Pat Hennen

Pat Hennen (born April 27, 1953) was an American Grand Prix motorcycle roadracer. He was the first American to win a 500cc Grand Prix motorcycle race when he won the 1976 Finnish Grand Prix for Suzuki.

He finished third in the 1976 500cc roadracing World Championship. The following year, he would again finish third in the world championship and won the 1977 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Unfortunately, his promising career was cut short when he crashed while competing in the 1978 Isle of Man TT. He had just recorded the first sub-twenty minute lap in TT history when he struck a bird at approximately 150 mph. The subsequent crash caused severe head injuries from which he was unable to fully recover. He subsequently retired from racing and currently lives in California.

Motorcycle Grand Prix Results

Year	Class	Classification	Machine	Victories
1976	500cc	3rd	Suzuki	1
1977	500cc	3rd	Suzuki	1
1978	500cc	6th	Suzuki	1