{{Infobox Grand Prix motorcycle race report | Grand Prix = French | flag = France | Official_Name = Grand Prix de France Moto<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jumpingjack.nl/GP-races_1981_heden.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901054241/http://www.jumpingjack.nl/GP-races_1981_heden.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-09-01|title=Alle Grand-Prix uitslagen en bijzonderheden, van 1973 (het jaar dat Jack begon met racen) tot heden.|website=Jumping Jack |access-date=10 July 2018 |language=nl}}</ref> | Location = [[Circuit Paul Ricard]] | Image = Paul Ricard 1970.png | Course_mi = 3.610 | Course_km = 5.809 | Race_No = 5 | Season_No = 14 | Date = 17 May | Year = 1981 | Pole_Rider_500 = [[Marco Lucchinelli]] | Pole_Rider_500_Country = ITA | Pole_Time_500 = 2:04.270 | Fast_Rider_500 = [[Marco Lucchinelli]] | Fast_Rider_500_Country = ITA | Fast_Time_500 = 2:04.510 | First_Rider_500 = [[Marco Lucchinelli]] | First_Rider_500_Country = ITA | Second_Rider_500 = [[Randy Mamola]] | Second_Rider_500_Country = USA | Third_Rider_500 = [[Graeme Crosby]] | Third_Rider_500_Country = NZL | Pole_Rider_350 = No 350cc race was held | Pole_Rider_350_Country = | Pole_Time_350 = | Fast_Rider_350 = No 350cc race was held | Fast_Rider_350_Country = | Fast_Time_350 = | First_Rider_350 = No 350cc race was held | First_Rider_350_Country = | Second_Rider_350 = No 350cc race was held | Second_Rider_350_Country = | Third_Rider_350 = No 350cc race was held | Third_Rider_350_Country = | Pole_Rider_250 = [[Anton Mang]] | Pole_Rider_250_Country = BRD | Pole_Time_250 = 2:12.620 | Fast_Rider_250 = [[Thierry Espié]] | Fast_Rider_250_Country = FRA | Fast_Time_250 = 2:11.920 | First_Rider_250 = [[Anton Mang]] | First_Rider_250_Country = BRD | Second_Rider_250 = [[Thierry Espié]] | Second_Rider_250_Country = FRA | Third_Rider_250 = [[Carlos Lavado]] | Third_Rider_250_Country = VEN | Third_Rider_250_Country_flag_suffix = 1930 | Pole_Rider_125 = [[Guy Bertin]] | Pole_Rider_125_Country = FRA | Pole_Time_125 = 2:19.370 | Fast_Rider_125 = [[Ángel Nieto]] | Fast_Rider_125_Country = ESP | Fast_Time_125 = 2:18.870 | First_Rider_125 = [[Ángel Nieto]] | First_Rider_125_Country = ESP | Second_Rider_125 = [[Guy Bertin]] | Second_Rider_125_Country = FRA | Third_Rider_125 = [[Pier Paolo Bianchi]] | Third_Rider_125_Country = ITA | Pole_Rider_50 = No 50cc race was held | Pole_Rider_50_Country = | Pole_Time_50 = | Fast_Rider_50 = No 50cc race was held | Fast_Rider_50_Country = | First_Rider_50 = No 50cc race was held | First_Rider_50_Country = | Second_Rider_50 = No 50cc race was held | Second_Rider_50_Country = | Third_Rider_50 = No 50cc race was held | Third_Rider_50_Country = }}
The '''1981 French motorcycle Grand Prix''' was the fifth round of the [[1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season]]. It took place on the weekend of 16–17 May 1981 at the [[Paul Ricard Circuit]].
==Classification== ===500 cc=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" ! Pos. ! Rider ! Team ! Manufacturer ! Time/Retired ! Points |- ! 1 | {{flagicon|ITA}} '''[[Marco Lucchinelli]]''' | '''Team Nava Suzuki''' | '''[[Suzuki]]''' | 44'09.580 | '''15''' |- ! 2 | {{flagicon|USA}} '''[[Randy Mamola]]''' | '''Ingersoll Herin Team Suzuki''' | '''[[Suzuki]]''' | +4.910 | '''12''' |- ! 3 | {{flagicon|NZL}} '''[[Graeme Crosby]]''' | '''Ingersoll Herin Team Suzuki''' | '''[[Suzuki]]''' | +5.350 | '''10''' |- ! 4 | {{flagicon|GBR}} '''[[Barry Sheene]]''' | | '''[[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]]''' | +5.630 | '''8''' |- ! 5 | {{flagicon|USA}} '''[[Kenny Roberts]]''' | '''Yamaha Motor Company''' | '''[[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]]''' | +13.950 | '''6''' |- ! 6 | {{flagicon|JPN}} '''[[Hiroyuki Kawasaki]]''' | '''Ingersoll Herin Team Suzuki''' | '''[[Suzuki]]''' | +30.090 | '''5''' |- ! 7 | {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} '''[[Kork Ballington]]''' | '''Team Kawasaki''' | '''[[Kawasaki Heavy Industries Motorcycle & Engine|Kawasaki]]''' | +30.340 | '''4''' |- ! 8 | {{flagicon|NED}} '''[[Boet van Dulmen]]''' | | '''[[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]]''' | +30.980 | '''3''' |- ! 9 | {{flagicon|NED}} '''[[Jack Middelburg]]''' | '''Racing Westland''' | '''[[Suzuki]]''' | +40.510 | '''2''' |- ! 10 | {{flagicon|FRA}} '''[[Marc Fontan]]''' | '''Team Sonauto Gauloises''' | '''[[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]]''' | +1'05.000 | '''1''' |- ! 11 | {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Seppo Rossi]] | | [[Suzuki]] | +1'09.540 | |- ! 12 | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Bernard Fau]] | | [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] | +1'10.000 | |- ! 13 | {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Sergio Pellandini]] | | [[Suzuki]] | +1'19.030 | |- ! 14 | {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Kimmo Kopra]] | | [[Suzuki]] | +1'38.520 | |- ! 15 | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Walter Migliorati]] | | [[Suzuki]] | +1'40.270 | |- ! 16 | {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Stuart Avant]] | Ellis Racing | [[Suzuki]] | +1'45.800 | |- ! 17 | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Jean Lafond]] | | [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] | +1'50.830 | |- ! 18 | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Jacques Agopian]] | | [[Suzuki]] | +1 lap | |- ! 19 | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Dominique Pernet]] | | [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] | +1 lap | |- ! 20 | {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Andreas Hofmann (motorcyclist)|Andreas Hofmann]] | | [[Suzuki]] | +1 lap | |- ! 21 | {{flagicon|VEN|1930}} [[Roberto Pietri]] | | [[Suzuki]] | +1 lap | |- ! 22 | {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Alain Rothlisberger]] | | [[Suzuki]] | +1 lap | |- ! 23 | {{flagicon|BRD}} [[Josef Hage]] | Dieter Braun Team | [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] | +1 lap | |- ! 24 | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Antonio Grecco]] | | [[Suzuki]] | +1 lap | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Takazumi Katayama]] | Honda International Racing | [[Honda]] | Accident | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Christian Sarron]] | Team Sonauto Gauloises | [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] | Accident | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Hervé Guilleux]] | | [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] | Accident | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Peter Sjöström]] | | [[Suzuki]] | Retired | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Baldwin (motorcyclist)|Mike Baldwin]] | | [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] | Retired | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Sadao Asami]] | | [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] | Retired | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|BRD}} [[Gustav Reiner]] | Team Solitude Deutschland | [[Solo (motorcycle)|Solo]] | Retired | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Keith Huewen]] | Heron Suzuki GB | [[Suzuki]] | Retired | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Franco Uncini]] | | [[Suzuki]] | Retired | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Christian Estrosi]] | | [[Suzuki]] | Retired | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Gianni Rolando]] | | Lombardini | Retired | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Philippe Coulon]] | | [[Suzuki]] | Retired | |- ! Ret | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Raymond Roche]] | | [[Suzuki]] | Retired | |- ! DNS | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Hubert Rigal]] | | [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] | Did not start | |- ! DNQ | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Carlo Perugini (motorcyclist)|Carlo Perugini]] | Moto Sanvenero | [[Sanvenero]] | Did not qualify | |- ! DNQ | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Lennart Bäckström]] | | [[Suzuki]] | Did not qualify | |- ! DNQ | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Franck Gross (motorcyclist)|Franck Gross]] | | [[Suzuki]] | Did not qualify | |- ! DNQ | {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Virginio Ferrari]] | Cagiva Corse | [[Cagiva]] | Did not qualify | |- ! DNQ | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Raffaele Pasqual]] | | [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] | Did not qualify | |- ! DNQ | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Gina Bovaird]] | | [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] | Did not qualify | |- !colspan=8| Sources:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/1981-french-motogp|title=1981 French MotoGP|date=15 January 2018|website=Motorsportmagazine.com|access-date=10 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics/1981/FRA/500cc|title=motogp.com · FRENCH GRAND PRIX · 500cc Race Classification 1981|website=Motogp.com|access-date=10 July 2018}}</ref> |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{MotoGP_race_report | Name_of_race = [[French motorcycle Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]] | Year_of_race = 1981 | Previous_race_in_season = [[1981 Nations motorcycle Grand Prix|1981 Nations Grand Prix]] | Next_race_in_season = [[1981 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix|1981 Spanish Grand Prix]] | Previous_year's_race = [[1980 French motorcycle Grand Prix|1980 French Grand Prix]] | Next_year's_race = [[1982 French motorcycle Grand Prix|1982 French Grand Prix]] }}
[[Category:French motorcycle Grand Prix]] [[Category:1981 MotoGP race reports|French]] [[Category:1981 in French motorsport|Motorcycle Grand Prix]] [[Category:May 1981 sports events in Europe|French motorcycle Grand Prix]]