1980 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1980 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 32nd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Season summary. Yamaha's Kenny Roberts claimed his third successive 500cc world championship in a season shortened by the cancellations of the Venezuelan and Austrian rounds. Randy Mamola took over at Suzuki from Barry Sheene. Kawasaki returned to the 500cc class with a monocoque, four cylinder bike for Kork Ballington. Honda soldiered on with its exotic four-stroke NR500 but began to realize it was at a disadvantage against its two-stroke opposition. There were only six rounds  in the 350cc class that saw South Africa's Jon Ekerold, a true privateer, take the championship from the Kawasaki factory-sponsored Anton Mang. Mang would take the 250cc crown from defending champion Ballington while Pier Paolo Bianchi won the 125cc title. Eugenio Lazzarini won a tight battle from Swiss Stefan Dörflinger to take the 50cc championship by only 2 points. 1980 Grand Prix season calendar. The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1980: Points are awarded to the top ten finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points. 1980 Grand Prix motorcycle racing