| Mike Baldwin | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Gp Active Years: | 1979, 1981, 1985 - 1988 |
| Gp Teams: | Yamaha |
| Gp Race Starts: | 37 |
| Gp Championships: | 0 |
| Gp Race Wins: | 0 |
| Gp Podiums: | 6 |
| Gp Total Points: | 133 |
| Gp Poles: | 1 |
| Gp Fastest Laps: | 1 |
| Gp First Race: | 1979 500cc Austrian Grand Prix |
| Gp Last Race: | 1988 500cc British Grand Prix |
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.[1]
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.[2] 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.[3] [4] [5]
His best finish in the 500cc world championships was a fourth place in the 1986 season while racing for the Kenny Roberts-Yamaha team.[6] Baldwin 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, he was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.[1]
Points system from 1969 to 1987:
| Position | width=20 | 1 | width=20 | 2 | width=20 | 3 | width=20 | 4 | width=20 | 5 | width=20 | 6 | width=20 | 7 | width=20 | 8 | width=20 | 9 | width=20 | 10 |
| Points | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Position | width=20 | 1 | width=20 | 2 | width=20 | 3 | width=20 | 4 | width=20 | 5 | width=20 | 6 | width=20 | 7 | width=20 | 8 | width=20 | 9 | width=20 | 10 | width=20 | 11 | width=20 | 12 | width=20 | 13 | width=20 | 14 | width=20 | 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 - | AUT 14 | GER 10 | NAT 5 | ESP 3 | YUG - | NED - | BEL - | SWE - | FIN - | GBR - | FRA - | 17 | 13th | 0 | |||
| 1981 | 500cc | Suzuki | RG500 | AUT - | GER - | NAT - | FRA NC | YUG - | NED - | BEL - | RSM - | GBR - | FIN - | SWE - | 0 | - | 0 | ||||
| 1985 | 500cc | Michael Baldwin Racing | NS500 | RSA 9 | ESP 7 | GER NC | NAT 11 | AUT 7 | YUG - | NED NC | BEL 11 | FRA 10 | GBR - | SWE 7 | RSM 8 | 18 | 11th | 0 | |||
| 1986 | 500cc | Lucky Strike Yamaha | YZR500 | ESP 3 | NAT 3 | GER 3 | AUT 5 | YUG 5 | NED 3 | BEL NC | FRA 4 | GBR 18 | SWE 3 | RSM 4 | 78 | 4th | 0 | ||||
| 1987 | 500cc | Lucky Strike Yamaha | YZR500 | JPN NC | ESP NC | GER - | NAT - | AUT - | YUG - | NED - | FRA - | GBR - | SWE - | CZE - | RSM - | POR NC | BRA 10 | ARG 6 | 6 | 18th | 0 |
| 1988 | 500cc | Katayama Racing Team | RS500 | JPN - | USA 10 | ESP NC | EXP - | NAT - | GER - | AUT - | NED - | BEL 20 | YUG 14 | FRA 13 | GBR 13 | SWE - | CZE - | BRA - | 14 | 19th | 0 |