallen 250 machine at around 250kmh in a ‘mixed’ session, with both 500 and 250 bikes allowed on the track…
> Here is a full length video of the season opening Argentine 500cc
> Motorcycle
> Grand Prix from 1982.
>
> The opening parts of the video are arguably the best bits with some good
> interviews with Sheene, Croz and Lucky and a look at the paddock, which
> was
> just starting to show signs of big money pouring into the sport.
>
> 1982 was a good year for 500cc racing. Many riders had changed brands,
> there
> were three previous world champions doing battle and the rivalry
> between
> the Japanese manufacturers, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha had
> reached
> fever pitch.
>
> Honda was gunning for glory having hired defending Chamnpion Marco
> Lucchinelli, new senesation Freddie Spencer and a Japanese star, the folk singingTakazumi
> Katayama.
>
> Yamaha was developing a new V4 with Kenny Roberts, plus they had Kiwi
> Graeme Crosby and crowd favourite Barry Sheene.
>
> Suzuki, the defending champions, had Italian Franco Uncini as their lead
> rider on the Roberto Gallina backed machine, plus another American in
> the
> form of Randy Mamola.
>
> The Buenos Aires race itself turns out to be a cracker with Roberts
> prevailing in the end ahead of Sheene and Spencer.
>
> As for the rest of the seaon, the most aggressive development push came
> from Honda. The Japanese giant had abandoned its NR500 four-stroke in
> favor
> of a V3 two-stroke NS500. Spencer managed to claim victory at the
> Belgian
> Grand Prix to give Honda its first 500cc win since the 1967 season and
> its
> first ever with a two-stroke bike. Spencer backed up for another win at
> Mugello. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS500>
>
> In the end, the season was dominated by Franco Uncini taking five wins
> for
> Suzuki. Graeme Crosby finished an impressive second on his Yamaha,
> despite
> not winning a race, but the man who impressed many with his speed was
> Freddie Spencer, who took two wins to finish the season in 3rd place.
Sheene of course had that massive practice prang exiting Abbey at Silverstone, when he it Patrick Igoa’s fallen 250 machine at around 250kmh in a ‘mixed’ session, with both 500 and 250 bikes allowed on the track…
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