In what would be one of the closest races in Grand Prix history, American Kenny Roberts wins the 1979 500cc British Grand Prix at Silverstone, in Northamptonshire.
Britain's Barry Sheene, California's Kenny Roberts and the Dutchman Wil Hartog broke away from the rest of the field as soon as the race started. After only a few laps, Hartog fell off the pace as Sheene and Roberts battled for the lead. They would continue to swap the lead throughout the 28 lap event with the guy from Modesto winning by just three-hundreds of a second.
Minutes before the start of the race, Roberts' Yamaha blew a seal and sprayed the bike with oil. His crew managed to replace the seal in time but, Roberts went to the starting line with his gloves coated with oil, causing his hand to slip on the throttle during the race.
After an eleven-year absence from World Championship racing, Honda returned to competition with the exotic, four-stroke NR500 ridden by riders Mick Grant and Takazumi Katayama. The bike featured an engine with oval-shaped cylinders as well as a monocoque (see 1973 IOM Norton John Player Special) chassis. Both bikes retired from the race, Grant crashing out on the first turn after the bike spilled oil onto his rear tire. Katayama retired on the seventh lap due to ignition problems
Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk
