I talked about it a few days ago, recent seasons seem long, because they are: next year, no less than 22 rounds are planned. But it wasn't always like this. Back in 1980, when the world stars were preparing to compete in a season that was, to say the least, incredible.
It all started at the end of 1979. Kenny Roberts was about to be crowned 500cc world champion when problems began for the FIM. The championship is doing well and is becoming more and more professional. The end of the “Continental Circus” is near, although its soul is still present. Thirteen races were contested that year. It's only one race less than in Formula 1a discipline with growing popularity. Yet not everything goes as planned when planning for the upcoming season.
In Venezuela, nothing is going well. The obscure San Carlos circuit had hosted the world championship since 1977 and the explosion of Johnny Cecotto on the international level. Built in a field, it is in line with these lines made of odds and ends, on a perfectly flat surface. Major financial problems precipitated its disappearance from the calendar.
Kenny Roberts, the star of this period. Photo: ANEFO
It was time to forget a… forgettable route. Highlight: Barry Sheene won every 500cc Grand Prix in Venezuela. Well, one less circuit, it's not so bad. Except that in the process, Sweden announced that it could no longer pay as well!
Anderstorpthe legendary Nordic circuit, was recently replaced by Karlskoga, also known as Gelleråsen.
The circuit was designed like an arena, so that every part was visible to spectators, regardless of where they sat. The Swedish turnstile fails to attract crowds, unlike a much more popular Anderstorp. Goodbye Sweden. From thirteen, we go to eleven. Nothing too worrying, but things soon got worse. The FIM decided to start the season in Austria in mid-April. This pushed back the start of the 1980 financial year by more than a month compared to 1979.
The World Cup sets down its bags on the Salzburgring. Under the astonished eyes of the race management, it is snowing on the route. The organization expected everything but that. At the end of the third day,
the decision to cancel the Grand Prix has been made! In history, this is extremely rare: we had to wait until Silverstone 2018 to relive the cancellation of an event.
Ten rounds. That's all that's left. For a championship that wants to be more and more professional, that’s a task. It's not over yet. Spa-Francorchamps was host to the Belgian Grand Prix. This legendary round caused a huge uproar in 1979. The majority of drivers did not want to race due to the dangerousness of the track:
it was therefore necessary to find a replacement.
Marco Lucchinelli, one of the main protagonists of the time, 3rd in 1980 and 1981 world champion.
The flat country is not big. Zolder, located in the Flemish part, is positioned at the top. The circuit is beautiful, in the forest, but not very suitable for motorbikes as it is so winding. Barely four kilometers, but it will do the job. Besides this, many other dates were changed: the German Grand Prix, held at Hockenheim in 1979, moves to the Nürburgring and from May 6 to August 24. Ditto for the French GP, which moves from Bugatti (September 2) to Paul Ricard (May 25).
The season still took place from May 11 to August 24, and was marked by the disappearance of eminent French pilots.
Patrick Pons, Olivier Chevallier, Christian Léon and Eric Olivier lost their lives, just like Patrick Depailler in Formula 1. On the championship side, less suspense. Roberts, on Yamaha, crushed Randy Mamola's Suzuki and left no room for doubt.
A season like this is a testament to a bygone era. While wanting to professionalize, the world kept this little touch of folklore which was not unpleasant. However, it is impossible to turn a blind eye to the dangerous environment. Around ten deaths per year seem totally unthinkable to us these days and this is the essence of the story: remind us of the path traveled and the mistakes not to be repeated.
As usual at the time, the winner in the end was “King Kenny”. Photo: ANEFO
