Steve Baker (born September 5, 1952) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former professional

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

roadracer. He is notable for being the first American to win a road racing world championship when he won the 1977 Formula 750 title. Baker was inducted into the AMA

Motorcycle Hall of Fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycles ...

in 1999.

Motorcycle racing career

Born in

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (locat ...

, 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 Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, becoming a three-time Canadian champion. Baker began competing in the AMA National Championship in 1973 and experienced his first success when he finished second to former world champion

Kel Carruthers Kelvin Carruthers (born 3 January 1938) is an Australian former world champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and racing team manager.

at the

Talladega Superspeedway Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base ...

. In the 1974 season, he suffered a broken leg at Talladega and was forced to miss the rest of the season. In 1975 he scored a second place behind

Gene Romero Gene Romero (May 22, 1947 – May 12, 2019) was an American professional motorcycle racer.

at the

Daytona 200 The Daytona 200 is an annual motorcycle road racing competition held in early spring at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was founded in 1937 when it was sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Associati ...

, then considered to be one of the most prestigious motorcycle races in the world. In 1976, Baker won the prestigious

Imola 200 The Imola 200 (also known as the 200 Miglia) is a motorcycle race held annually at Imola. The race originally ran as a modern motorcycle race from 1972 to 1985. In 2010, the Imola 200 Miglia Revival began as a classic bike race. Background In r ...

pre-season race in Europe, then traveled to Great Britain to compete for the North American team in the 1976

Transatlantic Trophy The Transatlantic Trophy (initially called Anglo-American Match Races) was an annual series of motorcycle races between the United Kingdom and America held from 1971 to 1988 and again in 1991. They were mostly held over the Easter weekend at Br ...

match races which, pitted the best British riders against the top North American road racers on 750cc motorcycles in a six-race series. Baker dominated the series as the top individual points leader winning four of the six races. He then returned the United States to compete in the

AMA Grand National Championship American Flat Track is an American motorcycle racing series. The racing series, founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1954, originally encompassed five distinct forms of competitions including mile dirt track r ...

where he earned his first AMA national victory when he won the

Loudon Classic The Loudon Classic, originally named the Laconia Classic, is an annual motorcycle road racing competition held during the Laconia Motorcycle Week at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Founded in 1934 when it was originally sa ...

. He also won the 250cc support class at the Loudon Classic. He repeated his Loudon victories at the

Laguna Seca Raceway Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) is a paved road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, built in 1957 near both Salinas and M ...

, again winning the national and the 250c support race. He then returned to Europe where he won the

Mallory Park Race of the Year The Race of the Year was a non-championship motorcycle race held at the Mallory Park circuit in Leicester, England between 1958 and 1981, and again between 1986 and 2008, with a one-off race in 2011. It often attracted high quality entries from t ...

. By the end of the 1976 season, Baker was considered to be Kenny Roberts' equal in road racing. Baker's good results earned him a factory sponsored ride with the

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

factory team for the 1977 season. The 1977 season marked the debut of the

Formula 750 Formula 750 was a FIM motorcycle road racing series based on a 750 cubic centimeter engine capacity. History The series began in 1971 as a collaboration between the American Motorcyclist Association and the Auto Cycle Union. The FIM adopte ...

World Championship beginning with the Daytona 200. Baker traded the lead with

Kenny Roberts Kenneth Leroy Roberts (born December 31, 1951, in Modesto, California) is an American former professional motorcycle racer and racing team owner. In 1978, he became the first American to win a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship. He ...

several times before he prevailed to win at Daytona. He finished second to Roberts at the Imola 200, then won in France, Austria and Belgium to win the 1977 Formula 750 title. He also finished second to

Barry Sheene Barry Steven Frank Sheene (11 September 1950 – 10 March 2003) was a British professional motorcycle racer. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing even ...

in the 500cc world championship. 23 Centennial Classic TT Assen 2010

He was released by the Yamaha team after the season and competed in the 1978 championship on a privately supported

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

. At the end of that season, Baker suffered a devastating accident at the

Mosport Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Park and Mosport International Raceway) is a multi-track motorsport venue located north of Bowmanville, in Ontario, Canada, east of Toronto. The facility features a , 10-turn road course; a adva ...

circuit in Canada that left him with a broken arm and shattered his left leg. Afterwards, he decided to retire from competitive racing. After his racing career, Baker purchased a motorcycle dealership in his hometown of Bellingham. He was inducted into the AMA

in 1999.

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

References

External links

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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Steve 1952 births Living people American motorcycle racers 500cc World Championship riders AMA Grand National Championship riders Sportspeople from Bellingham, Washington