1983 Swedish motorcycle Grand Prix

The 1983 Swedish motorcycle Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 1983 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 4–6 August at the Scandinavian Raceway in Anderstorp, Sweden.

  1983 Swedish Grand Prix

Race details
Race 11 of 12 races in the 1983 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
Date	6 August 1983
Official name	Swedish TT[1][2][3]
Location	Scandinavian Raceway
Course	Permanent racing facility 4.031 km (2.505 mi)
500cc
Pole position Rider Freddie Spencer Time 1:37.000 Fastest lap Rider Kenny Roberts Time 1:37.110 Podium First Freddie Spencer Second Kenny Roberts Third Takazumi Katayama
250cc
Pole position Rider Didier de Radiguès Time 1:43.680 Fastest lap Rider Iván Palazzese Time 1:50.390 Podium First Christian Sarron Second Hervé Guilleux Third Carlos Lavado
125cc
Pole position Rider Ricardo Tormo Time 1:48.870 Fastest lap Rider Ricardo Tormo Time 1:46.940 Podium First Bruno Kneubühler Second Fausto Gresini Third August Auinger
50cc
Pole position Rider No 50cc race was held Fastest lap Rider No 50cc race was held Podium First No 50cc race was held Second No 50cc race was held Third No 50cc race was held
Sidecar (B2A)
Pole position Rider Rolf Biland Fastest lap Rider Rolf Biland LCR Yamaha Time 1:41.480 Podium First Rolf Biland Second Egbert Streuer Third Werner Schwärzel

Race summary

One of the most dramatic races in one of the most dramatic Grand Prix seasons ended in controversy as the championship's two main combatants collided on the last lap while battling for the lead.

Coming into the Swedish Grand Prix, Honda's Freddie Spencer led Yamaha's Kenny Roberts 117 to 115 with each man having won five of the season's ten previous races. Roberts had the momentum, having won four of the previous five rounds.

Roberts led Spencer going into the last lap of the race. Heading down the back straight, Spencer placed his Honda right behind Roberts' Yamaha as they reached the second to the last corner, a ninety degree right-hander. As both riders applied their brakes, Spencer came out of Roberts' slipstream and managed to get inside of the Yamaha. As they exited the corner, both riders ran wide off the track and into the dirt.^[4] Spencer was able to get back on the track and back on the power first, crossing the finish line just ahead of Roberts for a crucial victory.^[5] Roberts considered Spencer's pass to be foolish and dangerous and, exchanged angry words with him on the podium.^[4]

It was a controversial pass by the young Honda rider and one that the two participants still dispute to this day. Roberts contends that it was a dangerous move while Spencer maintains it was a calculated risk he had to take to secure the championship.^[6]

Classification

500 cc

Pos.	Rider	Team	Machine	Time/Retired	Points
1	Freddie Spencer	HRC-Honda	NS500	49'17.530	15
2	Kenny Roberts	Marlboro Agostini-Yamaha	YZR500	+0.160	12
3	Takazumi Katayama	HRC-Honda	NS500	+34.700	10
4	Marc Fontan	Sonauto Gauloises-Yamaha	YZR500	+38.220	8
5	Eddie Lawson	Marlboro Agostini Yamaha	YZR500	+58.500	6
6	Marco Lucchinelli	HRC-Honda	NS500	+58.830	5
7	Randy Mamola	HB Sinclair-Suzuki	RG500	+1'11.460	4
8	Raymond Roche	Moto Club Paul Ricard	NS500	+1'11.710	3
9	Ron Haslam	HRC-Honda	NS500	+1'15.300	2
10	Anton Mang	HB Gallina-Suzuki	RG500	+1'15.460	1
11	Keith Huewen	Heron-Suzuki	RG500	+1 lap
12	Boet van Dulmen	Shell Nederland-Suzuki	RG500	+1 lap
13	Steve Henshaw	Harold Coppock	RG500	+1 lap
14	Chris Guy		RG500	+1 lap
15	Loris Reggiani	HB Gallina-Suzuki	RG500	+1 lap
16	Peter Sjöström	Jeb’s Helmet Sweden	RG500	+1 lap
17	Wolfgang von Muralt		RG500	+1 lap
18	Leandro Becheroni		RG500	+1 lap
19	Philippe Coulon	Marlboro-Suzuki	RG500	+1 lap
20	Didier de Radiguès	Team Johnson Elf	RS500	+1 lap
21	Peter Sköld		RG500	+1 lap
22	Lars Johansson		RG500	+1 lap
23	Åke Grahn		YZR500	+1 lap
24	Steve Williams	DTR Fowler Yamaha	YZR500	+1 lap
25	Esko Kuparinen		RG500	+1 lap
26	Timo Pohjola		YZR500	+1 lap
27	Kjeld Sörensen		RG500	+2 laps
28	Alf Henrik Graarud		YZR500	+2 laps
29	Chris Fisher		YZR500	+2 laps
30	Børge Nielsen		RG500	+2 laps
31	Jan-Olof Odeholm		RG500	+2 laps
Ret	Barry Sheene	Heron-Suzuki	RG500	Retired
Ret	Peter Linden		RG500	Retired
Ret	Risto Korhonen		RG500	Retired
Ret	Alf Karlsson		YZR500	Retired
DNS	Jack Middelburg	Stichting Ned-Honda	RS500	Did not start
DNQ	Beni Slydal		RG500	Did not start
Sources:[7][8]

1983 250cc Swedish Grand Prix final standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points
1	Christian Sarron	10	France	Yamaha	15
2	Hervé Guilleux	44	France	Kawasaki	12
3	Carlos Lavado	5	Venezuela	Yamaha	10
4	Tony Head	20	Britain	Rotax-Armstrong	8
5	Alan Carter	28	Britain	Yamaha	6
6	Jean Michel Mattioli	22	France	Yamaha	5
7	Jean-Louis Guignabodet	8	France	Yamaha	4
8	Didier de Radiguès	6	Belgium	Chevallier-Yamaha	3
9	Jacques Bolle	19	France	Pernod-Yamaha	2
10	Martin Wimmer	4	West Germany	Yamaha	1

^[9]

1983 125cc Swedish Grand Prix final standings

Place	Rider	Number	Country	Machine	Points
1	Bruno Kneubühler	15	Switzerland	MBA	15
2	Fausto Gresini		Italy	Garelli	12
3	August Auinger	6	Austria	MBA	10
4	Johnny Wickström	10	Finland	MBA	8
5	Ricardo Tormo	5	Spain	MBA	6
6	Hans Müller	8	Switzerland	MBA	5
7	Pier Paolo Bianchi	4	Italy	Sanvenero	4
8	Pierluigi Aldrovandi		Italy	MBA	3
9	Willy Perez		Argentina	MBA	2
10	Maurizio Vitali	13	Italy	MBA	1

^[10]

Sidecar Classification

Pos	Rider	Passenger	Manufacturer	Time/Retired	Points
1	Rolf Biland	Kurt Waltisperg	LCR-Yamaha		15
2	Egbert Streuer	Bernard Schnieders	LCR-Yamaha		12
3	Werner Schwärzel	Andreas Huber	Seymaz-Yamaha		10
4	Derek Jones	Brian Ayres	LCR-Yamaha		8
5	Alain Michel	Claude Monchaud	LCR-Yamaha		6
6	Frank Wrathall	Phil Spendlove	Seymaz-Yamaha		5
7	Masato Kumano	Kunio Takeshima	LCR-Yamaha		4
8	Hein van Drie	Willem van Dis	LCR-Yamaha		3
9	Alfred Zurbrügg	Martin Zurbrügg	Seymaz-Yamaha		2
10	Hans Hügli	Karl Paul	Seymaz-Yamaha		1