American motorcycle racer

Steve Baker (born September 5, 1952) is an American former professional Grand Prix motorcycle roadracer. He is notable for being the first American to win a road racing world championship when he won the 1977 Formula 750 *le.

Contents

• 1 Motorcycle racing career
• 2 Motorcycle Grand Prix results
• 3 References
• 4 External links

Motorcycle racing career

Born in Bellingham, Washington, Baker began his career racing on the dirt track ovals of the Pacific Northwest. He then switched to road racing and began competing in Canada, becoming a three-time Canadian champion. In 1976, Baker won the prestigious Imola 200 pre-season race.His good results earned him a factory sponsored ride with the Yamaha factory team for the 1977 season. He began the year by winning the prestigious Daytona 200 before traveling to Europe to compete in the world championships. Baker won the 1977 Formula 750 *le and finished second to Barry Sheene in the 500cc world championship.

Steve Baker at the 2010:Centennial:Cl*ic:TT

He was released by the Yamaha team after the season and competed in the 1978 championship on a privately supported Suzuki. 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 compe*ive racing.

After his racing career, Baker purchased a motorcycle dealership in his hometown of Bellingham. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

References

External links

• Biography portal

• Steve Baker at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame
• Steve Baker interview, American Motorcyclist Magazine, December 1977
• Steve Baker in January 1977 American Motorcyclist Magazine article on European road racing