firstbuell
GO! 04,16,23,31,64,69,95
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2004
- Location
- dem hills o'Redwood City
- Moto(s)
- 99 Buell M2 Cyclone;06 KTM 450 EXC-plated!;04 Specialized Stumpjumper Comp Disc;19 Wilier Cento1Hy
- Name
- Curt
Steve Baker's re-emergence [as an occasional TZ750 vintage racer in Yurrip] included being involved in the 1st-ever Imola Reunion, with KRSR & Ago & Paul Smart, etc
here's an recent [edited & excerpted] story from his local paper:
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10/13/2010 - article in the "Bellingham Herald" newspaper on Steve Baker and his state's M/C Hall of Fame - written by Michelle Nolan.
".....These are touching times for Bellingham's Steve Baker, more than three decades after he became the first American to win a World Motorcycle Road Racing series championship.
Two weeks ago, the 58-year-old salesman rode to the cheers of thousands in Imola, Italy during his final exhibition of the classic events season in Europe as a member of the Yamaha Classic Racing Team. Baker, a soft-spoken, life-long motorcycle enthusiast, has been thrilled to hear cheers once again over the past three years while participating at more than 150 miles per hour in classic events half-hour exhibition runs in seven western European nations. But he isn't a glory seeker - in fact, when he was inducted into the American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame in 1999, he honored other commitments and didn't attend the ceremony.
"What I especially love in the classic events series in Europe is seeing people I haven't seen in more than 30 years," Baker said. "These are people who saw me race when they were young and enjoy seeing all the guys who raced on the circuit back in the day. People go to relive the past." Baker says it's especially cool to see middle-aged fans that bring their children and grandchildren, much the same way older baseball fans do at old-timers' games in America.
"It's pretty flattering to be one of the first two in the Washington State Motorcycle Hall of Fame. I'm really looking forward to this evening in Renton," Baker said. "There will be people I haven't seen in a long time. It really is pretty special."Baker, a 1970 graduate of Sehome High School, sometimes mentors young motorcycle racers, thinking back to the days of his earliest races at the Hannegan Speedway. He particularly stresses safety and proper handling of the machines, with memories of three fractured legs and two broken arms, even though he was known as a steady, safe racer.
Baker looks back on the Hannegan race course fondly. "My first race was at the Hannegan in 1967, the year I turned 15. I remember winning that on a Yamaha 100cc bike," he said. "My father introduced me to racing, and I had my first dirt bike, a Yamaha 55cc, when I was 12." Racing for Yamaha, which earlier bolstered his career on Northwest and Canadian tracks, Baker won the F750cc world title in 1977 during a series of about a dozen races on three continents. That same year, he won the Daytona 200 Mile and 250cc races and finished second in the World GP 500cc series behind the legendary British rider Barry Sheene."
But then Yamaha offered Baker an opportunity to run in the classic events series. After participating in one event in 2007 and 2008, he did five in 2009 and seven in 2010. He has run in Belgium, Spain, Germany, Finland, France, Italy and the Netherlands." I'd like to keep running in these," Baker said. "It really feels good. They're a lot of fun. Yamaha supplies and maintains the bike (a 750cc) and pays my travel expenses. The bike I ride has 150 horsepower and weighs about 300 pounds."
I owe Yamaha a lot," said Baker, who won a 1975 U.S. Road Racing championship and three Canadian titles. "They've done so much for me." Baker sustained a shattered leg and a broken arm in his final major race in 1978 at Brands Hatch, England. He soon retired in order to go into business in Bellingham, the beloved hometown to which he said he always wanted to return. Baker, who now works in sales for Mt. Baker Moto-Sports, LLC, founded this company in 1980 as Steve Baker Kawasaki-Suzuki and sold it in 2002.
In the final event of his season two weeks ago at Imola, Baker had the chance to see Kenny Roberts, a Californian who eventually became an iconic racer in both Europe and America." Motorcycle racers are so much better known in Europe," said Baker. "The classic events series draws crowds of 10,000 to 20,000. What really makes a difference is my Yamaha team. It's really special......"
here's an recent [edited & excerpted] story from his local paper:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/13/2010 - article in the "Bellingham Herald" newspaper on Steve Baker and his state's M/C Hall of Fame - written by Michelle Nolan.
".....These are touching times for Bellingham's Steve Baker, more than three decades after he became the first American to win a World Motorcycle Road Racing series championship.
Two weeks ago, the 58-year-old salesman rode to the cheers of thousands in Imola, Italy during his final exhibition of the classic events season in Europe as a member of the Yamaha Classic Racing Team. Baker, a soft-spoken, life-long motorcycle enthusiast, has been thrilled to hear cheers once again over the past three years while participating at more than 150 miles per hour in classic events half-hour exhibition runs in seven western European nations. But he isn't a glory seeker - in fact, when he was inducted into the American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame in 1999, he honored other commitments and didn't attend the ceremony.
"What I especially love in the classic events series in Europe is seeing people I haven't seen in more than 30 years," Baker said. "These are people who saw me race when they were young and enjoy seeing all the guys who raced on the circuit back in the day. People go to relive the past." Baker says it's especially cool to see middle-aged fans that bring their children and grandchildren, much the same way older baseball fans do at old-timers' games in America.
"It's pretty flattering to be one of the first two in the Washington State Motorcycle Hall of Fame. I'm really looking forward to this evening in Renton," Baker said. "There will be people I haven't seen in a long time. It really is pretty special."Baker, a 1970 graduate of Sehome High School, sometimes mentors young motorcycle racers, thinking back to the days of his earliest races at the Hannegan Speedway. He particularly stresses safety and proper handling of the machines, with memories of three fractured legs and two broken arms, even though he was known as a steady, safe racer.
Baker looks back on the Hannegan race course fondly. "My first race was at the Hannegan in 1967, the year I turned 15. I remember winning that on a Yamaha 100cc bike," he said. "My father introduced me to racing, and I had my first dirt bike, a Yamaha 55cc, when I was 12." Racing for Yamaha, which earlier bolstered his career on Northwest and Canadian tracks, Baker won the F750cc world title in 1977 during a series of about a dozen races on three continents. That same year, he won the Daytona 200 Mile and 250cc races and finished second in the World GP 500cc series behind the legendary British rider Barry Sheene."
But then Yamaha offered Baker an opportunity to run in the classic events series. After participating in one event in 2007 and 2008, he did five in 2009 and seven in 2010. He has run in Belgium, Spain, Germany, Finland, France, Italy and the Netherlands." I'd like to keep running in these," Baker said. "It really feels good. They're a lot of fun. Yamaha supplies and maintains the bike (a 750cc) and pays my travel expenses. The bike I ride has 150 horsepower and weighs about 300 pounds."
I owe Yamaha a lot," said Baker, who won a 1975 U.S. Road Racing championship and three Canadian titles. "They've done so much for me." Baker sustained a shattered leg and a broken arm in his final major race in 1978 at Brands Hatch, England. He soon retired in order to go into business in Bellingham, the beloved hometown to which he said he always wanted to return. Baker, who now works in sales for Mt. Baker Moto-Sports, LLC, founded this company in 1980 as Steve Baker Kawasaki-Suzuki and sold it in 2002.
In the final event of his season two weeks ago at Imola, Baker had the chance to see Kenny Roberts, a Californian who eventually became an iconic racer in both Europe and America." Motorcycle racers are so much better known in Europe," said Baker. "The classic events series draws crowds of 10,000 to 20,000. What really makes a difference is my Yamaha team. It's really special......"
How did I miss this thread? I just found it looking for another thread about TZ750's.
I thought everybody up in the northwet was a Baker fan. 
