Mike Baldwin

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.

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. 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.

Baldwin's best finish in the 500cc world championships was a fourth place in the 1986 season while racing for the Kenny Roberts-Yamaha team. He 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, Baldwin was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

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- AUT14 GER10 NAT5 ESP3 YUG- NED- BEL- SWE- FIN- GBR- FRA- 17 13th 0 1981 500cc Suzuki RG500 AUT- GER- NAT- FRANC YUG- NED- BEL- RSM- GBR- FIN- SWE- 0 - 0 1985 500cc Michael Baldwin Racing NS500 RSA9 ESP7 GERNC NAT11 AUT7 YUG- NEDNC BEL11 FRA10 GBR- SWE7 RSM8 18 11th 0 1986 500cc Lucky Strike Yamaha YZR500 ESP3 NAT3 GER3 AUT5 YUG5 NED3 BELNC FRA4 GBR18 SWE3 RSM4 78 4th 0 1987 500cc Lucky Strike Yamaha YZR500 JPNNC ESPNC GER- NAT- AUT- YUG- NED- FRA- GBR- SWE- CZE- RSM- PORNC BRA10 ARG6 6 18th 0 1988 500cc Katayama Racing Team RS500 JPN- USA10 ESPNC EXP- NAT- GER- AUT- NED- BEL20 YUG14 FRA13 GBR13 SWE- CZE- BRA- 14 19th 0

Suzuka 8 Hours results Year Team Co-Rider Bike Pos 1978 Yoshimura Racing Mike Baldwin Wes Cooley Suzuki GS1000 1st 1981 Honda France David Aldana Mike Baldwin Honda RS1000 1st 1984 Honda America Fred Merkel Mike Baldwin Honda RVF750 RC45 1st