Steve Baker (motorcyclist)
| Steve Baker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Baker at the 2010 Centennial Classic TT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 5, 1952 Bellingham, Washington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Steve Baker (born September 5, 1952) is an American former Grand Prix motorcycle roadracer. He was the first American to win a road racing world championship when he won the 1977 Formula 750 title.[1]
Born in Bellingham, Washington, Baker began his career racing on the dirt track ovals of the Pacific Northwest.[1] He then switched to road racing and began competing in Canada, becoming a three-time Canadian champion.[1] His good results earned him a factory sponsored ride with the Yamaha factory team for the 1977 season.[1] He began the year by winning the prestigious Daytona 200 before traveling to Europe to compete in the world championships.[1][2][3] Baker won the 1977 Formula 750 title and finished second to Barry Sheene in the 500cc world championship.[4][5] He was released by the Yamaha team after the season and competed in the 1978 championship on a privately supported Suzuki.[1] At the end of that season, Baker suffered a devastating accident at the Mosport circuit in Canada that left him with a broken arm and shattered his left leg. Afterwards, he decided to retire from competitive racing.[1]
After his racing career, Baker purchased a motorcycle dealership in his hometown of Bellingham.[1] He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.[1]
Motorcycle Grand Prix results [5]
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Points | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Yr | Class | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Rank | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 500cc | Yamaha | VEN 2 |
AUT DNF |
GER 3 |
NAT 4 |
FRA 3 |
NED 5 |
BEL 2 |
SWE 3 |
FIN 12 |
CZE DNF |
GBR 2 |
2nd | 80 |
| 1978 | 500cc | Suzuki | VEN 3 |
SPA 6 |
AUT DNF |
FRA NS |
NAT 4 |
NED 9 |
BEL DNF |
SWE 4 |
FIN 6 |
GBR DNF |
GER 7 |
7th | 42 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Steve Baker at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame". motorcyclemuseum.org. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Daytona 200 winners". motorsportsetc.com. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "It Was A Piece Of Cake For Baker". si.com. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- ^ Formula 750 world champions
- ^ a b "Steve Baker career statistics". motogp.com. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
