1979 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix

The 1979 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix was the eighth round of the 1979 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 29–1 July 1979 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

  1979 Belgian Grand Prix

Race details
Race 8 of 13 races in the 1979 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
Date	1 July 1979
Official name	G.P. Moto
Location	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Course	Permanent racing facility 6.947 km (4.317 mi)
500cc
Pole position Rider Johnny Cecotto Time 2:50.900 Fastest lap Rider Kenny Blake Time 2:49.250 Podium First Dennis Ireland Second Kenny Blake Third Gary Lingham
350cc
Pole position Rider No 350cc race was held Fastest lap Rider No 350cc race was held Podium First No 350cc race was held Second No 350cc race was held Third No 350cc race was held
250cc
Pole position Rider Chas Mortimer Time 2:58.300 Fastest lap Rider Edi Stöllinger Time 2:50.080 Podium First Edi Stöllinger Second Chas Mortimer Third Murray Sayle
125cc
Pole position Rider Ángel Nieto Time 3:02.300 Fastest lap Rider Jean-François Lecureux Time 3:01.280 Podium First Barry Smith Second Marcelino Garcia Third Martin van Soest
50cc
Pole position Rider Eugenio Lazzarini Time 3:14.900 Fastest lap Rider Stefan Dörflinger Podium First Henk van Kessel Second Theo Timmer Third Rudolf Kunz

Controversy

This race was notorious because the circuit of Spa had gotten a new layer of asphalt after the circuit's original length was reduced from 14.1 to 7 Kilometers. Because it was only finished two days before the start of the first free practices, there were a lot problems. The FIM had approved the new venue five weeks before the start of the grand prix, but when Kenny Roberts made a promotional visit to the track four weeks before the start of the race, he noted that the road surface did not have a top layer of asphalt and that no guard rails were placed yet.

During the free practices and qualifying, many riders fell off their bikes as a result. It turned out that a tar truck had spilled so much tar that even one of the steamrollers had slipped off the track that week, and that too much oil was also processed into the asphalt. As a response, the Belgian Minister of Public Works Guy Mathot mobilised many people of the Belgian Civil defense to clean up the slippery surface with fire brigade, brush and sweeper trucks all through the night. This however, did not help and top riders such as Roberts, Sheene, Ferrari and Hartog negotiated with the organisation and the FIM whether they should or should not ride this grand prix. On Saturday evening, the drivers gave a press conference in which they announced that they had nothing against the organization or the FIM, but that the circuit was not safe enough because too much oil was processed in the asphalt.

Eventually, all Factory teams boycotted the event after the Saturday qualifying due to the dangerous track conditions, which promptly enraged the tens of thousands of fans who already bought a ticket to see the race on Sunday. Once they found out about the decision, unrest and riots broke out. Angry fans tipped over cars and set them on fire, as well as the hay bales (which were lined up on the circuit as safety barriers for the riders) all through the night. Various fans had to be transported to the local hospital after various fights with the Belgian police had broken out.

Jack Middelburg and Boet van Dulmen originally were going to start the race because they believed that a track is also slippery when it's wet and because they didn't want to disappoint the many fans who came to see the race live, but when Dutch supporters of Wil Hartog, due to a lack of solidarity, threatened that they would throw beer bottles on the track when they would pass by, they also boycotted the race. In the end, Dennis Ireland would go on to win his only Motorcycle Grand Prix due to all the top racers not starting the race.

Aftermath

After the race, the FIM initially suspended Kenny Roberts and Virginio Ferrari as the largest "rioters" and the Belgian Motorcyclist Association suspended four drivers, but the FIM Committee for Safety, Sports Coordination and Competitions converted the suspension into a conditional suspension and a fine and the BMB followed that example. After the training sessions of the next Grand Prix in Sweden, the drivers issued a communiqué in which it was first reported that the fine would not be paid. In addition, a number of requirements were set for the 1980 season:

• Full travel and accommodation allowance for the races in the US, Canada, Venezuela, Sweden, Finland and Spain.
• Additional safety measures at the Nürburgring, the Karlskoga Motorstadion, the Imatra Circuit and Spa-Francorchamps.
• Under no circumstances a possible Grand Prix of Switzerland, even if it was organized in another country.
• An increase of the minimum starting fee by 200%.
• Adequate press accommodation on all circuits.
• At the end of each season an election of three riders representatives in the CCR (Commission for Road Racing).
• On every circuit a decent (habitable) riders' quarter.

A few weeks later, 40 professional drivers, led by Kenny Roberts, presented a new organization and a new racing series: the "World Series of Motorcycle Racing". From the 1980 season onward the riders would not participate in any race organized by the FIM but only start in eight races with two classes: Formula 1 (500 cc) and Formula 2 (250 cc). The prize money was determined by the drivers. The idea did not last long: within a few weeks, Yamaha announced that he would side the FIM and, if necessary, to let Freddie Spencer race as a substitute for Roberts, and Roberts himself began to get doubts after Giacomo Agostini talked to him. Hard words were spoken during a press conference by Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts and manager Barry Coleman. Roberts would never drive in FIM-Grands Prix again and all drivers who had signed in Silverstone for the World Series would go to court if they would start in FIM races. Those drivers were in turn tied to factory contracts and could be forced by the brands to drive for the FIM. At the beginning of the 1980 season it was already clear that the World Series could only be found under the umbrella of the FIM passage, and of course the FIM did not give permission. In a meeting, Wil Hartog was considered a coward because he did not want to sign for the World Series, but in the end Kenny Roberts, who was the instigator of all the fuss, had to bow his head. In fact, he even started at the Nürburgring in 1980, one of the circuits that had been deemed unsafe by the riders.

Furthermore, the problems with the asphalt persisted and the outcry of the disastrous 1979 race, prompted the FIM to switch the venue and race at the Circuit Zolder for the 1980 season. This however, was not a success and the chosen venue for the 1981 season was once again the Spa circuit.

Classification

500 cc

Pos.	Rider	Team	Manufacturer	Time/Retired	Points
1	Dennis Ireland	Derry's Racing	Suzuki	57'09.670	15
2	Kenny Blake		Yamaha	+5.250	12
3	Gary Lingham		Suzuki	+11.080	10
4	Gustav Reiner	Dieter Braun Team	Suzuki	+38.930	8
5	Henk de Vries	Team 77	Suzuki	+1'38.230	6
6	Josef Hage	Dieter Braun Team	Suzuki	+1'38.400	5
7	Jacky Matagne		Suzuki	+2'46.860	4
8	Gerhard Vogt	Bill Smith Racing	Suzuki	+2 laps	3
9	Guy Cooremans		Suzuki	+3 laps	2
10	Dieter Heinen		Yamaha	+4 laps	1
Ret	Philippe Chaltin		Suzuki	Retired
Ret	Etienne Geeraerd		Yamaha	Retired
Ret	Steve Manship	Robinson Motorcycle Racing	Suzuki	Retired
Ret	John Newbold	Team Appleby Glade	Suzuki	Retired
Ret	Klaus Nies		Yamaha	Retired
Ret	Carlo Perugini		Yamaha	Retired
Ret	Timo Pohjola		Suzuki	Retired
Ret	Elmar Renner	Moto Team Krawehl	Suzuki	Retired
Ret	Peter Sjöström	Ava MC Stockholm	Suzuki	Retired
Ret	Toni Garcia		Suzuki	Retired
Ret	Roland Mullender		Yamaha	Retired
Ret	Carlos Delgado de San Antonio		Suzuki	Retired
Ret	Børge Nielsen		Suzuki	Retired
DNS	Michel Rougerie		Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Christian Sarron	Team Sonauto Gauloises	Yamaha	Did not start
DNS	Boet van Dulmen		Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Olivier Chevallier		Yamaha	Did not start
DNS	Philippe Coulon		Yamaha	Did not start
DNS	Kenny Roberts	Yamaha Motor Company	Yamaha	Did not start
DNS	Bernard Fau	Suzuki France	Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Alex George		Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Franck Gross		Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Johnny Cecotto	Yamaha Motor Company	Yamaha	Did not start
DNS	Jack Middelburg		Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Sergio Pellandini		Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Gianni Pelletier		Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Wil Hartog	Riemersma Racing	Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Gianni Rolando	Scuderia Naldoni	Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Graziano Rossi	Morbidelli	Morbidelli	Did not start
DNS	Seppo Rossi	Kouv MK	Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Max Wiener		Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Steve Parrish	Texaco Heron Team Suzuki	Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Barry Sheene	Texaco Heron Team Suzuki	Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Virginio Ferrari	Team Gallina Nava Olio Fiat	Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Gianni Rolando	Scuderia Naldoni	Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Marco Lucchinelli		Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Willem Zoet	Stimorol Racing	Yamaha	Did not start
DNS	Tony Head		Yamaha	Did not start
DNS	Sadao Asami		Yamaha	Did not start
DNS	Randy Mamola	Serge Zago	Suzuki	Did not start
DNS	Olivier Liégeois		Yamaha	Did not start
DNS	Ikujiro Takai	Yamaha Motor Company	Yamaha	Did not start
DNS	Franco Uncini	Team Zago International	Suzuki	Did not start
Sources: