1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
Another previously unnumbered tropical depression formed over the Bay of Campeche later that month on June 17. It made landfall in Mexico south of Tampico before dissipating about two days later. Tropical Storm Bret formed as a subtropical low in the open Atlantic Ocean north of Bermuda on June 29, and made landfall in the Delmarva Peninsula.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
The last of four previously unnumbered tropical depressions developed near Andros on July 2. It made landfall in southeast Florida and later in South Carolina before dissipating on July 4. Tropical Depression Four formed in the Gulf of Mexico on July 25, moving into Mexico the next day, and causing heavy rains in west Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas when its remnants moved into the United States. Tropical Storm Cindy formed on August 2 in the open Atlantic and became an extratropical cyclone on August 5. Hurricane Dennis formed on August 7 near South America. Dennis degenerated into a depression while making landfall in the Leeward Islands, but regained storm strength while over Cuba. Dennis moved near the southeast United States coastline from Florida to Virginia, briefly becoming a hurricane. Dennis weakened into a tropical storm and was declared an extratropical cyclone on August 22.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
Tropical Depression Seven formed in mid-August and tracked through the Windward Islands before dissipating near Trinidad and Tobago. Tropical Depression Eight led to a significant flooding event between San Antonio and Houston on August 30 and August 31 while recurving through Texas into Louisiana. Hurricane Emily formed on September 1 southeast of Bermuda. Emily made a cyclonic loop as a tropical storm. Emily strengthened into a hurricane out in the North Atlantic Ocean and by September 12, was no longer identifiable. Hurricane Floyd was a Category 3 hurricane that grazed Bermuda, but no damage was reported.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
Hurricane Gert formed September 8, strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane, and followed the same track as Floyd, dissipating near the Azores. Hurricane Harvey became the strongest storm of the season, reaching Category 4 strength. Harvey never affected land, but ships reported tropical storm-force winds. Tropical Depression Thirteen brought gusts of tropical storm force to Bermuda in mid-to-late September. Hurricane Irene also stayed out at sea, reaching Category 3 strength before becoming extratropical in early October. The extratropical remnants of Irene made landfall in France.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
Tropical Depression Fifteen was small and well-organized as it crossed the tropical Atlantic before weakening as it moved through the northeast Caribbean and southwest North Atlantic during late September and early October. Tropical Storm Jose was a short-lived storm forming out in the open Atlantic in late October. Jose never affected land and dissipated on November 1 near the Azores. Hurricane Katrina formed in the Caribbean Sea, and made landfall in Cuba after reaching hurricane strength. The final storm of the season, Subtropical Storm Three, formed in the Atlantic Ocean on November 12 and moved north, making landfall in Nova Scotia and becoming extratropical soon after.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
The season's activity was reflected with a cumulative accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 100, which is classified as "near normal" by NOAA and is slightly higher than the 1951-2000 average of 93.2. ACE is a metric used to express the energy used by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. Therefore, storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. It is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding 39 mph (63 km/h), which is the threshold for tropical storm intensity.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Arlene
A tropical disturbance that originated in the Pacific Ocean crossed Central America and entered the Caribbean Sea in early May. The disturbance developed into a tropical depression over the northwestern Caribbean on May 6, well before the official start of the hurricane season. By the following day, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Arlene. Around 00:00 UTC on May 8, Arlene reached its minimum barometric pressure of 999 mbar (29.5 inHg). Shortly thereafter, the cyclone made landfall on the south coast of Camagüey Province in Cuba with winds of 50 mph (85 km/h).


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Arlene
Arlene weakened to a tropical depression while moving over Cuba. After emerging into the Atlantic Ocean over the Bahamas, the system re-intensified into a tropical storm late on May 8 and reached maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 km/h). However, convection soon diminished and Arlene weakened back to a tropical depression early on May 9, shortly before being absorbed by a trough. The storm caused only minimal impacts.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Two
A tropical depression formed in the Bay of Campeche on June 3. Classified as Tropical Depression Two, the system moved north-northwest, lured by a closed upper-cyclone over the southern Great Plains. Shortly before 12:00 UTC on June 5, the depression made landfall near Matagorda, Texas, with winds of 35 mph (55 km/h). Surface observations indicate that the depression's barometric pressure at landfall ranged from 991 to 996 mbar (29.3 to 29.4 inHg). Although the depression dissipated later on June 5, its remnants quickly recurved through the Mississippi Valley, and deepened as it moved off the coast of the Mid-Atlantic states into the Atlantic on June 7.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Two
The depression, in conjunction with an upper-level low, dropped heavy rainfall in the Greater Houston area, with a peak total of 15 in (380 mm) at Lake Anahuac. In Texas City, 1 to 6 in (25 to 152 mm) of water inside 16 homes forced the evacuation of their occupants, with at least 23 homes suffering water damage. Water also entered city hall. Some roads had roughly 18 in (460 mm) of standing water, stranding some motorists for hours. In Galveston, a tornado damaged forty homes and apartments, with severe damage to three homes and two apartment units.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Two
One business suffered major roof damage, while several cars were damaged at an auto dealership. The depression also spawned eight tornadoes in Louisiana. The most destructive tornado touched down in Rapides Parish, where it substantially damaged or destroyed thirty-eight cars at a dealership in Lecompte, severely damaged five homes and caused minor damage to four others, downed large trees, and tossed an 18-wheeler truck approximately 200 ft (61 m). Overall, the depression killed three people, two due to flooding and one from an associated tornado. At least $4 million in damage was caused by this depression.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Bret
A low-pressure area initially associated with a frontal system developed into a subtropical storm on June 29 while roughly 575 mi (925 km) east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The system headed westward and transitioned into Tropical Storm Bret around 06:00 UTC on June 30. Bret attained its peak intensity six hours later with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) and a minimum atmospheric pressure of 996 mbar (29.4 inHg). However, Bret rapidly weakened as it approached the Mid-Atlantic and deteriorated to a minimal tropical storm by the time it made landfall on the Delmarva Peninsula early on July 1. The cyclone dissipated over northern Virginia several hours later.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Bret
Rainfall amounts were light, with a narrow area of over 1 in (25 mm) of precipitation reported near its track and within the central Appalachians, while a peak total of 4.48 in (114 mm) was observed at Big Meadows, Virginia. Locally heavy rains in western Pennsylvania caused some basement and street flooding. No significant damage was reported, but one fatality was reported at Nags Head, North Carolina, due to riptides.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Four
A tropical disturbance moved across the Caribbean sea between July 20 and July 24 before moving across the Yucatán peninsula. After emerging into the south-central Gulf of Mexico, the disturbance organized into a tropical depression early on July 25. The depression moved west-northwest into northeast Mexico on July 26 before its surface circulation dissipated. Heavy rains fell across western Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas when the remains of this system interacted with a stationary front across the southern Plains between July 28 and July 30.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Cindy
A subtropical depression that developed along a cold front organized into Tropical Storm Cindy on August 2, in the open Atlantic midway between Bermuda and Nova Scotia. Cindy tracked east-northeast until it became extratropical on August 5 as it moved over colder water. The storm never affected land and caused no known damage.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Dennis
A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on August 5. Two days later, the wave developed into a tropical depression well south of the Cape Verde Islands. The depression intensified into a tropical storm early on August 8. However, Dennis then encountered strong wind shear, causing the storm to weaken to a tropical depression on August 11. After crossing the Windward Islands on August 12, Dennis entered the Caribbean but degenerated into a tropical wave early the following day. The wave became a tropical depression again late on August 15 while approaching Cuba.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Dennis
Dennis reintensified into a tropical storm around 00:00 UTC on August 16, just prior to landfall near Playa Girón, Matanzas Province. The cyclone emerged into the Straits of Florida hours later, before striking the Florida Keys and then mainland Monroe County early the next day. It drifted across Florida, reaching the Atlantic near Cape Canaveral on August 19. Dennis continued to intensify and made landfall near Emerald Isle, North Carolina, but moved east-northeastward and soon tracked offshore. Late on August 20, Dennis deepened into a hurricane with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h), before weakening to a tropical storm over colder waters on August 21. Dennis became extratropical northeast of Bermuda early on August 22 and persisted until being absorbed by a frontal system on August 26.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Dennis
In the Caribbean, Dennis dropped heavy precipitation on some islands, including Martinique, Saint Lucia, the Virgin Islands, and the Greater Antilles. Flooding in Jamaica left at least 50 people homeless. In Florida, heavy rain fell in many areas to the east of the storm's path. Much of southeast Florida received at least 7 in (180 mm) of precipitation, while over 25.56 in (649 mm) of rain fell in Homestead. Nearly all of Dade County was flooded to the south of Kendall Drive. Many businesses and homes in cities such as Homestead and Florida City suffered water damage.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Dennis
However, the worst damage was incurred to crops, which experienced a loss of over $17.26 million. One death and nearly $18.5 million in damage occurred in Florida. Farther north, Dennis also caused flooding in the Carolinas, inundating many streets and causing crop damage in both states. A weather-related traffic accident in South Carolina resulted in two fatalities. Twenty families in Columbus County, North Carolina, evacuated after the Waccamaw River overran its banks. Overall, Dennis left caused three deaths and about $28.5 million in damage.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Seven
This system developed over the tropical Atlantic Ocean on August 18, moving westward and then southwestward towards the Windward Islands. The depression dissipated east of Trinidad and Tobago late on August 21.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Eight
Tropical Depression Eight developed from a tropical disturbance over the Bay of Campeche on August 26. Moving northwestward, the cyclone failed to intensify into a tropical storm before making landfall in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas to the north of Tampico on August 28, with winds of 35 mph (55 km/h). After moving inland, the depression curved north-northwestward before degenerating into a surface low-pressure area near the Mexico–United States border on August 29. The remnants moved eastward across Texas and entered Louisiana before dissipating on September 1.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Eight
Although the system was only a surface low upon reaching Texas, a large thunderstorm complex developed near its center on August 29. This resulted in heavy rainfall across southeastern Texas, with a peak total of 21 in (530 mm) in Pine Springs in Fayette County, with much of that falling in only about six hours. One of the hardest hit areas was Lavaca County. At least 15 streets in downtown Hallettsville were flooded, damaging hundreds of cars, 150 to 200 homes, 75 businesses, and a few local government buildings. Five people were killed by floodwaters in Shiner.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Eight
Throughout Lavaca County, more than 286 homes were damaged or destroyed, 17 bridges and several roads were washed out, and hundreds of head of cattle were drowned. The depression spawned 14 tornadoes, one of which caused extensive damage in the Galveston area. Overall, the depression left more than $56.2 million in damage.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Emily
On September 1, a subtropical storm became Tropical Storm Emily southwest of Bermuda. Emily moved northeast, crossing the island the next day, but measured winds were below tropical storm force. The storm continued generally northeast and strengthened into a hurricane. Hurricane Emily weakened over the north Atlantic and was no longer identifiable as a weather system by September 12. Hurricane Emily caused beach erosion across the East Coast of the United States, but no other damage was reported.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Floyd
Floyd was first tracked as a tropical depression on September 3 when it organized east of the Leeward Islands. As the depression moved northwest, it caused heavy rain. The highest rainfall reported was 5.7 inches (140 mm) at Antigua. It strengthened into a tropical storm, then reached hurricane strength on September 7.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Floyd
Floyd turned to the northeast and passed just southeast of Bermuda as a weakening hurricane. As a tropical storm, Floyd moved east across the Atlantic until losing its identity on September 12.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Floyd
No damages are associated with Floyd. Although Bermuda was directly affected, the island experienced the weaker half of the storm.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Gert
A tropical wave exited western Africa on September 1, gradually developing a concentrated area of convection. Early on September 7, satellite imagery indicated that Tropical Depression Eleven formed about 400 mi (645 km) east of the Leeward Islands. The depression intensified into Tropical Storm Gert on the following day. The newly upgraded storm passed between Dominica and Guadeloupe and continued to intensify, making landfall on southeastern Puerto Rico with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) late on September 8. After emerging into the Atlantic, Gert weakened while passing just north of the Dominican Republic.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Gert
It restrengthened while turning northward near the Bahamas, becoming a hurricane on September 10. Midday on September 11, Gert peaked with winds of 105 mph (165 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 988 mbar (hPa; 29.18 inHg). The hurricane turned northeastward and weakened over cooler waters, passing about 100 mi (160 km) north of Bermuda on September 12 as a tropical storm. On September 14, Gert weakened further to tropical depression status, dissipating the next day.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Gert
While passing through the Leeward Islands, Gert dropped moderate rainfall of 5.85 in (148.5 mm) on St. Thomas. Winds gusted to 50 mph (85 km/h) on the island. In Puerto Rico, rainfall peaked at 6.02 in (153 mm) in the municipality of Maricao, flooding some highways. Several towns on the southside of the island lost electricity during the storm due to downed power lines. Gale warnings were issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands and later the southeastern Bahamas, and light rainfall occurred in the region, reaching 3.20 in (81.28 mm) on the island of San Salvador. Winds were light in Bermuda.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Harvey
Harvey formed in the central Atlantic, reaching hurricane strength only a few hours after first becoming a named system on September 12. From its initial position several hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands, Harvey moved northwest. Its path began curving more to the north, and was considered a threat to Bermuda until the continuing curve took Harvey away from the island. Harvey's track became more easterly, and the storm weakened and became extratropical as it approached the Azores. Harvey caused no reported damage, although several ships reported experiencing tropical-storm-force winds.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Thirteen
The thirteenth operationally classified tropical depression developed 275 mi (445 km) southwest of Bermuda on September 22, and was initially expected to intensify into a tropical storm. Although it failed to further intensify, Tropical Depression Thirteen brought squalls to Bermuda with winds gusts of tropical storm-force as it passed west of the island on September 23. Moving northward, the system merged with a developing extratropical cyclone south of Nova Scotia on September 24.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Irene
Satellite imagery detected a tropical disturbance off the coast of Africa on September 19. By September 23, the disturbance had developed a closed circulation and was designated as Tropical Storm Irene. The storm tracked northwest, becoming a hurricane on September 25. Irene then began to curve eastward as it gradually strengthened. On September 28, Irene strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane and reached its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). Irene then gradually weakened, weakening below hurricane strength on October 1. Early on October 2, Irene became extratropical while located north of the Azores. The remaining extratropical storm moved over France on October 3.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Depression Fifteen
This tropical depression formed southwest of the Cape Verde Islands on September 27, and tracked through the deep tropics before weakening as it moved over the Leeward Islands late on September 30. Heavy rains occurred at Guadeloupe as the system passed by the island. The depression then recurved to the south and east of Bermuda late on October 3.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Jose
Jose was a weak and short-lived tropical storm that formed far from land on October 29. It moved generally northeast before becoming subtropical and then dissipating on November 1 near the Azores.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Katrina
A tropical depression formed on November 3 in the western Caribbean Sea about 150 mi (240 km) south of the Cayman Islands. The depression moved north, reaching tropical storm strength as it moved through the Cayman Islands. Katrina continued to strengthen, reaching hurricane strength half a day before landfall in Cuba. A weakening Katrina moved across eastern Cuba on November 6. After emerging over water, the storm accelerated northeast through the Bahamas. Katrina's circulation fell apart, and the storm merged with a front on November 8.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Katrina
The storm dropped heavy rainfall in the Cayman Islands and spawned a waterspout on Grand Cayman that resulted in minor damage. In Cuba, Katrina reportedly caused widespread flood damage, especially in Camagüey Province. A total of 4,641 homes were damaged to some degree, while 39 were demolished. Two deaths also occurred in Cuba. Heavy precipitation in the Bahamas caused significant crop losses on Long Island.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Subtropical Storm Three
A frontal low over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream organized into a subtropical storm on November 12 while 400 miles (640 km) east of Jacksonville, Florida. After moving northeastward, it turned to the northwest, threatening the northeastern United States as an intensifying subtropical storm that was gradually developing tropical characteristics. A high pressure system turned it to the northeast, and after peaking at 70 mph (110 km/h) it became extratropical near Nova Scotia on November 17. The storm produced significant beach erosion and coastal flooding.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Other systems
Four additional tropical depressions formed during the season which were operationally thought to have not developed and thus went unnumbered. The first such system developed northeast of the Lesser Antilles on April 6. Moving slowly southwestward, the depression dissipated over the Anegada Passage about 24 hours later. A small craft advisory and special marine warning were issued by the National Weather Service office in San Juan, Puerto Rico. On April 19, another tropical depression formed over the southwestward Caribbean. The depression moved northeastward through the following day, before doubling-back to the southwest and dissipating by April 21.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Other systems
Another previously unnumbered tropical depression formed over the Bay of Campeche on June 17. It made landfall in Mexico south of Tampico before dissipating about two days later. A fourth unnumbered tropical depression developed near Andros on July 2. It made landfall in southeast Florida and later in South Carolina before dissipating on July 4. The depression dropped up 4 in (100 mm) of rainfall in Broward County, Florida, causing localized flooding. A waterspout-turned-tornado at Port Everglades overturned a shed and downed some power lines. Heavy precipitation also fell in South Carolina, especially in Clarendon and Sumter counties, inundating crops and flooding some cars, homes, a school, and stores in the Mayesville area.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Storm names
The following list of names was used for named storms that formed in the North Atlantic in 1981. It was the first use for all of these names since the post-1978 naming change, except for Arlene, Cindy, and Irene, which had been previously used in 1959, 1963, 1967, and 1971. There were no names retired this year; thus, the same list was used again in the 1987 season.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Season effects
This is a table of the storms in 1981 and their landfall(s), if any. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but are still storm-related. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical or a wave or low.


1981 Auburn Tigers football team
The 1981 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the NCAA Division I college football season of 1981. Competing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Pat Dye, in his first year, and played their home games at Jordan–Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of 5–6 (2–4 in the SEC).


1981 Australasian Individual Speedway Championship
The 1981 Australasian Individual Speedway Championship was the sixth annual Australasian Final for Motorcycle speedway riders from Australia and New Zealand as part of the qualification for the 1981 Speedway World Championship.


1981 Australasian Individual Speedway Championship
This was the final time the Australasian Championship was staged. It was held at the 300 metres (330 yards) Liverpool City Raceway in Sydney. The Final was easily won by six time World Champion Ivan Mauger who scored a 15-point maximum to win his second Australasian Championship. Surprisingly, Australia's leading riders Phil Crump and reigning Australian Champion Billy Sanders (who was actually riding on his home track) failed to qualify for the Overseas Final to be held at the White City Stadium in London, England. Sanders won a runoff with Crump to be the reserve rider in London.


1981 Australia Day Honours
The Australia Day Honours 1981 were announced on 26 January 1981 by the Governor General of Australia, Sir Zelman Cowen.


1981 Australia Day Honours
The Australia Day Honours are the first of the two major annual honours lists, announced on Australia Day (26 January), with the other being the Queen's Birthday Honours which are announced on the second Monday in June.


1981 Australian Drivers' Championship
The 1981 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to racing cars complying with Australian Formula 1. It was the 25th Australian Drivers' Championship. The title winner, Alfredo Costanzo was awarded the 1981 CAMS "Gold Star".


1981 Australian Drivers' Championship, Points system
Championship points were awarded at each round on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the first six finishers in each class. Additional points were awarded at each round on a 4-3-2-1 basis to the first four finishers outright, regardless of class.


1981 Australian Drivers' Championship, Points system
Where rounds were contested over more than one heat, round placings were determined by allocating points to the first 14 placegetters in each heat on a 20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis and then aggregating these points. Where more than one driver earned the same number of points the relevant round placing was awarded to the driver who was higher placed in the last heat.


1981 Australian Drivers' Championship, Championship name
The conditions for the 1981 championship were published by CAMS under the name "Australian Formula 1 Championship". Australian Motor Racing Year 1981/82 uses both Australian Drivers Championship and Australian Formula One Championship in its review of the series. Racing Car News, January 1982 uses Australian Drivers Championship. CAMS uses Australian Drivers' Championship in its historical records  and that has been followed here.


1981 Australian Endurance Championship
The 1981 Australian Endurance Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for car manufacturers, contested with Group C Touring Cars. It was the 11th circuit racing manufacturers' championship title to be awarded by CAMS and the first to carry the Australian Endurance Championship name. No driver's title was awarded in connection with this championship.


1981 Australian Endurance Championship
Toyota were awarded the championship with a maximum possible score of 36 points, from Ford on 27, with Holden, Mazda and Mitsubishi tied for third on 24 points each. Toyota's score was attained by Graeme Bailey, with three class wins, and Peter Williamson, with one. Both drove Toyota Celicas.


1981 Australian Endurance Championship, Calendar
The championship was contested over a four round series with each round staged as a single race of between 250 km and 500 km.


1981 Australian Endurance Championship, Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis for the first six places in each class at each round, but only for the position attained by the best placed car of each make. No bonus points were awarded for outright placings.


1981 Australian Endurance Championship, Championship results
Note: Each manufacturer was ranked according to its best total class pointscore, e.g. Ford was awarded second place in the championship for the 27 points attained by Ford Capris in Class B, regardless of the points scored by Ford Falcons in Class A or Ford Escorts in Classes C & D. Only the best total class pointscore result for each manufacturer is shown in the above table.


1981 Australian Film Institute Awards
The 23rd Australian Film Institute Awards (generally known as the AFI Awards) were held at the Regent Theatre, in Sydney, New South Wales on 16 September 1981. Presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI), the awards celebrated the best in Australian feature film, documentary and short film productions of 1981. The ceremony was televised in Australia on ABC for the third year running, with John Bluthal presiding over the event.


1981 Australian Film Institute Awards
Gallipoli won nine of the twelve awards it was nominated for, including Best Film. Other films with multiple nominations were Hoodwink with eight, Winter of Our Dreams and Fatty Finn with seven, The Club with five, The Survivor and Roadgames with four, Wrong Side of the Road with three, and Grendel Grendel Grendel and Wu Ting with two. Phillip Adams was the recipient of the Raymond Longford Award


1981 Australian Film Institute Awards, Winners and nominees
Gallipoli (1981) received the most feature-film nominations with twelve, winning in nine categories including Best Film, Best Achievement in Directing for Peter Weir, Best Screenplay for David Williamson, Best Achievement in Cinematography for Russell Boyd, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Mel Gibson and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Bill Hunter. Other films with multiple nominations were Hoodwink with eight, Winter of Our Dreams and Fatty Finn with seven, The Club with five, The Survivor and Roadgames with four, Wrong Side of the Road with three, and Grendel Grendel Grendel and Wu Ting with two.


1981 Australian Film Institute Awards, Winners and nominees
Individuals with multiple nominations were sound designer Peter Fenton with three for Best Sound, winning for his work on Gallipoli; sound designer Andrew Steuart received two nominations in the Best Sound category without a win; Judy Davis was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her roles in Winter of Our Dreams and Hoodwink, respectively, picking up both prizes; Wendy Weir gained two nominations for Best Achievement in Art Direction and Best Achievement in Costume Design, winning in the former category; David Williamson, who was given the Best Screenplay award, was also further nominated for his adapted screenplay of The Club in the same category.


1981 Australian Film Institute Awards, Winners and nominees, Special awards
Wrong Side of the Road received the Jury Prize. The Raymond Longford Award given to a person for their life's work in the Australian film and television industry, was presented to Australian journalist and producer Phillip Adams.


1981 Australian Formula 2 Championship
The 1981 Australian Formula 2 Championship was an Australian motor racing competition open to Australian Formula 2 racing cars. It was the 14th Australian Formula 2 Championship to be awarded by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport.


1981 Australian Formula 2 Championship
The title was won by John Smith driving a Ralt RT1 Ford.


1981 Australian Formula 2 Championship, Calendar
All rounds were staged over two heats except for the final round at Calder, which was contested as a single race.


1981 Australian Formula 2 Championship, Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis for the first six positions at each round. Where a round was contested over two heats, points were allocated on a 20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the first 14 positions in each heat and then aggregated for each driver to determine the first six positions for the round.


1981 Australian Grand Prix
The 1981 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula Pacific motor race held at Calder Park Raceway in Victoria, Australia on 8 November 1981.


1981 Australian Grand Prix
It was the forty sixth Australian Grand Prix and the first to be restricted to Formula Pacific racing cars. It was the first AGP since 1968 to feature two or more current or past World Drivers' Champions with reigning 1981 World Champion Nelson Piquet of Brazil and Australia's 1980 World Champion Alan Jones both in the field.


1981 Australian Grand Prix
The race was won by 22-year-old Roberto Moreno by over a lap from Nelson Piquet with Australian Geoff Brabham finishing third. The top three drivers all drove Ralt RT4's (13 of the 20 starters were in fact driving the 1.6L Ford powered RT4's). To actually be able to compete in the Grand Prix Moreno needed five endorsements before the race to be able to obtain his FIA Super Licence, the first endorsement coming from Calder Park Clerk of Course Ken Smith.


1981 Australian Grand Prix
Defending race winner Alan Jones failed to finish after transmission failure in his RT4 six laps from the finish while in second place. The first resident Australian driver home was another ex-Formula One driver and future touring car star Larry Perkins who finished fourth, one lap behind Moreno.


1981 Australian Masters
The 1981 Winfield Australian Masters was a professional invitational snooker tournament which took place in June 1981. The tournament was held at Tattersalls Club in Sydney, Australia between 25 June and 27 June 1981.


1981 Australian Masters
The tournament was sponsored by Winfield and had a total prize fund of $60,000. There were two qualifying groups, played on a round-robin basis, with the top two players from each group progressing to the semi-finals. The final was decided on aggregated points scored over three frames. The event was recorded for broadcast on Channel 2, with transmissions running from 8 September 1981 to 10 November 1981.


1981 Australian Masters
Eighteenth-ranked Tony Meo won his first title as a professional by defeating world number fourteen John Spencer over three frames in the final. The winning aggregate score is unknown.


1981 Australian Open
The 1981 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on grass courts at the Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia. It was the 70th edition of the Australian Open and was held from 30 November through 6 December 1981 for the women and from 24 December 1981 through 3 January 1982 for the men.


1981 Australian Open, Seniors, Men's doubles
Mark Edmondson /  Kim Warwick defeated  Hank Pfister /  John Sadri 6–3, 6–7, 6–3


1981 Australian Open, Seniors, Women's doubles
Kathy Jordan /  Anne Smith defeated  Martina Navratilova /  Pam Shriver 6–2, 7–5


1981 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Fourth-seeded Johan Kriek defeated Steve Denton 6–2, 7–6(7–1), 6–7(1–7), 6–4 in the final to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 1981 Australian Open. Brian Teacher was the defending champion, but did not compete this year.


1981 Australian Open – Men's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Johan Kriek is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1981 Australian Open – Men's Singles Qualifying
This article displays the qualifying draw for men's singles at the 1981 Australian Open.


1981 Australian Open – Women's Doubles
Betsy Nagelsen and Martina Navratilova were the defending champions but they competed with different partners that year, Nagelsen with Candy Reynolds and Navratilova with Pam Shriver.


1981 Australian Open – Women's Doubles
Nagelsen and Reynolds lost in the first round to Chris Newton and Brenda Remilton.


1981 Australian Open – Women's Doubles
Navratilova and Shriver lost in the final 6–2, 7–5 against Kathy Jordan and Anne Smith.


1981 Australian Open – Women's Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1981 Australian Open – Women's Singles
Third-seeded Martina Navratilova defeated Chris Evert 6–7(4–7), 6–4, 7–5 in the final to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 1981 Australian Open.


1981 Australian Open – Women's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Martina Navratilova is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1981 Australian Open – Women's Singles Qualifying
This article displays the qualifying draw for women's singles at the 1981 Australian Open.


1981 Australian Rally Championship
The 1981 Australian Rally Championship was a series of rallying events held across Australia. It was the 14th season in the history of the competition.


1981 Australian Rally Championship
Geoff Portman and navigator Ross Runnalls in the Datsun Stanza won the 1981 Championship.


1981 Australian Rally Championship, Season review
The 1981 season saw the Datsun Stanzas dominate the competition once more, taking out first, second and third places in the championship. It was the sixth championship for Datsun in seven years, with wins in all five rounds. The Nissan Rally Team were the only "works" supported team competing in the championship following the withdrawal of the Ford Rally and Holden Dealer teams at the end of the 1980 season. This was the final season for the Nissan Rally Team when Nissan transferred their interest to circuit racing with the turbo charged Nissan Bluebird.


1981 Australian Rally Championship, The Rallies
The five events of the 1981 season were as follows.


1981 Australian Sports Car Championship
The 1981 Australian Sports Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to Group D Production Sports Cars. It was the thirteenth Australian Sports Car Championship and the last to be restricted to cars complying with Group D regulations. The championship was won by John Latham, driving a Porsche Turbo.


1981 Australian Sports Car Championship, Schedule
The championship was contested over a four-round series with Rounds 1, 2 and 3 each staged over two heats and Round 4 run as a single race.


1981 Australian Sports Car Championship, Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis for the first six placings in each class at each round. Bonus points were awarded on a 4-3-2-1 basis for the top four placings irrespective of class at each round.


1981 Australian Sports Car Championship, Points system
Where rounds were run in multiple parts, drivers were allocated points on a 20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the first fourteen positions in each part. These points were then aggregated to determine the placings for that round.


1981 Australian Sports Sedan Championship
The 1981 Australian Sports Sedan Championship was an Australian motor racing competition for Group B Sports Sedans. It was sanctioned by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport and was the sixth Australian Sports Sedan Championship.


1981 Australian Sports Sedan Championship
Reigning champion Tony Edmonson, won his second consequtive title in the Don Elliot-owned Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV, this time fitted with an ex-Formula 5000 5.0L Chevrolet V8 engine instead of the Repco Holden V8 used in 1980. His closest competition came from the 6.0 litre Chevrolet Monza of Adelaide's John Briggs, who finished second, with Sydney's Phil Ward third in his Penthouse sponsored Holden Monaro HQ. Both the Alfa Romeo and the Chevrolet were built by Adelaide-based K&A Engineering.


1981 Australian Sports Sedan Championship
The championship was the last for Australian driver / businessman Bob Jane, who drove his Pat Purcell-built Chevrolet Monza to equal ninth in the series. Jane, who had won the Bathurst 500 on four occasions in the 1960s and had also won four Australian Touring Car Championships, retired from driving at the end of 1981 due to an ongoing back injury.


1981 Australian Sports Sedan Championship
The Sports Sedan Championship was discontinued with the introduction of the Australian GT Championship in 1982. Some Sports Sedans were converted to GT specifications and others competed in the new championship with the GT cars. The GT Championship itself lasted only until 1985 before also being disbanded. Although there would be minor Sports Sedan series contested in various Australian states, the Australian Sports Sedan Championship itself would not return to the Australian calendar until 1991.


1981 Australian Sports Sedan Championship, Points
Championship points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the top six placegetters in each round. Only the best nine round performances were counted towards each driver's championship total. For rounds run over two heats, round points were awarded on a 20–16–13–11–10–9–8–7–6–5–4–3–2–1 basis to the top 14 placegetters in each heat. The six drivers attaining the highest aggregate from the two heats were then awarded the championship points for that round. If more than one driver attained the same total, the relevant round placing was awarded to the driver who achieved the higher placing in the second heat.


1981 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1981 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Touring Cars. The championship, which was the 22nd running of the Australian Touring Car Championship, began at Symmons Plains Raceway and ended at Lakeside International Raceway after 8 rounds.


1981 Australian Touring Car Championship
Dick Johnson, using the Falcon built with the money he received after TV viewers had pledged AUD$72,000 following his crash with 'The Rock' at Bathurst the previous year (Ford Australia boss of the day Edsel Ford II had personally matched the amount dollar for dollar), won his first ATCC ahead of defending champion Peter Brock in his Holden Dealer Team Commodore. Johnson and Brock were the only drivers to win during the championship which came down to the final round on Dick's home track at Lakeside.


1981 Australian Touring Car Championship
Johnson won the race from Brock, the two battling all the way to the Chequered flag in what many believe to be one of the best ATCC races in history. Johnson later praised Brock, claiming that he had every opportunity to punt him off the road at Lakeside, while Brock also praised Johnson who held his nerve and won a clean race.


1981 Australian Touring Car Championship, Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the first six placegetters in each class at each round. Bonus points were awarded on a 4-3-2-1 basis to the top four placegetters irrespective of class at each round. Only the best seven round results could be retained by each driver.


1981 Australian Touring Car Championship, Points system
Round positions at rounds which were run in two parts were determined by allocating points on a 20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis to the first fourteen placegetters in each part. These points were then aggregated to determine the results for that round. However a different method of determining round positions was used for Round 6 at Adelaide International Raceway where points were allocated on a 20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis to the first fourteen placegetters in each class in each part.


1981 Australian Touring Car Championship, Entrants and drivers
The following entrants and drivers competed in the 1981 Australian Touring Car Championship.


1981 Australian Touring Car Championship, Results and standings, Race calendar
The 1981 Australian Touring Car Championship was contested over an eight-round series with Rounds 1, 3, 5, 7 & 8 being single race rounds and Rounds 2, 4 & 6 being two race rounds.


1981 Australian Touring Car Championship, Results and standings, Championship standings
Colin Bond, driving an under 3 litre Ford Capri took seven class wins in the first seven rounds, but did not race at the final round as he was unlikely to improve his nett score. With Dick Johnson and Peter Brock only twice failing to take the top two positions (Johnson was third at Calder, and Brock did not finish at Sandown), they were classified ahead of Bond due to the bonus points they each received for their outright placings.


1981 Australian Touring Car Championship, Results and standings, Championship standings
Note: Points which could not be retained under the "best seven rounds" rule are shown in the above table within brackets.


1981 Austrian Grand Prix
The 1981 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on 16 August 1981. It was the eleventh race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship.


1981 Austrian Grand Prix
The 53-lap race was won by Frenchman Jacques Laffite, driving a Talbot Ligier-Matra. Compatriot René Arnoux finished second in a Renault, having started from pole position, with Brazilian Nelson Piquet third in a Brabham-Ford. Piquet moved to within six points of Drivers' Championship leader, Argentine Carlos Reutemann, who finished fifth in his Williams-Ford.


1981 Austrian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
In qualifying, just like the previous year, it was an all-French front row; René Arnoux planted his turbocharged Renault on pole, alongside his teammate Alain Prost. Next was Gilles Villeneuve in his turbocharged Ferrari, Jacques Laffite in the Talbot Ligier, Carlos Reutemann and Alan Jones in the Williams cars were 5th and 6th, then Nelson Piquet in a Brabham and then Didier Pironi in the other turbocharged Ferrari.


1981 Austrian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
The Fittipaldi team was not present because they did not have enough engines.


1981 Austrian Grand Prix, Report, Race
At the start, Villeneuve got the jump on the two Renaults and led into the Hella-Licht chicane. On the next lap, Prost passed Villeneuve into the Hella-Licht; Villeneuve tried to outbrake Prost but he locked up solid and went into some runoff area; as did Reutemann. Both the Canadian and Argentine drivers were able to rejoin, but with time lost.


1981 Austrian Grand Prix, Report, Race
At the high-speed Österreichring, a power advantage paid dividends. Prost and Arnoux were able to pull away from the rest of the field. Around lap 4, Pironi (who had made a lightning start from 8th on the grid) was running 3rd, and Laffite, Piquet, Jones and eventually Reutemann had caught up to Pironi. None of them could find a way past, and were held up by Pironi for a number of laps.


1981 Austrian Grand Prix, Report, Race
In a similar situation to the Spanish Grand Prix earlier in the year, the Ferrari had more power than any of the cars behind it did, but its handling was way worse; so they were able to stay with the Ferrari. The 5 drivers battled it out, with Piquet, Laffite, Jones and Reutemann keeping with and desperately trying to find a way past Pironi, but not being able to because of the Ferrari's power pulling away on the straights; made more difficult by the fact that the scenic Österreichring was made up almost entirely of long corners and straights.


1981 Austrian Grand Prix, Report, Race
Villeneuve crashed heavily at the Bosch-Kurve on lap 12, and finally, Laffite, having already passed Piquet, managed to outbrake Pironi into the first of the Texaco bends, and then the rest of the three drivers got by as well. Prost retired from the lead with damaged suspension, and Laffite then charged after Arnoux, passing him at the second of the 2 Texaco Bends. Laffite was to hold the lead until the end, and the poor performance of the Ferrari in relation to other cars meant that Pironi managed to hold up more cars.


1981 Austrian Grand Prix, Report, Race
Laffite crossed the line, followed by Arnoux, Piquet, Jones, Reutemann (who coasted over the finish line with a dead engine) and John Watson in the carbon-fibre McLaren.


1981 Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1981 Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix was the second round of the 1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 24–26 April 1981 at the Salzburgring.


1981 Avon Championships
The 1981 Avon Championships were the tenth WTA Tour Championships, the annual tennis tournament for the best female tennis players in singles on the 1981 WTA Tour. It was held in the week of 22 March 1981, in Madison Square Garden in New York City, United States. First-seeded Martina Navratilova won the singles title and earned $100,000 first-prize money.


1981 Avon Championships, Finals, Doubles
Martina Navratilova /  Pam Shriver defeated  Barbara Potter /  Sharon Walsh, 6–0, 7–6(8–6)


1981 Avon Championships of Boston
The 1981 Avon Championships of Boston  was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Boston University Walter Brown Arena  in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States that was part of the 1981 Avon Championships circuit. It was the eighth edition of the tournament and was held from March 16 through March 22, 1981. First-seeded Chris Evert-Lloyd won the singles title and earned $30,000 first-prize money.


1981 Avon Championships of Boston, Finals, Doubles
Barbara Potter /  Sharon Walsh defeated  JoAnne Russell /  Virginia Ruzici 5–7, 6–4, 6–3


1981 Avon Championships of California
The 1981 Avon Championships of California, also known as the Avon Championships of Oakland,  was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet court at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California in the United States that was part of the 1981 Avon Championships Circuit. It was the 10th edition of the tournament and was held from February 9 through February 15, 1981. Second-seeded Andrea Jaeger won the singles title and earned $24,000 first-prize money.


1981 Avon Championships of California, Finals, Doubles
Rosemary Casals /  Wendy Turnbull defeated  Martina Navratilova /  Virginia Wade 6–1, 6–4


1981 Avon Championships of California – Singles
Second-seeded Andrea Jaeger won the title, defeating fifth-seeded Virginia Wade in the final 6–3, 6–1.


1981 Avon Championships of California – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1981 Avon Championships of Chicago
The 1981 Avon Championships of Chicago  was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the International Amphitheatre  in Chicago, Illinois in the United States that was part of the 1981 Avon Championships Circuit. It was the 10th edition of the tournament and was held from January 26 through February 1, 1981. First-seeded Martina Navratilova won the singles title and earned $35,000 first-prize money.


1981 Avon Championships of Chicago, Finals, Doubles
Martina Navratilova /  Pam Shriver defeated  Barbara Potter /  Sharon Walsh 6–3, 6–1


1981 Avon Championships of Cincinnati
The 1981 Avon Championships of Cincinnati was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio in the United States that was part of the 1981 Avon Championships Circuit. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held from January 19 through January 25, 1981. First-seeded Martina Navratilova won the singles title and earned $30,000 first-prize money.


1981 Avon Championships of Cincinnati, Finals, Doubles
Kathy Jordan /  Anne Smith defeated  Martina Navratilova /  Pam Shriver 1–6, 6–3, 6–3


1981 Avon Championships of Dallas
The 1981 Avon Championships of Dallas  was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Moody Coliseum  in Dallas, Texas in the United States that was part of the 1981 Virginia Slims World Championship Series. It was the 10th edition of the tournament and was held from March 9 through March 15, 1981. First-seeded Martina Navratilova won the singles title and earned $33,000 first-prize money.


1981 Avon Championships of Dallas, Finals, Doubles
Martina Navratilova /  Pam Shriver defeated  Kathy Jordan /  Anne Smith 	7–5, 6–4


1981 Avon Championships of Detroit
The 1981 Avon Championships of Detroit  was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Cobo Hall & Arena  in Detroit, Michigan in the United States that was part of the 1981 Avon Championships circuit. It was the tenth edition of the tournament and was held from February 2 through February 8, 1981. Unseeded Leslie Allen won the singles title and earned $24,000 first-prize money.


1981 Avon Championships of Detroit, Finals, Doubles
Rosemary Casals /  Wendy Turnbull defeated  Hana Mandlíková /  Betty Stöve 6–4, 6–2


1981 Avon Championships of Detroit – Singles
Unseeded Leslie Allen won the title, defeating top-seeded Hana Mandlíková in the final 6–4, 6–4.


1981 Avon Championships of Detroit – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1981 Avon Championships of Houston
The 1981 Avon Championships of Houston  was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Summit in Houston, Texas in the United States that was part of the 1981 Avon Championships Circuit. It was the 11th edition of the tournament and was held from February 16 through February 22, 1981. Second-seeded Hana Mandlíková won the singles title and earned $22,000 first-prize money. First-seeded Tracy Austin withdrew due to a back injury.


1981 Avon Championships of Houston, Finals, Doubles
Sue Barker /  Ann Kiyomura defeated  Regina Maršíková /  Mary Lou Piatek 5–7, 6–4, 6–3


1981 Avon Championships of Houston – Singles
Second-seeded Hana Mandlíková won the title, defeating unseeded Bettina Bunge in the final 6–4, 6–4.


1981 Avon Championships of Houston – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1981 Avon Championships of Kansas
The 1981 Avon Championships of Kansas  was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Municipal Auditorium  in Kansas City, Missouri in the United States that was part of the 1981 Virginia Slims World Championship Series. It was the third edition of the tournament and was held from January 12 through January 18, 1981. Second-seeded Andrea Jaeger won the singles title and earned $30,000 first-prize money.


1981 Avon Championships of Kansas, Finals, Doubles
Barbara Potter /  Sharon Walsh defeated  Rosemary Casals /  Wendy Turnbull 6–2, 7–6(7–4)


1981 Avon Championships of Kansas – Singles
Second-seeded Andrea Jaeger won the title, defeating top-seeded Martina Navratilova in the final 6–3, 3–6, 7–5.


1981 Avon Championships of Kansas – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1981 Avon Championships of Los Angeles
The 1981 Avon Championships of Los Angeles was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Forum in Los Angeles, California in the United States that was part of the 1981 Avon Championships circuit. It was the eighth edition of the tournament and was held from March 2 through March 8, 1981. Second-seeded Martina Navratilova won the singles title, her second consecutive and third in total at the event, and earned $30,000 first-prize money.


1981 Avon Championships of Los Angeles, Finals, Doubles
Sue Barker /  Ann Kiyomura defeated  Marita Redondo /  Peanut Louie 6–1, 4–6, 6–1


1981 Avon Championships of Seattle
The 1981 Avon Championships of Seattle  was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Seattle Center Coliseum  in Seattle, Washington in the United States that was part of the 1981 Avon Championships Circuit. It was the fifth edition of the tournament and was held from February 23 through March 1, 1981. Sixth-seeded Sylvia Hanika won the singles title and earned $24,000 first-prize money.


1981 Avon Championships of Seattle, Finals, Doubles
Rosie Casals /  Wendy Turnbull defeated  Sue Barker /  Ann Kiyomura 6–4, 6–1


1981 Avon Championships – Doubles
Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova were the defending champions, but King did not qualify for this year. Navratilova partnered with Pam Shriver and successfully defended her title, defeating Barbara Potter and Sharon Walsh 6–0, 7–6 in the final.


1981 Avon Championships – Doubles
It was the 2nd Tour Championships title and 57th overall title for Navratilova, and the 1st Tour Championships title and 11th overall title for Shriver, in their respective doubles titles. It was also the 3rd title for the pair during the season, after their wins in Chicago and Dallas.


1981 Avon Championships – Singles
Tracy Austin was the defending champion, but did not qualify this year.


1981 Avon Championships – Singles
Martina Navratilova won the title by defeating Andrea Jaeger 6–3, 7–6(7–3) in the final. It was the 3rd Tour Finals title, 5th title of the year and 50th title overall for Navratilova in her career.


1981 Avon Championships – Singles, Draw, Round Robin, Group A
Q: qualifies to semifinals. PO: advances to play-off round. Allen takes 2nd place after defeating Mandlíková


1981 Azbakiyah bombing
The 1981 Azbakiyah bombing (Arabic: تفجير الأزبكية) was a terrorist car bomb attack that rocked the densely populated al-Azbakiyah neighborhood of central Damascus in Syria on 29 November 1981. The explosion, which took place in front of a school in Baghdad Street, close to a complex of intelligence agencies, destroyed three five-story apartment buildings, and killed 64 civilians and military men. The attack was blamed on the Muslim Brotherhood which was waging an insurrection against the government of Hafez al-Assad at the time.


1981 Azbakiyah bombing
However, a group calling itself the Organisation for the Liberation of Lebanon from Foreigners claimed responsibility for the bombing. It is believed to be the same group as the Israeli-backed Front for the Liberation of Lebanon from Foreigners, which was responsible for a series of bombings in Lebanon, which killed 146 people.


1981 BC Lions season
The 1981 BC Lions finished in third place in the West Division with a 10–6 record.


1981 BC Lions season
Joe Paopao had an excellent season with 3777 yards passing and 28 passing touchdowns and running back Larry Key had 19 touchdowns in a bounceback season after missing most of the 1980 season due to injury. Wideout Ty Gray had a breakout season with 1428 yards receiving.


1981 BC Lions season
The Lions beat Winnipeg in the West Semi-Final, but fell to the Eskimos 22-16 in the Western Final when Warren Moon hit Brian Kelly for a late 4th quarter touchdown. The Western Final included a game changing officiating error involving a Devon Ford kickoff return for a Lions touchdown when the officials incorrectly stated he stepped out-of-bounds. Television replays showed he clearly did not step out-of-bounds (video replay was instituted 25 years later in 2006).


1981 BC Lions season
Running back Larry Key and centre Al Wilson made the CFL all-star team.


1981 BC Lions season
This season marked the first time in Lions history that every regular season (16 in all) and playoff game (2) was televised.


1981 BDO World Darts Championship
The 1981 Embassy World Darts Championship was the fourth year that the British Darts Organisation had staged a world championship. The field was expanded from 24 to 32 players, the format which would remain for many years. For the third successive year the tournament was staged at Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent.


1981 BDO World Darts Championship
Eric Bristow was back to defend his title and would face John Lowe the champion of two years previously in the final. The final was the best of nine sets, but there was a break scheduled after three sets where the third-fourth place play-off match would be held.


1981 BDO World Darts Championship
Lowe ran away with the first two sets without dropping a leg and took the first leg in the third set before Bristow finally got onto the scoreboard. The "Crafty Cockney" held on to take that third set to go into the break just one set behind. As in the previous year's final, Bristow edged ahead to lead 4–3 in sets and Lowe (as Bobby George did in 1980) had darts to take the match into a final set. However Lowe missed three attempts at double ten and Bristow took out double four to win the title for the second year running.


1981 BDO World Darts Championship, Prize money
There was also a 9 Dart Checkout prize of £52,000, along with a High Checkout prize of £500.


1981 BDO World Darts Championship, Results, Preliminary round
A best of three sets preliminary round match took place between Steve Brennan and Wayne Lock, as they were tied on the rankings.


1981 BDO World Darts Championship, Results, Last 32
Third place match (best of 3 sets) Cliff Lazarenko (5) 75.06 2 - 1 Tony Brown (2) 75.42


1981 BMW Championships
The 1981 BMW Championships was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne in the United Kingdom that was part of the Toyota Series category of the 1981 WTA Tour. It was the eighth edition of the tournament and was held from 15 June through 21 June 1981. First-seeded Tracy Austin won the singles title and earned $22,000 first-prize money.


1981 BMW Championships, Finals, Doubles
Martina Navratilova /  Pam Shriver defeated  Kathy Jordan /  Anne Smith 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 6–1


1981 BRDC International Trophy
The 33rd B.R.D.C. International Trophy, was the opening round of the 1981 European Championship for F2 Drivers. This was held at Silverstone, on 29 March.


1981 BRDC International Trophy, Report, Entry
A total of 46 F2 cars were entered for the event, however just 31 took part in qualifying.


1981 BRDC International Trophy, Report, Qualifying
Mike Thackwell took pole position for Ralt Racing Ltd, in their Ralt-Honda RH6/81, averaging a speed of 133.59 mph.


1981 BRDC International Trophy, Report, Race
The race was held over 47 laps on a wet Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. Mike Thackwell took the winner spoils for works Ralt team, driving their Ralt-Honda RH6/81. Thackwell won in a time of 1hr 11:44.67mins., averaging a speed of 115.23 mph. Over 30 seconds behind was the second place car, driven by Riccardo Paletti, in the March Onyx Racing Team’s March-BMW 812. The podium was completed by another Italian, Corrado Fabi, in his Roloil Marlboro Racing/March Racing Ltd-entered March-BMW 812, albeit one lap adrift.


1981 BYU Cougars football team
The 1981 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University (BYU) in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by 10th-year head coach LaVell Edwards and played their home games at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. The team competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, winning their sixth consecutive conference title with a conference record of 7–1. BYU was invited to the 1981 Holiday Bowl, where they defeated Washington State. They were ranked 13th in the final AP Poll with an overall record of 11–2.


1981 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, Utah
Jim McMahon passes for 565 yards and becomes the NCAA's career leader in the category.


1981 Badminton World Cup
The 1981 Badminton World Cup was the third edition of an international tournament Badminton World Cup. The event was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 7 October to 11 October 1981. Competitions for doubles were not conducted. India won men's singles event while China won women's singles event.


1981 Bahraini coup d'état attempt
After Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in Iran in 1979, Tehran made clear its intention to spread its Islamic Revolution throughout the Muslim world. However, the Sunni government of Bahrain oppressed the country's Shia majority long before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran; for example, journalist Saeed Al-Uwainati and medical doctor Mohammed Gholoom were both tortured to death by the regime's security forces in 1976. Established with the help of the British (including Ian Henderson), since 1974, the State Security Law allowed torture against mass opposition to the ruling regime.


1981 Bahraini coup d'état attempt
One of the most dramatic manifestations of answer to such strategy was the failed alleged coup d'état by militants in 1981. The Bahraini regime alleged they were operating under the auspices of the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain.


1981 Ball State Cardinals football team
The 1981 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its fourth season under head coach Dwight Wallace, the team compiled a 4–7 record (2–6 against MAC opponents) and finished in eighth place out of ten teams in the conference. The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.


1981 Ball State Cardinals football team
The team's statistical leaders included Doug Freed with 1,517 passing yards, Terry Lymon with 633 rushing yards, Stevie Nelson with 635 receiving yards, and Mike Schafer with 49 points scored.


1981 Ballon d'Or
The 1981 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on 29 December 1981.


1981 Ballymena Borough Council election
Elections to Ballymena Borough Council were held on 20 May 1981 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used four district electoral areas to elect a total of 21 councillors.


1981 Ballymena Borough Council election, Districts results, Area A
1977: 2 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Independent1981: 2 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Independent1977-1981 Change: No change


1981 Ballymena Borough Council election, Districts results, Area B
1977: 4 x DUP, 2 x UUP1981: 4 x DUP, 2 x UUP1977-1981 Change: No change


1981 Ballymena Borough Council election, Districts results, Area C
1977: 3 x DUP, 2 x Independent Unionist1981: 4 x DUP, 1 x UUP1977-1981 Change: DUP and UUP gain from Independent Unionist (two seats)


1981 Ballymena Borough Council election, Districts results, Area D
1977: 2 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent, 1 x Independent Unionist1981: 3 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Independent, 1 x Independent Unionist1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from Alliance


1981 Ballymoney Borough Council election
Elections to Ballymoney Borough Council were held on 20 May 1981 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used three district electoral areas to elect a total of 16 councillors.


1981 Ballymoney Borough Council election, Districts results, Area A
1977: 2 x DUP, 2 x UUP1981: 2 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance1977-1981 Change: Alliance gain from UUP


1981 Ballymoney Borough Council election, Districts results, Area B
1977: 3 x UUP, 3 x SDLP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent1981: 3 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 2 x SDLP, 1 x Independent1977-1981 Change: DUP (two seats) gain from UUP and SDLP


1981 Ballymoney Borough Council election, Districts results, Area C
1977: 2 x Independent, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Unionist1981: 2 x DUP, 2 x Independent1977-1981 Change: DUP (two seats) gain from Alliance and Independent Unionist


1981 Baltimore Colts season
The 1981 Baltimore Colts season was the 29th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). The Colts finished the NFL's 1981 season with a record of 2 wins and 14 losses, tied for fourth in the AFC East division with the New England Patriots, and also tied for the second worst record in the league. However, the Colts finished ahead of New England in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2–0). The victories over New England occurred on the first and last games of the season; Baltimore lost 14 games in between victories. They also won the two games by a combined 3 points, winning 29–28 the first time, and 23–21 the second time.


1981 Baltimore Colts season
The Colts’ defense had one of the worst seasons in NFL history, setting records for points (533) and yards (6,793) allowed. (The yardage record was later surpassed by the 2012 New Orleans Saints, who allowed 7,042.) The Colts gave up more than twice as many points as they scored (259). Conversely, the Patriots, with whom they were tied in the AFC East, only gave up 48 more points than they scored. The Colts’ pass defense surrendered a staggering 8.19 yards-per-dropback, the most surrendered by any team in NFL history.


1981 Baltimore Colts season
The Colts’ -274 point differential (points scored vs. points allowed) is the second-worst since the 1970 merger, second only to the 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who finished 0–14 (ironically, the next year's Colts team went winless as well). The 1981 Colts are the first of only two NFL teams since 1940 to suffer eleven losses in a season during which they never had a lead. The Colts allowed 40 points in 4 separate games during the season, which is still an NFL record.


1981 Baltimore Colts season
The season included a bizarre incident in which, during the Colts’ 38–13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on November 15, team owner Bob Irsay called plays from the coaches’ booth. Quarterback Bert Jones told Sports Illustrated in 1986:


1981 Baltimore Colts season
[ Irsay] couldn’t have told you how many players there were on the field, never mind what plays we had. All he was trying to do was embarrass the coaches and the players. When he told me to run, I threw. When he told me to throw left, I ran right.


1981 Baltimore Orioles season
The 1981 Baltimore Orioles season was the franchise's 28th season based in Baltimore and 81st overall season as a member of the American League. Games were suspended for 50 days due to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, causing a split season. The Orioles competed as members of the American League East, finishing second in the first half of the season and fourth in the second half of the season; their overall record was 59 wins and 46 losses. The Orioles hit five grand slams, the most in MLB in 1981.


1981 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In


1981 Banbridge District Council election
Elections to Banbridge District Council were held on 20 May 1981 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used two district electoral areas to elect a total of 15 councillors.


1981 Banbridge District Council election, Districts results, Area A
1977: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Independent Nationalist, 1 x Independent Unionist1981: 3 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Independent Nationalist1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from Independent Unionist


1981 Banbridge District Council election, Districts results, Area B
1977: 5 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x SDLP1981: 5 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x SDLP1977-1981 Change: No change


1981 Bandy World Championship
The 1981 Bandy World Championship was the 12th Bandy World Championship and was contested between four men's bandy playing nations. The championship was played in Khabarovsk in the Soviet Union from 7 February-15 February 1981. Sweden became champions for the first time. The Soviet Union had won all previous championships.


1981 Bandy World Championship squads
Below are the squads for the 1981 Bandy World Championship final tournament in Soviet Union.


1981 Bangladeshi presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Bangladesh on 15 November 1981. The result was a victory for the incumbent acting President Abdus Sattar of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who received 65.5% of the vote, beating his principal challenger Kamal Hossain of the Awami League. Voter turnout was 56.5%.


1981 Bangladeshi presidential election, Background
In May 1981 the President Ziaur Rahman was assassinated by a faction of officers of the Bangladesh Army. Following the assassination Vice President Abdus Sattar automatically became the acting President of Bangladesh, despite being in hospital at the time. Speaking to foreign reporters in Bangabhaban on 4 June, Satter announced that in line with the constitution, elections would be held within 180 days of the death of the former president, to "foil any conspiracy to disturb the democratic process in the country."


1981 Bangladeshi presidential election, Campaign
According to the New York Times, much of the campaign revolved around the legacy of the two late leaders of the BNP and Awami League, Ziaur Rahman and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On the day before the elections, the newspaper reported "Despite the lively participation of 26 candidates, the Bangladesh presidential election campaign that ended here today has been dominated almost entirely by the auras of two dead adversaries.


1981 Bangladeshi presidential election, Campaign
The two - Sheik Mujibur Rahman, who led the country to independence and was killed in 1975, and Gen. Ziaur Rahman, who governed for five years until he was murdered by army officers last May 30 - were the centerpieces at huge rallies that the two major parties staged here in the capital."


1981 Bangladeshi presidential election, Aftermath
Sattar was overthrown in a bloodless coup d'état in March 1982 by the Army Chief of Staff, Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who assumed the Presidency in 1983, until being deposed himself in a popular mass uprising in 1990.


1981 Barbadian general election
General elections were held in Barbados on 18 June 1981. The result was a victory for the ruling Barbados Labour Party, which won 17 of the 27 seats. Voter turnout was 71.6%.


1981 Barbadian general election
This was the first election to take place after the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act (1980) had increased the number of seats in the House of Assembly of Barbados from 24 to 27, the first such expansion since 1843.


1981 Barrington Tops Cessna 210 disappearance
The 1981 Barrington Tops Cessna 210 disappearance relates to the mysterious disappearance of a Cessna 210 flying from Whitsunday Coast Airport to Bankstown Airport via Gold Coast Airport. The last known contact with the aircraft was in the Barrington Tops area. Nothing further was heard and no trace of the aircraft or its occupants has so far been found despite extensive searches.


1981 Barrington Tops Cessna 210 disappearance, Accident
VH-MDX was a Cessna 210 which disappeared in New South Wales, Australia in 1981. No trace of the aircraft, or occupants, has ever been found.


1981 Barrington Tops Cessna 210 disappearance, Background
VH-MDX was chartered by four Sydney workmates for a flight back from the Whitsunday Coast Airport on Sunday 9 August 1981. The men had been sailing in the Whitsunday Passage. MDX stopped to refuel at Gold Coast Airport near Coolangatta and took off again at 5:02 p.m. The pilot had submitted a flight plan following the coast to Taree thence inland via Craven and Singleton to Bankstown, a suburb of Sydney.


1981 Barrington Tops Cessna 210 disappearance, Disappearance
Shortly after passing waypoint Craven (), the pilot reported excessive turbulence and downdraft, and that the aircraft's artificial horizon and gyroscopic direction indicator had failed. At that time, the aircraft was identified by radar to be 45 nmi (83 km) from RAAF Base Williamtown near the Barrington Tops, or about 40 km (22 nmi; 25 mi) north-west of its planned track. The aircraft's subsequent course is not clear, but the pilot reported ice accumulation and difficulty in gaining altitude. His final transmission at 19:39 EST indicated that he was at 5,000 feet (1,500 m).


1981 Barrington Tops Cessna 210 disappearance, Searches
There have been many air-based and ground-based searches since the disappearance. Technologies employed include satellite imagery, aerial photography, magnetometry and chemical sampling of water downstream from the search area.


1981 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1981 followed the system in place since 1978. The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from recent major league players and elected Bob Gibson. The Veterans Committee met in closed sessions to consider older major league players as well as managers, umpires, executives, and figures from the Negro leagues. It selected Rube Foster and Johnny Mize. Foster would be one of two people from the Negro leagues elected in seventeen years, before introduction of a separate ballot in 1995. A formal induction ceremony was held in Cooperstown, New York, on August 2, 1981, with Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn presiding.


1981 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
The BBWAA was authorized to elect players active in 1961 or later, but not after 1975; the ballot included candidates from the 1980 ballot who received at least 5% of the vote but were not elected, along with selected players, chosen by a screening committee, whose last appearance was in 1975. All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to vote.


1981 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Voters were instructed to cast votes for up to 10 candidates; any candidate receiving votes on at least 75% of the ballots would be honored with induction to the Hall. The ballot consisted of 39 players; a total of 401 ballots were cast, with 301 votes required for election. A total of 3,026 individual votes were cast, an average of 7.55 per ballot. Those candidates receiving less than 5% of the vote will not appear on future BBWAA ballots, but may eventually be considered by the Veterans Committee.


1981 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Candidates who were eligible for the first time are indicated here with a dagger (†). The one candidate who received at least 75% of the vote and were elected is indicated in bold italics; candidates who have since been elected in subsequent elections are indicated in italics. The 17 candidates who received less than 5% of the vote, thus becoming ineligible for future BBWAA consideration, are indicated with an asterisk (*).


1981 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Ted Kluszewski was on the ballot for the 15th and final time.


1981 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
The newly-eligible players included 18 All-Stars, three of whom were not included on the ballot, representing a total of 71 All-Star selections. Among the new candidates were 11-time All-Star Harmon Killebrew, 9-time All-Star Juan Marichal, 8-time All-Star Bob Gibson, 7-time All-Star Thurman Munson and 5-time All-Star Leo Cárdenas. The field included three MVPs (Gibson, Killebrew and Munson), two Cy Young Award winners (Bob Gibson, who won twice while receiving MVP in one of those years, and Jim Perry) and one Rookie of the Year (Munson).


1981 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Players eligible for the first time who were not included on the ballot were: Ed Brinkman, Danny Cater, Tom Egan, Bob Locker, Tommy McCraw, Jim Merritt, Gene Michael, Orlando Peña, Paul Popovich, Eddie Watt, Walt Williams and Clyde Wright.


1981 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, J. G. Taylor Spink Award
Joe Reichler (1915–1988) and Milton Richman (1922–1986) received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award honoring baseball writers. The awards were voted at the December 1980 meeting of the BBWAA, and included in the summer 1981 ceremonies.


1981 Bavarian Tennis Championships
The 1981 Bavarian Tennis Championships was a men's Grand Prix Tennis Circuit tournament held in Munich, West Germany which was played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 65th edition of the tournament and was held form 18 May through 24 May 1981. Chris Lewis won the singles title.


1981 Bavarian Tennis Championships, Finals, Singles
Chris Lewis defeated  Christophe Roger-Vasselin 4–6, 6–2, 2–6, 6–1, 6–1


1981 Bavarian Tennis Championships, Finals, Doubles
David Carter /  Paul Kronk defeated  Eric Fromm /  Shlomo Glickstein 6–3, 6–4


1981 Bavarian Tennis Championships – Doubles
Heinz Günthardt and Bob Hewitt were the defending champions, but did not participate this year.


1981 Bavarian Tennis Championships – Doubles
David Carter and Paul Kronk won the title, defeating Eric Fromm and Shlomo Glickstein 6–3, 6–4 in the final.


1981 Bavarian Tennis Championships – Singles
Rolf Gehring was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals this year.


1981 Bavarian Tennis Championships – Singles
Chris Lewis won the title, defeating Christophe Roger-Vasselin 4–6, 6–2, 2–6, 6–1, 6–1 in the final.


1981 Baylor Bears football team
The 1981 Baylor Bears football team represented Baylor University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Bears finished the season sixth in the Southwest Conference. In the Battle of the Brazos, the Bears beat Texas A&M for the fourth consecutive season. It was the longest winning streak the Bears had in the rivalry.


1981 Baylor Bears football team, Team players drafted into the NFL
The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.


1981 Belfast City Council election
Elections to Belfast City Council were held on 20 May 1981 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used nine district electoral areas to elect a total of 51 councillors, most representing the more heavily populated north and west.


1981 Belfast City Council election
The DUP became the largest party, overtaking the UUP, while Grace Bannister from the UUP became the first female Lord Mayor.


1981 Belfast City Council election, District results, Area A
1977: 2 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x SDLP1981: 3 x DUP, 3 x UUP, 1 x Alliance1977-1981 Change: DUP and UUP gain from Alliance and SDLP


1981 Belfast City Council election, District results, Area B
1977: 3 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x UPNI1981: 2 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UPNI1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from UUP


1981 Belfast City Council election, District results, Area C
1977: 3 x Alliance, 2 x UUP, 1 x UPNI1981: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 2 x DUP1977-1981 Change: DUP (two seats) gain from Alliance and UPNI


1981 Belfast City Council election, District results, Area D
1977: 4 x SDLP, 1 x Republican Clubs, 1 x Alliance1981: 3 x SDLP, 1 x People's Democracy, 1 x IRSP, 1 x Independent Socialist1977-1981 Change: People's Democracy and IRSP gain from Republican Clubs and Alliance, Independent Socialist leaves SDLP


1981 Belfast City Council election, District results, Area E
1977: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent, 1 x Independent Unionist1981: 2 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x PUP, 1 x Anti H-Block1977-1981 Change: DUP and Anti H-Block gain from Alliance and Independent, Independent Unionist joins PUP


1981 Belfast City Council election, District results, Area F
1977: 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Republican Clubs, 1 x Alliance1981: 2 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP, 1 x IRSP, 1 x Alliance1977-1981 Change: DUP and IRSP gain from UUP and Republican Clubs


1981 Belfast City Council election, District results, Area G
1977: 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Republican Clubs, 1 x Alliance1981: 2 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x IRSP, 1 x UDP1977-1981 Change: DUP, IRSP and UDP gain from UUP, Republican Clubs and Alliance


1981 Belfast City Council election, District results, Area H
1977: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent Unionist1981: 2 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Unionist1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from Alliance


1981 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1981 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on 17 May 1981. It was the last of 12 victories for Carlos Reutemann and the last win for an Argentine driver, as of 2021.


1981 Belgian Grand Prix, Mechanic safety and chaotic first race
The race was marred by two serious incidents involving mechanics, one fatal. In Friday practice a mechanic from the Osella team, Giovanni Amadeo, stumbled off the pitwall into the path of the Williams of Carlos Reutemann. Reutemann was unable to avoid the mechanic, who suffered a fractured skull. He died from his injuries on the Monday after the race. Before the start of the race the mechanics of all the teams staged a protest over the safety measures protecting them, which was soon joined by several drivers (Villeneuve, Prost, Laffite, Pironi and Scheckter) who left their cars.


1981 Belgian Grand Prix, Mechanic safety and chaotic first race
According to 1976 World Champion James Hunt who was commentating live for BBC in Sunday Grandstand, the protest was largely over the narrow pits at Zolder and that the pits were overcrowded, especially with people who were nothing more than 'hangers on' who were there to be seen and not for the actual racing.


1981 Belgian Grand Prix, Mechanic safety and chaotic first race
The race organisers nevertheless flagged the warm-up lap at the normal time, leaving several cars delayed on the grid, either stalled or with their cockpits vacant. The resulting chaos when the grid formed up again at the end of this lap was exacerbated when Nelson Piquet missed his starting position and was sent round on another lap, with the other cars being held in position. As the cars began to overheat, several drivers turned off their engines, among them Arrows driver Riccardo Patrese, expecting another formation lap due to Piquet's error.


1981 Belgian Grand Prix, Mechanic safety and chaotic first race
However, the organisers began the start sequence as usual once Piquet had regained his position. Patrese was unable to restart his car and waved his arms to signal that he could not take the start. His mechanic, Dave Luckett, came onto the track to restart the car from behind. As he did so, the Clerk of the Course had already started the lighting sequence to start the race, and the race went ahead despite his presence and Patrese's gesticulations. The other Arrows driver, Siegfried Stohr, ploughed into the back of his teammate's car, hitting Luckett.


1981 Belgian Grand Prix, Mechanic safety and chaotic first race
Luckett suffered a broken leg and lacerations but survived the incident. The race continued, and as the field was about to start the second lap, Stohr's disabled car was still on the circuit, and some of the furious marshals, who did not have the official authority to stop the race jumped onto the track and frantically waved at the drivers to stop while the cars passed by with very little space on the narrow track. The confused drivers waved back at the marshals, and on the next lap the drivers did stop at their own accord.


1981 Belgian Grand Prix, Mechanic safety and chaotic first race
As a result of these events, a new rule was introduced forbidding mechanics from being on the grid within fifteen seconds of the formation lap, and the race starter would use greater caution.


1981 Belgian Grand Prix, Race report
In the race, Reutemann was passed by Didier Pironi going into the first corner. Then Alan Jones nudged off Nelson Piquet at the early stages of the race and Piquet crashed into some catch fencing at the chicane. A few laps later, Jones's gearbox failed, and he ploughed into the barriers and badly burned his left thigh after the gearbox oil leaked into his cockpit. Following Jones's retirement, Piquet, still furious after their previous incident, stormed to the Williams garage and had an altercation with Jones and the Williams personnel. Pironi had fallen back and after Jones's accident, Reutemann took the lead, keeping it until the race was called off early because of rain starting to fall on the track. It was his second victory of the season and the 12th and ultimately final victory of his career.


1981 Belgian International Championships
The 1981 Belgian International Championships was a men's tennis tournament staged at the Leopold Club in Brussels, Belgium that was part of the Grand Prix circuit. The tournament was played on outdoor clay courts and was held from 8 June until 14 June 1981. It was the tenth and last edition of the tournament and third-seeded Marko Ostoja won the singles title.


1981 Belgian International Championships, Finals, Doubles
Ricardo Cano /  Andrés Gómez defeated  Carlos Kirmayr /  Cássio Motta 6–2, 6–2


1981 Belgian general election
General elections were held in Belgium on 8 November 1981. Voter turnout was 94.5% in the Chamber election and 94.6% in the Senate election. Elections were also held for the nine provincial councils and for the Council of the German Cultural Community. They were the first elections after the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18. This contributed to the success of the socialist parties and the green parties (Agalev and Ecolo). The traditionally largest Christian People's Party saw significant losses, with only 43 of the 212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives.


1981 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1981 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix was the ninth round of the 1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 3–5 July 1981 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.


1981 Benson & Hedges Championships
The 1981 Benson & Hedges Championships was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Wembley Arena in London, England that was part of the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix. It was the sixth edition of the tournament and was held from 9 November until 14 November 1981. Second-seeded Jimmy Connors won the singles title.


1981 Benson & Hedges Championships, Finals, Singles
Jimmy Connors defeated  John McEnroe 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2


1981 Benson & Hedges Championships, Finals, Doubles
Ferdi Taygan /  Sherwood Stewart defeated  John McEnroe /  Peter Fleming 7–5, 6–7, 6–4


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup
The 1981 Benson & Hedges Cup was the tenth competing of cricket’s Benson & Hedges Cup.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final
The 1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final was a one-day cricket match between Surrey County Cricket Club and Somerset County Cricket Club played on 25 July 1981 at Lord's in London. It was the tenth final of the Benson & Hedges Cup. Surrey had previously won the tournament in 1974, and were losing finalists in 1979. It was Somerset's debut appearance in the competition's final, though they had twice appeared in the final of England's other one-day tournament, the Gillette Cup.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final
After winning the toss, Somerset captain Brian Rose opted to bowl first. Surrey scored 194 runs from their full allocation of 55 overs, during which their captain, Roger Knight, top-scored, with 92 runs. Somerset's West Indian bowler Joel Garner was particularly miserly, taking five wickets and allowing just fourteen runs from his eleven overs. In their response, Somerset lost both openers cheaply, but another West Indian, Viv Richards, dominated the batting and scored 132 not out to help Somerset ease to a seven-wicket victory with more than ten overs remaining. Somerset claimed their maiden Benson & Hedges Cup title, and Richards was named as man of the match.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final, Background
The Benson & Hedges Cup was established in 1972; the third one-day cricket tournament in England, after the Gillette Cup (established in 1963) and the John Player League (established in 1969). It was considered less prestigious than the Gillette Cup; ESPNcricinfo described it as "the League Cup final to the Gillette's FA Cup". Surrey County Cricket Club had twice previously reached the Benson & Hedges Cup Final; they won the competition in 1974, and were runners-up in 1979. Surrey had also finished as runners-up in the 1980 Gillette Cup Final.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final, Background
Somerset County Cricket Club had never previously appeared in the Benson & Hedges Cup Final. In the 1979 tournament, Somerset had tried to manipulate their way out of the group stage by declaring after one over of their match against Worcestershire. As a result, Somerset were disqualified from that year's competition. They subsequently won both the 1979 Gillette Cup Final and the 1979 John Player League.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final, Route to the final
Somerset played in Group C, alongside Essex, Glamorgan, Kent and a combined Oxford & Cambridge Universities team. After losing their opening match to Essex by 38 runs, they won their remaining three matches to qualify second in their group. They were level on points with Kent in first, but trailed them by bowling strike rate. Somerset travelled to Yorkshire in the quarter-finals. After restricting their opponents to 221 runs, half-centuries from both openers, Brian Rose and Peter Denning, helped Somerset to a three-wicket victory. In their semi-final, Somerset hosted Kent, and put in an all-round good bowling performance to dismiss them for 154. Peter Roebuck scored an unbeaten half-century, but Somerset were propelled to victory by a quick 42 from Nigel Popplewell at the end of the innings.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final, Route to the final
In Group D, Surrey faced Hampshire, Middlesex, a combined Minor Counties team and Sussex. The group matches suffered badly from the weather; four of the ten games had no result. Surrey lost their opening match to Sussex, and then had wash-outs against both Hampshire and Middlesex. A victory over the Minor Counties, allied with results elsewhere going their way, saw Surrey progress to the quarter-finals second in their group. Surrey batted first against Nottinghamshire in their quarter-final, and 70 runs from Roger Knight helped them score 226, and go on to win by 47 runs. Hosting Leicestershire in the semi-finals, Surrey once again batted first, and scored 191. In a tight match, they bowled Leicestershire out for 188, three runs short of victory, with one ball remaining, to secure their place in the final.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final, Match, Summary
The final was played in front of a crowd of 21,130 people at Lord's on 25 July. Somerset captain Rose won the toss on an overcast morning and chose to field first. Heavy rain in the week leading up to the match meant that the outfield was slow, making scoring difficult early in the day. Surrey started slowly; after the first ten overs they were seven for one, having lost Jack Richards. They added another eight runs in the next eight overs, and lost their other opener, Grahame Clinton.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final, Match, Summary
Somerset's bowlers were partly credited for the start; Ian Botham was extracting a lot of swing from some of his deliveries, while the Times journalist John Woodcock praised Joel Garner as being "notoriously difficult to get away". Geoff Howarth, one of Surrey's overseas players, was described as "out of form" in the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack summary of the match, and scored 16 runs.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final, Match, Summary
Early in his innings, the Surrey captain Knight struggled against Somerset's fast-medium pace bowlers; he frequently missed balls which passed outside his off stump, but he settled in against the slower bowlers, and scored 92 runs before being caught behind off the bowling of Garner. In all, Garner collected five wickets; four of them coming towards the end of the innings. He also conceded fourteen runs from his eleven overs, the best economy rate of any bowler in the match; Scyld Berry of The Observer described him as "the world's most dangerous bowler in the one-day game".


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final, Match, Summary
Monte Lynch and Sylvester Clarke both batted more aggressively for Surrey in the afternoon, when the sun helped make scoring a little easier, but neither batted long enough to make a significant impact on the score: Lynch struck a six and two fours during his 22, while Clarke scored 15 before being caught by a diving effort from Popplewell. Surrey completed their 55 overs on 194 for eight, setting Somerset a target of 195 runs to win.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final, Match, Summary
In their response, Somerset lost both openers cheaply within the first three overs; Rose scored five, while Denning was dismissed without scoring. This brought Richards and Roebuck to the crease. The loss of the early wickets meant that Richards had to play carefully initially; former England international Len Hutton noted that sometimes Richards had a tendency to get over ambitious, and "gets himself out", but he successfully negotiated the early aggressive bowling from Clarke. Roebuck played a secondary role; allowing Richards to do the majority of the batting.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final, Match, Summary
The pair put on a century partnership before Roebuck was dismissed for 22 off the bowling of Knight. Botham then joined Richards in the middle, and the two batted with freedom, untroubled by the Surrey bowling. Richards did not stop when he reached his century, and remained 132 not out when Somerset reached their target, with seven wickets and 63 balls remaining. Richards was named as man of the match for his performance, which Berry described as "the only batting that rose above a subdued occasion". Richards' score of 132 not out, and Garner's bowling figures of five for 14 were both records in a Benson & Hedges Cup final.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final, Aftermath
Somerset were awarded £8,500 for winning the competition, while Surrey collected £3,500. Teams in the competition also collected £350 for each group stage victory, taking Somerset's earnings up to £9,550 and Surrey's to £3,850. As man of the match, Richards collected £300 prize money.


1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final, Aftermath
Clarke, who played through injury for Surrey in the final, missed most of the remainder of the season for Surrey. Wisden partly attributed Surrey's late season struggles to his injury; appearing in the Benson & Hedges Cup final was the highlight of their season. In contrast, Wisden said that "Somerset's story of success continued resoundingly in 1981". Along with their Benson & Hedges Cup victory, they finished second in the John Player League and third in the County Championship. Somerset won the competition again in 1982, beating Nottinghamshire by nine wickets in the final. Surrey did not reach the final again until 1997.


1981 Benson and Hedges Open
The 1981 Benson and Hedges Open was a men's professional tennis tournament held at the Stanley Street Tennis Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand which was part of the 1981 Grand Prix circuit. It was the 14th edition of the tournament and was held from 5 January through 11 January 1981. First-seeded Bill Scanlon won the singles title.


1981 Benson and Hedges Open, Finals, Singles
Bill Scanlon defeated  Tim Wilkison 6–7, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6, 6–0


1981 Benson and Hedges Open, Finals, Doubles
Ferdi Taygan /  Tim Wilkison defeated  Tony Graham /  Bill Scanlon 7–5, 6–1


1981 Benson and Hedges Open – Singles
First-seeded Bill Scanlon defeated Tim Wilkison 6–7, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6, 6–0 to win the 1981 Heineken Open singles competition. John Sadri was the champion but did not defend his title.


1981 Benson and Hedges Open – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.