1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10
The 1981 Giro d'Italia was the 64th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro began in Trieste, with a prologue individual time trial on 13 May, and Stage 10 occurred on 25 May with a stage to Cascia. The race finished in Verona on 7 June.


1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10, Prologue
13 May 1981 — Trieste, 6.6 km (4.1 mi) (ITT)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10, Stage 1a
14 May 1981 — Trieste to Bibione, 100 km (62 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10, Stage 1b
14 May 1981 — Lignano Sabbiadoro to Bibione, 15 km (9.3 mi) (TTT)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10, Stage 2
15 May 1981 — Bibione to Ferrara, 211 km (131 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10, Stage 3
16 May 1981 — Bologna to Recanati, 255 km (158 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10, Stage 4
18 May 1981 — Recanati to Lanciano, 214 km (133 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10, Stage 5
19 May 1981 — Marina di San Vito to Rodi Garganico, 180 km (110 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10, Stage 6
20 May 1981 — Rodi Garganico to Bari, 225 km (140 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10, Stage 7
21 May 1981 — Bari to Potenza, 143 km (89 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10, Stage 8
22 May 1981 — Sala Consilina to Cosenza, 202 km (126 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10, Stage 9
23 May 1981 — Cosenza to Reggio Calabria, 230 km (140 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Prologue to Stage 10, Stage 10
25 May 1981 — Rome to Cascia, 166 km (103 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22
The 1981 Giro d'Italia was the 64th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro began in Trieste, with a prologue individual time trial on 13 May, and Stage 11 occurred on 26 May with a stage from Cascia. The race finished in Verona on 7 June.


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22, Stage 11
26 May 1981 — Cascia to Arezzo, 199 km (124 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22, Stage 12
27 May 1981 — Arezzo to Livorno Montenero, 224 km (139 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22, Stage 13
28 May 1981 — Empoli to Montecatini Terme, 35 km (22 mi) (ITT)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22, Stage 14
29 May 1981 — Montecatini Terme to Salsomaggiore Terme, 224 km (139 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22, Stage 15
30 May 1981 — Salsomaggiore Terme to Pavia, 198 km (123 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22, Stage 16
31 May 1981 — Milan to Mantua, 173 km (107 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22, Stage 17
1 June 1981 — Mantua to Borno, 215 km (134 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22, Stage 18
2 June 1981 — Borno to Dimaro, 127 km (79 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22, Stage 19
4 June 1981 — Dimaro to San Vigilio di Marebbe, 208 km (129 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22, Stage 20
5 June 1981 — San Vigilio di Marebbe to Tre Cime di Lavaredo, 100 km (62 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22, Stage 21
6 June 1981 — Auronzo di Cadore to Arzignano, 197 km (122 mi)


1981 Giro d'Italia, Stage 11 to Stage 22, Stage 22
7 June 1981 — Soave to Verona, 42 km (26 mi) (ITT)


1981 Giro del Trentino
The 1981 Giro del Trentino was the fifth edition of the Tour of the Alps cycle race and was held on 5 May to 7 May 1981. The race started and finished in Arco. The race was won by Roberto Visentini.


1981 Giro di Lombardia
The 1981 Giro di Lombardia was the 75th edition of the Giro di Lombardia cycle race and was held on 17 October 1981. The race started in Milan and finished in Como. The race was won by Hennie Kuiper of the DAF Trucks team.


1981 Golbaf earthquake
The 1981 Golbaf earthquake occurred on June 11 at 10:54:25 local time with a moment magnitude of 6.6 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII+ (Severe). Total damage was considered moderate and amounted to $5 million in financial losses, with many injured, and 1,400–3,000 killed.


1981 Governor General's Awards
Each winner of the 1981 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.


1981 Governor General's Awards
The 1981 awards were the first time that separate awards were presented for poetry and drama, which had previously competed in a single "poetry or drama" category.


1981 Grambling State Tigers football team
The 1981 Grambling State Tigers football team represented Grambling State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season.


1981 Grand Marnier Tennis Games
The 1981 Grand Marnier Tennis Games was a men's professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the eighth edition of the tournament and was part of the Super Series of the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix. It was played at the La Quinta Resort and Club in La Quinta, California in the United States and was held from February 16 through February 22, 1981. First-seeded Jimmy Connors won the singles title.


1981 Grand Marnier Tennis Games, Finals, Doubles
Bruce Manson /  Brian Teacher defeated  Terry Moor /  Eliot Teltscher 7–6, 6–2


1981 Grand Marnier Tennis Games – Doubles
Bruce Manson and Brian Teacher won in the final 7–6, 6–2 against Terry Moor and Eliot Teltscher.


1981 Grand Marnier Tennis Games – Singles
Jimmy Connors won in the final 6–3, 7–6 against Ivan Lendl.


1981 Grand National
BBC commentator Peter O'Sullevan describes the climax of the race


1981 Grand National
The 1981 Grand National (officially known as The Sun Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 135th renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 4 April 1981.


1981 Grand National
It is remembered for the winning horse Aldaniti, who had recovered from chronic leg problems, and his jockey Bob Champion, who had recovered from cancer. Aldaniti's injuries dated back to 1976, while Champion had been diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1979. However, Aldaniti was nursed back to optimum form ahead of the race, and Champion overcame lengthy hospitalisation and chemotherapy to win the National by a distance of four lengths. In second place was the 8/1 favourite, Spartan Missile, ridden by 54-year-old amateur jockey and grandfather John Thorne. The story of Bob Champion and Aldaniti was made into a film Champions, with John Hurt portraying Champion. The film is based on Champion's book Champion's Story, which he co-wrote with close friend and racing journalist and broadcaster Jonathan Powell.


1981 Grand National, Media coverage
David Coleman presented Grand National Grandstand on the BBC in what turned out being one of the most famous National's of all-time.


1981 Grand National, Aftermath
The story of Champion and Aldaniti become known as Racing's greatest fairytale, and has become a lasting inspiration to people battling cancer ever since. Two years after the victory, the Bob Champion Cancer Trust was created  and the story inspired a movie of Bob's own personal battle to get fit to ride in the National the following year, starring John Hurt.


1981 Grand Prix (tennis)
The 1981 Volvo Grand Prix was the only men's professional tennis circuit held that year. It consisted of the four Grand Slam tournaments and the Grand Prix tournaments. The World Championship Tennis (WCT) Tour was incorporated into the Grand Prix circuit. The WCT tour consisted of eight regular tournaments, a season's final, three tournaments categorized as special events and a doubles championship. In total 89 tournaments were held divided over 29 countries. The circuit was administered by the Men's International Professional Tennis Council (MIPTC).


1981 Grand Prix (tennis), Schedule
The table below shows the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix schedule (precursor to the ATP Tour).


1981 Grand Prix (tennis), Points system
The tournaments listed above were divided into twelve point categories. The highest points were allocated to the Grand Slam tournaments; French Open, the Wimbledon Championships, the US Open and the Australian Open. Points were allocated based on these categories and the finishing position of a player in a tournament. The points table is based on a 32 player draw. No points were awarded to first-round losers and advancements by default were equal to winning a round. The points allocation, with doubles points listed in brackets, is as follows:


1981 Grand Prix (tennis), ATP rankings
*The official ATP year-end rankings were listed from January 4th, 1982.


1981 Grand Prix (tennis), List of tournament winners
The list of winners and number of singles titles won, alphabetically by last name:


1981 Grand Prix d'Automne
The 1981 Grand Prix d'Automne was the 75th edition of the Paris–Tours cycle race and was held on 11 October 1981. The race started in Blois and finished in Chaville. The race was won by Jan Raas.


1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 33rd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.


1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Season summary
In the 500cc world championship, two Suzuki teams fought for the title with Marco Lucchinelli riding for Roberto Gallina's Italian Suzuki team and, Randy Mamola riding for the Heron Suzuki team backed by the UK Suzuki importer. Mamola started the season strongly with two victories and two second-place finishes to take the lead in the championship but then, Lucchinelli took command with four victories in the next five races to claim the world championship. Mamola finished in second place for the second year in a row.


1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Season summary
Barry Sheene would win the final race of his career with a win in Sweden while a young American named Freddie Spencer made his first foray into the world championships as a member of the Honda factory racing team, riding the four-stroke Honda NR500 up to fifth place at the British Grand Prix before it suffered a mechanical failure.


1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Season summary
Germany's Anton Mang scored double world championship victories, defeating defending champion Jon Ekerold for the 350cc title and, winning ten of twelve 250 events to take that title. Frenchman Michel Rougerie, who finished second in 1975 250 championship, was killed when he was hit by another rider after crashing in the 350 race in Yugoslavia. Angel Nieto won his tenth championship by winning eight of twelve rounds on his Minarelli while Ricardo Tormo won the 50cc crown for Bultaco.


1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Season summary
Beginning in 1981, motorcycle frame technology evolved quickly as motorcycle manufacturers moved from the steel, featherbed frame chassis first developed in the 1950s, to aluminium frames featuring large, twin beams as first pioneered by Spanish constructor, Antonio Cobas.


1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1981 Grand Prix season calendar
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1981:


1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Results and standings, 500cc riders' standings
Points are awarded to the top ten finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.


1981 Greater London Council election
There was an election to the Greater London Council held on 7 May 1981. Councillors were elected to serve until elections in May 1985. Those elections were cancelled and the term was extended until 1 April 1986.


1981 Greater London Council election
The leader of the Labour GLC group Andrew McIntosh led the party into the election. Within 24 hours of the result, however, McIntosh's leadership was toppled by Ken Livingstone; a member of the party's left-wing. Livingstone was then elected GLC leader.


1981 Greater London Council election
This was the last election to the GLC. The Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher soon took the decision to abolish the council in the mid-1980s, out of partisan concern that it would choose to defy right-wing policies. For more information on this see the article, Greater London Council. Following the abolition of the GLC, there was a direct election to the Inner London Education Authority in 1986.


1981 Greater Manchester County Council election
Local elections to Greater Manchester County Council, a Metropolitan County Council encompassing Greater Manchester, were held on 7 May 1981, resulting in large swings to Labour, giving them control of the council.


1981 Greater Manchester County Council election
This would be the last election to the Greater Manchester County Council, with metropolitan county councils being scrapped on 31 March 1986 under the Local Government Act 1985 by the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher. The councils' abolition came following several high-profile clashes between mostly Labour metropolitan county councils and the Conservative government over issues including overspending and high rates charging.


1981 Greek legislative election
Parliamentary elections were held in Greece on Sunday, 18 October 1981. The Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), led by Andreas Papandreou, faced New Democracy, led by Georgios Rallis. Papandreou achieved a landslide and PASOK formed the first socialist government in the history of Greece (in 1963 Centrists had formed a government under the leadership of George Papandreou, Andreas' father, but their party, Center Union, was not a socialist party but a centrist, social-liberal one).


1981 Greek legislative election
185 of the 300 seats were won by PASOK or the Communist Party: both openly eurosceptic. This was the high point of Greek euroscepticism, coming just months after the country's accession to the European Communities.


1981 Greek legislative election, Aftermath
Papandreou's new government introduced several interesting reforms in the wake of its victory (legalization of civil wedding, new family law, nationalization of certain private companies, etc. ).


1981 Greek legislative election, Aftermath
The main opposition party, New Democracy, faced serious internal conflicts. Georgios Rallis was forced to resign after the defeat and he was succeeded by Evangelos Averoff, former minister under Karamanlis governments. In 1984 Averof resigned because of health problems and Konstantinos Mitsotakis became the new leader of New Democracy. Noteworthy, Mitsotakis and Papandreou were both centrists before 1967 and they belonged to the same party, George Papandreou's Center Union. Nevertheless, they were strong opponents and they never liked each other. Papandreou was calling Mitsotakis "a defector, an apostate", because in 1965 he defected from the ruling Center Union and participated in a new government pleasing to Constantine II, who had just accepted George Papandreou's resignation after a serious disagreement between the King and the prime minister.


1981 Green Bay Packers season
The 1981 Green Bay Packers season was their 63rd season overall and their 61st in the National Football League. The team posted an 8–8 record under coach Bart Starr, earning them a third-place finish in the NFC Central division. Led by the defense the Packers were number one in turnovers forced and number 9th overall. The offense did improve but still finished in the bottom half of the league. They still had a possibility at a wildcard on the last regular-season game but were defeated by the Jets 28 - 3. The Packers managed only 84 total yards against the Jets.


1981 Greenlandic Men's Football Championship
The 1981 Greenlandic Men's Football Championship was the 11th edition of the Greenlandic Men's Football Championship. The final round was held in Sisimiut. It was won by Nuuk IL for the second time in its history.


1981 Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
The 1981 Grote Prijs Jef Scherens was the 17th edition of the Grote Prijs Jef Scherens cycle race and was held on 20 September 1981. The race started and finished in Leuven. The race was won by Jan Raas.


1981 Guatemalan Liga Nacional
The 1981 Guatemalan Liga Nacional was the 30th edition of the Guatemalan Liga Nacional. Comunicaciones F.C. won their 10th title after finishing first in the Final round.


1981 Gulf of Corinth earthquakes
In early 1981 the eastern Gulf of Corinth, Greece was struck by three earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 6 Ms over a period of 11 days. The earthquake sequence caused widespread damage in the Corinth–Athens area, destroying nearly 8,000 houses and causing 20–22 deaths.


1981 Gulf of Corinth earthquakes, Tectonic setting
The Gulf of Corinth is an area of active extensional tectonics. The underlying cause of this extension has been attributed to rollback of the African Plate as it subducts northwards beneath the Aegean Plate. Other possible mechanisms include gravitational collapse of crust overthickened during the Paleogene to early Neogene or the effects of the continuing propagation of the North Anatolian Fault towards the southwest.


1981 Gulf of Corinth earthquakes, Tectonic setting
The rift that formed the Gulf of Corinth is bounded by large normal faults that vary in their polarity (dip direction) along its length. The eastern end of the rift, which forms the Alkyonides Gulf, is dominated by north-dipping faults, including the Perachora, Straya, Skinos, Pisia, West Alkyonides and East Alkyonides faults. Immediately to the east the large south-dipping Kaparelli Fault forms the northern boundary to the onshore continuation of the rift zone.


1981 Gulf of Corinth earthquakes, Earthquake sequence
The first earthquake in the sequence occurred at 20:53 UTC on 24 February. It had a magnitude of 6.7 Ms  and a maximum felt intensity of IX (violent) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MMI). The epicentre was at the western end of the Alkyonides Gulf and involved rupture of the Pisia Fault and possibly the Skinos Fault. The assignment of the observed surface ruptures to the first two earthquakes in the sequence remains uncertain as they occurred over the same night. The maximum measured offset on the Pisia Fault was 150 cm, while that on the Skinos Fault was 100 cm.


1981 Gulf of Corinth earthquakes, Earthquake sequence
The second earthquake occurred less than 6 hours later at 02:35 UTC on 25 February, with a magnitude of 6.4 Ms , also with a maximum felt intensity of IX (MMI). The epicentre was in the central part of the Alkyonides Gulf and involved the rupture of the Skinos Fault and possibly the Pisia Fault.


1981 Gulf of Corinth earthquakes, Earthquake sequence
The final earthquake in the sequence occurred over ten days later at 21:58 UTC on 4 March, also with a magnitude of 6.4 Ms  and a maximum felt intensity of IX (MMI). The epicentre was just to the east of the Alkyonides Gulf and involved the rupture of the Kaparelli Fault, with a maximum observed displacement of 100 cm.


1981 Gulf of Corinth earthquakes, Earthquake sequence
Analysis of stress changes associated with the February 24 earthquake show increases on the fault segments that ruptured during the other two events.


1981 Gulf of Corinth earthquakes, Damage
The effects of the first two earthquakes are treated together due to their close spacing, with a single isoseismal map being produced. The area of violent shaking (level IX MMI) was along the southern coast of the Akyonides Gulf,  with a much larger area experiencing severe shaking (level VIII MMI) extending from Xylokastro in the west to beyond Megara in the east, including the city of Corinth. The area of very strong shaking (level VII MMI) included Athens, with some parts of the city experiencing shaking of VIII to IX depending on ground conditions.


1981 Gulf of Corinth earthquakes, Damage
The final earthquake also produced an area that experienced shaking of IX MMI, including the villages of Kalamaki and Plataies. The area of level VIII shaking included the city of Thebes.


1981 Gulf of Corinth earthquakes, Damage
In total the earthquake sequence caused the destruction of 7,701 buildings (of which 1,175 were in Athens) with a further 20,954 being seriously affected (7,824 in Athens). Three administrative areas were affected, Attica, Beotia and Corinthia. The number of fatalities was in the range 20–22, with between a further 400 and 500 people injured.


1981 Gulf of Corinth earthquakes, Damage
Both onshore and offshore areas were affected by landslides with one large underwater slump possibly the cause of the observed local tsunami. Liquefaction and ground fissures were reported from several areas.


1981 Hall of Fame Classic
The 1981 Hall of Fame Classic was a college football postseason bowl game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Kansas Jayhawks.


1981 Hall of Fame Classic, Background
The Bulldogs finished 3rd in the Southeastern Conference. This was the first time in school history that they reached consecutive bowl games. The Jayhawks finished tied for 3rd in the Big Eight Conference, in their first bowl game since 1975.


1981 Hall of Fame Classic, Game summary
On the first play of the game, the Bulldogs reached upon a stroke of luck. Ricky Green of the Jayhawks was receiving the opening kickoff when Rob Fesmire caused a fumble and recovered it at the Kansas 17. On the next play, John Bond ran 17 yards to the end zone to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead early in the game. Dana Moore made it 10-0 on a 22 yard field goal, and those 10 points proved to be all the Bulldogs needed as they held Kansas to 35 yards rushing while forcing three turnovers and using deep punts by Dana Moore to stymie the Jayhawks.


1981 Hall of Fame Classic, Aftermath
The Bulldogs waited 10 years to reach another bowl game in 1991 while the Jayhawks waited 11 years.


1981 Hama massacre
The 1981 Hama massacre was an incident in which over 300 residents of Hama, Syria, were killed by government security forces.


1981 Hama massacre, Background
From 1976 to 1982, Islamists, including the Muslim Brotherhood, fought the Ba'ath Party-controlled government of Syria in what has been called a "long campaign of terror". In July 1980, the ratification of Law No. 49 made membership in the Muslim Brotherhood a capital offense. Middle East Watch (part of Human Rights Watch) called the period between 1976 and 1982 "The Great Repression." According to Middle East Watch,


1981 Hama massacre, Background
Opposition exploded in the late 1970s, touched off by Assad's military intervention in Lebanon in 1976. Public discontent fed on many grievances, rampant inflation, a housing crisis deepened by refugees from Lebanon, official corruption, security forces from which no one felt safe, and the domination of the 'Alawis. Over four years unrest spread to every sector of Syrian society, and by the beginning of 1980 it seemed possible the regime would be overthrown.


1981 Hama massacre, The massacre
The 1981 Hama massacre occurred after a failed attack around 21–22 April 1981 by armed Islamist guerrillas (reports identify a security checkpoint or a spring festival) near an Alawite village near Hama. As a revenge action, government units deployed into Hama and launched house-to-house searches, sealing off neighborhoods as street fighting erupted. A curfew was imposed and Syrian Army troops entered the city.


1981 Hama massacre, The massacre
Between Thursday 23 April 1981 and Sunday 26 April 1981, security forces killed scores to hundreds of residents - between 150 and "several hundred", according to The Washington Post, or at least 350, plus 600 injured, according to authors Olivier Carré and Gérard Michaud chosen randomly among the male population over the age of 14.


1981 Hama massacre, The massacre
The killings were carried out by the government's "Protection Brigades" (a palace guard commanded by the president's brother Rifaat al-Assad, and Syrian Special Forces commanded by General Ali Haidar, an Alawite and Assad aide, according to the Post, while Human Rights Watch identified Syrian Special Forces and the Syrian Arab Army's 47th Brigade.


1981 Hama massacre, The massacre
The Washington Post described the incident as "believed to have been the bloodiest retribution so far in President Hafez Assad's two-year crackdown on opponents to his rule".


1981 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season
The 1981 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season was the 24th season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 32nd overall. The Tiger-Cats finished in 1st place in the East Division for the second consecutive year with an 11–4–1 record. They lost the East Final to the heavy underdog Ottawa Rough Riders team that finished 5–11–0. In the first season of full inter-division play, the Tiger-Cats finished with a 6–0 record against the East Division, outscoring their opponents 197 to 71.


1981 Handsworth riots
The 1981 Handsworth riots were three days of rioting that took place in the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England in July 1981. The major outbreak of violence took place on the night of Friday 10/11 July, with smaller disturbances on the following two nights.


1981 Handsworth riots
The riots were characterised by the Scarman report into the 1981 riots in England as "copycat riots" – taking place after the Brixton riots in London, and around the same time as the Toxteth riots in Liverpool and the Moss Side riots in Manchester – though some have argued that this is an oversimplification. The immediate flashpoint was an attack on a locally well-known Police Superintendent who was trying to calm rumours of an impending march by the right-wing National Front. The following disturbances resulted in 121 arrests and 40 injuries to police officers, alongside widespread damage to property.


1981 Handsworth riots
Before the riots Handsworth had been considered to be a good example of successful community policing, though local Black British youths later disputed the claim that relations between them and the police had been amicable: around 40% of them had been stopped and searched over the previous 12 months. Handsworth had a mixed population of white, black and Asian residents, but surveys after the riots showed little evidence of significant racial tension.


1981 Handsworth riots
A week before the riots, during the weekend that saw CS gas used against rioters for the first time on the British Mainland in Toxteth, Liverpool, a reporter from The Times had visited a festival in Handsworth Park and found "8,000 people, black and white" in "a spirit as amiable and peaceful as a rural village fete". The most common reasons for the riots reported by participants were unemployment, boredom and the imitation of events elsewhere.


1981 Hang Ten 400
The 1981 Hang Ten 400 was an endurance race for Group C Touring Cars. The event, which was Round 3 of the 1981 Australian Endurance Championship, was staged on 13 September over 119 laps of the 3.1 km Sandown International Motor Racing Circuit in Victoria, Australia. It was the 16th race in the history of what is now known as the Sandown 500.


1981 Hang Ten 400
Peter Brock drove a Marlboro Holden Dealer Team Holden VC Commodore to a record sixth consecutive Sandown endurance win and his seventh victory in the race. 1981 Australian Touring Car Champion Dick Johnson finished second after starting from pole position in the Plamer Tube Mills Ford XD Falcon. Third was the Roadways Gown Hindhaugh Holden VC Commodore of Steven Harrington and Garth Wigston.


1981 Hang Ten 400
Colin Bond and Steve Masterton were the winners of Class B in a Ford Capri V6, while Sydney's Peter Williamson won Class C with a Toyota Celica. Class D was won by Craig Bradtke and Rod Stevens driving a Mitsubishi Lancer.


1981 Hardy Cup
The 1981 Hardy Cup was the 1981 edition of the Canadian intermediate senior ice hockey championship.


1981 Hardy Cup, Final
Charlottetown Islanders beat Winnipeg North End Flyers 3-0 on series.


1981 Harvard Crimson football team
The 1981 Harvard Crimson football team was an American football team that represented Harvard University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Harvard finished fourth in the Ivy League.


1981 Harvard Crimson football team
In their 11th year under head coach Joe Restic, the Crimson compiled a 5–4–1 record and outscored opponents 218 to 173. Peter M. Coppinger was the team captain.


1981 Harvard Crimson football team
Harvard's 4–2–1 conference record placed fourth in the Ivy League standings. The Crimson outscored Ivy opponents 163 to 99.


1981 Harvard Crimson football team
This would be Harvard's last season in the NCAA's top level of football competition. Shortly after the season ended, the NCAA reassigned all of the Ivy League teams to the second-tier Division I-AA, which would later be renamed the Football Championship Subdivision.


1981 Harvard Crimson football team
Harvard played its home games at Harvard Stadium in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.


1981 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team
The 1981 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team was an American football team that represented the University of Hawaii in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth season under head coach Dick Tomey, the Rainbow Warriors compiled an 9–2 record (5–1 against WAC opponents), placed second in the WAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 328 to 130.


1981 Hawthorn Football Club season
The 1981 season was the Hawthorn Football Club's 57th season in the Victorian Football League and 80th overall.


1981 Holiday Bowl
The 1981 Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 18 in San Diego, California. It was part of the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season, and was the fourth edition of the Holiday Bowl. The Friday night game was the third of sixteen games in this bowl season and featured the 14th-ranked BYU Cougars, champions of the Western Athletic Conference, and the #20 Washington State Cougars of the Pac-10 Conference.


1981 Holiday Bowl
It was the fourth straight year in the Holiday Bowl for BYU, but the first bowl appearance in 51 years for Washington State, who used a two-quarterback system: junior Clete Casper was the passer and sophomore Ricky Turner the runner. BYU's quarterback was consensus All-American and future Super Bowl champion Jim McMahon, the fifth overall pick of the 1982 NFL Draft. He was backed up by sophomore Steve Young, a future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and also a Super Bowl champion.


1981 Holiday Bowl, Game summary
Favored BYU scored first on a 35-yard pass from McMahon to Dan Plater, the only scoring of the first quarter. McMahon threw a 7-yard pass to Gordon Hudson to increase BYU's lead to 14–0. Washington State got on the board after quarterback Turner scored on a two-yard run. BYU's Kurt Gunther kicked a 20-yard field goal and Waymon Hamilton ran in from a yard out to give BYU a 24–7 lead at halftime.


1981 Holiday Bowl, Game summary
Early in the third quarter, BYU cornerback Tom Holmoe intercepted a Casper pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown, but WSU scored three unanswered touchdowns. Running back Matt LaBonne scored on an 18-yard run, Robert Williams scored on a 5-yard run, and Turner scored again on a 13-yard run to close the BYU lead to three points (31–28) at the end of the third quarter.


1981 Holiday Bowl, Game summary
McMahon fired an 11-yard touchdown pass to Scott Pettis to take the lead back to ten points at 38–28. WSU fullback Mike Martin scored from a yard out and Turner added a 2-point conversion to close the gap to two points (38–36) with five minutes remaining. Late in the game, McMahon fumbled a third-down snap but picked up the ball and ran for a first down that helped to clinch the victory for BYU.


1981 Holiday Bowl, Game summary
The players of the game, both from BYU, were McMahon and middle linebacker Kyle Whittingham, the future head coach at Utah. BYU evened its record in the bowl at 2–2, and played in the next three.


1981 Holiday Bowl, Game summary
BYU moved up one spot to thirteenth in the final AP poll, and Washington State slipped out of the top twenty; their next bowl appearance was seven years later.


1981 Holy Cross Crusaders football team
The 1981 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross as an independent during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by a new head coach, Rick E. Carter. The team compiled a record of 6–5.


1981 Holy Cross Crusaders football team
This would be Holy Cross' last season in the NCAA's top level of competition. Shortly after the season ended, the NCAA reassigned the Crusaders, along with several other football teams, to Division I-AA now known as the Football Championship Subdivision.


1981 Holy Cross Crusaders football team
All 1981 home games were played at Fitton Field on the Holy Cross campus in Worcester, Massachusetts.


1981 Honduran Segunda División
The 1981 Honduran Segunda División was the 15th season of the Honduran Segunda División. Under the management of Raúl Ortiz, C.D. Dandy won the tournament after finishing first in the final round (or Cuadrangular) and obtained promotion to the 1982–83 Honduran Liga Nacional.


1981 Honduran general election
General elections were held in Honduras on November 29, 1981. Each voter had a single vote to cast for a presidential candidate, with seats in the National Congress divided based on the share of the vote their presidential candidate had won. The result was a victory for Roberto Suazo Cordova and the Liberal Party. Voter turnout was 78.5%.


1981 Hong Kong municipal election
The 1981 Urban Council election was held on 5 March 1981 for the 6 of the 12 elected seats of the Urban Council of Hong Kong.


1981 Hong Kong riots
Multiple disturbances broke out on Christmas Day of 1981 and New Year's Day of 1982 in Hong Kong. Since the majority of the participants were youths, the riots were also named as the Christmas youth riots of 1981  and New Year youth riots of 1982. The riots had a long-term impact on the government's youth policy.


1981 Hong Kong riots, Events
A riot broke out in the early morning of Christmas Day, 25 December 1981 in Central, Hong Kong. In a minor road accident, a car driver accidentally hit a pedestrian near the Mandarin Oriental hotel around 1:30 am, arousing unrest among the youth in the area that eventually evolved into a riot. In the ensuing chaos, 11 were injured and 7 cars were damaged. The police deployed the Police Tactical Unit (PTU) to disperse the crowd. At 5 AM, the riot subsided and 18 were arrested. The same day, the Government of Hong Kong increased the number of policemen patrolling major business areas and kept cars away from the Central District.


1981 Hong Kong riots, Events
The day after the incident, Secretary for Home Affairs Denis Bray dismissed characterisations of the event as rioting, calling it "just some disturbances caused by kids who had too much to drink". He said there was no apparent motivation, attributing the disorder to "high spirits with some spirits out of bottles as well". A senior police commander also stated that the events were "definitely not a riot".


1981 Hong Kong riots, Events
Another disturbance broke out early New Year's Day of 1982, when crowds of youth began heckling revellers. The police had anticipated trouble, and had deployed hundreds of officers (both uniformed and plainclothes) to disperse the crowds. Nine people were arrested and released on bail.


1981 Hong Kong riots, Aftermath
The Government of Hong Kong addressed the increasing "problems" with youth, citing disobedience in school and the popularity of snooker and arcade games among youth. The government channeled additional resources into youth welfare.


1981 Hong Kong riots, Aftermath
Two other riots in 1982 and 1984 were ignited by football fans and a tax on taxis.


1981 Houston Astros season
The 1981 Houston Astros season was the 20th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas. The season was divided into two halves because of a players' strike in mid-season. The Astros won the Western Division of the National League in the second half and advanced to the playoffs, which matched the winners of the two halves in a Division Series (the name would be re-introduced fourteen years later). However, they were defeated in five games by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series.


1981 Houston Astros season, Regular season, Nolan Ryan's 5th No-Hitter
On September 26, 1981, Nolan Ryan no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-0, on national television. The 34-year-old right-hander became the first pitcher to throw five career no-hitters. It had been six years since Ryan's last no-hitter; he pitched for the California Angels for the last of four no-hitters.


1981 Houston Astros 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 Houston Cougars football team
The 1981 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by 20th-year head coach Bill Yeoman and played their home games at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The team competed as members of the Southwest Conference, finishing in third. Houston was invited to the 1981 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, where they lost to Oklahoma, 14–40.


1981 Houston Oilers season
The 1981 Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 22nd overall and the 12th in the National Football League (NFL). Bum Phillips was fired as head coach during the offseason for failing to reach the Super Bowl, and replaced by Ed Biles. However, the Oilers defensive problems would catch up with them as they finished with a disappointing 7-9 record, as Earl Campbell fought through injuries to rush for 1,376 yards. After a fast 4-2 start, Houston would struggle in the second half, going 3-7 in their final 10 games, including a critical loss to the New Orleans Saints, who finished 4-12 in 1981.


1981 Humberside County Council election
The 1981 Humberside County Council election was held on Thursday, 7 May. Following boundary changes to the county's electoral divisions, the whole council of 75 members was up for election. The Labour Party regained control of the council from the Conservative Party, winning 42 seats.


1981 Humberside County Council election
Humberside was a created as a non-metropolitan county in England by the Local Government Act 1972, with the first elections to the county council taking place in 1973. It was abolished on 1 April 1996 and replaced by East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire.


1981 Humberside County Council election, Results by division
Each electoral division returned one county councillor. The candidate elected to the council in each electoral division is shown in the table below. "Unopposed" indicates that the councillor was elected unopposed.


1981 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team
The 1981 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University during the 1981 NCAA Division II football season. Humboldt State competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC).


1981 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team
The 1981 Lumberjacks were led by head coach Bud Van Deren in his 16th season. They played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California. Humboldt State finished with a record of six wins and four losses (6–4, 3–2 FWC). The Lumberjacks outscored their opponents 204–198 for the season.


1981 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team, Team players in the NFL
No Humboldt State players were selected in the 1982 NFL Draft.


1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Madrid, Spain, at the Hipódromo de la Zarzuela on March 28, 1981. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald.


1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
Complete results for men, junior men, women, medallists, and the results of British athletes were published.


1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Participation
An unofficial count yields the participation of 460 athletes from 39 countries. This is in agreement with the official numbers as published.


1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior men's race
The Junior men's race at the 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Madrid, Spain, at the Hipodromo de la Zarzuela on March 28, 1981. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald.


1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior men's race
Complete results, medallists,  and the results of British athletes were published.


1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior men's race, Participation
An unofficial count yields the participation of 104 athletes from 20 countries in the Junior men's race. This is in agreement with the official numbers as published.


1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior men's race
The Senior men's race at the 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Madrid, Spain, at the Hipódromo de la Zarzuela on March 28, 1981. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald.


1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior men's race
Complete results, medallists, and the results of British athletes were published.


1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior men's race, Participation
An unofficial count yields the participation of 238 athletes from 35 countries in the Senior men's race. This is in agreement with the official numbers as published.


1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior women's race
The Senior women's race at the 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Madrid, Spain, at the Hipódromo de la Zarzuela on March 28, 1981. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald.


1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior women's race
Complete results, medallists,  and the results of British athletes were published.


1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior women's race, Participation
An unofficial count yields the participation of 118 athletes from 22 countries in the Senior women's race. This is in agreement with the official numbers as published.


1981 IAAF World Cup
The 3rd IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on September 4–6, 1981, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.


1981 IAAF World Cup – Results
These are the full results of the 1981 IAAF World Cup which was held between 4 and 6 September 1981 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.


1981 IAAF World Race Walking Cup
The 1981 IAAF World Race Walking Cup was held on 3 and 4 October 1981 in the streets of Valencia, Spain. The event was also known as IAAF Race Walking World Cup.


1981 IAAF World Race Walking Cup, Results, Team (men)
The team rankings, named Lugano Trophy, combined the 20km and 50km events team results.


1981 IAAF World Race Walking Cup, Participation
The participation of 160 athletes (111 men/49 women) from 18 countries is reported.


1981 IAAF World Race Walking Cup, Qualifying Rounds
From 1961 to 1985 there were qualifying rounds for the men's competition with the first two winners proceeding to the final. This year, México, the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, Italy, Spain, the United States, Australia, Canada, and China proceeded directly to the final.


1981 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
The 1981 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held in Bala, Wales, Great Britain under the auspices of International Canoe Federation. It was the 17th edition. The mixed C2 event was reinstated after not being held at the previous championships.


1981 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 1981 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Nottingham, Great Britain.


1981 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The men's competition consisted of six Canadian (single paddle, open boat) and nine kayak events. Three events were held for the women, all in kayak.


1981 IIHF European U18 Championship
The 1981 IIHF European U18 Championship was the fourteenth playing of the IIHF European Junior Championships.


1981 IIHF European U18 Championship, Group A
Played in Minsk, Belorussian SSR, USSR from April 2–8, 1981.


1981 IIHF European U18 Championship, Group B, Final round
France was promoted to Group A, and Hungary was demoted to group C, for 1982.


1981 IIHF European U18 Championship, Group C
Played in Belgium and the Netherlands from March 19–24, 1981.


1981 IMSA GT Championship
The 1981 Camel GT Championship season was the 11th season of the IMSA GT Championship auto racing series. It was a series for GTX class Group 5 cars and GTO and GTU class Grand tourer cars. It began January 31, 1981, and ended November 29, 1981, after sixteen rounds.


1981 IMSA GT Championship, Schedule
The GTU class did not participate with the GTX and GTO classes in shorter events, instead holding their own separate event which included touring car competitors from the IMSA Champion Spark Plug Challenge, but did not race for points in the IMSA GT Championship. Races marked with All had all classes on track at the same time.


1981 IPSC Handgun World Shoot
The 1981 IPSC Handgun World Shoot V held in Johannesburg, South Africa, was the fifth IPSC Handgun World Shoot, and was won by Ross Seyfried of United States, using a relatively stock firearm compared to the highly tuned firearms of many other shooters. Well known in the U.S., Ross had previously won the 1978 U.S. National Championship, and was member of the US National Team who placed second in the previous 1979 World Shoot. The 1981 championship showed the Americans return with a vengeance when both Ross Seyfried took the individual World Title and the US National Team took gold in the team classification.


1981 IPSC Handgun World Shoot, Equipment
Ross' victory in the 1981 World Shoot with his very plain 1911 in .45 ACP was the last for a very long time someone won a World Shoot title using a major single-stack handgun in .45 ACP. Equipment in IPSC had started to change drastically, and the following World Shoot in 1983 was won by Rob Leatham using a major 1911 in .38 Super. Competitors had started adding barrel mounted extended sights and compensators, and the .45 ACP came at disadvantage against compensated .38 Super's with less recoil and higher magazine capacity.


1981 IPSC Handgun World Shoot, Equipment
Further, in the 90's, 2011 wide-frame double-stack handguns with even higher magazine capacity started to dominate both the Open and Standard division, making single-stack handguns like the 1911 and SIG P210 obsolete, until the 2014 IPSC Handgun World Shoot when an own Classic division for uncompensated single-stack 1911 handguns had been introduced. The 2014 IPSC Classic World Champion title went to Rob Leatham of USA, again using a 1911 in .45 ACP.


1981 Ice Hockey World Championships
The 1981 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Sweden between 12–26 April 1981, with games being played in the arenas of Scandinavium in Gothenburg and Johanneshovs isstadion in Stockholm. Eight teams took part, first splitting into two groups of four, with the best two from each group advancing to the final group. These teams then play each other in the final round. This was the 47th World Championships, and also the 58th European Championships. The Soviet Union became World Champions for the 17th time, and also won their twentieth European title. Don Cherry commented, "This is the best Russian team I've ever seen."


1981 Ice Hockey World Championships
The Dutch team had won Group C and Group B in successive years to play in this tournament, but did not fare well. Their best game was a narrow one goal loss to the Americans, a goal scored on a penalty shot by Dave Christian with eleven seconds left. It was their first appearance at the top level since 1950 and they have not returned since.


1981 Ice Hockey World Championships, World Championship Group B (Italy)
Played in Urtijëi 20–29 March. The hosts went undefeated to win, led by former Pittsburgh Penguin and Edmonton Oiler Wayne Bianchin and backstopped by former Oiler Jim Corsi.


1981 Ice Hockey World Championships, World Championship Group B (Italy)
Italy was promoted to Group A, both Yugoslavia and Japan were relegated to Group C.


1981 Ice Hockey World Championships, Ranking and statistics, European championships final standings
The final standings of the European championships according to IIHF:


1981 Ice Hockey World Championships, Fanfare of the Championships
The fanfare for the Championships was written by Benny Andersson (from ABBA) in 1981. It was later used as the jingle/opening theme for the television special Dick Cavett Meets ABBA aired later in 1981. Reference - Palm, Carl Magnus: ABBA - The Complete Recordings Sessions, page 106. Verulam Publishing Ltd (13 October 1994). ISBN 0-907938-10-8. ISBN 978-0-907938-10-1.


1981 Icelandic Cup
The 1981 Icelandic Cup was the 22nd edition of the National Football Cup.


1981 Icelandic Cup
It took place between 26 May 1980 and 30 August 1981, with the final played at Laugardalsvöllur in Reykjavik. The cup was important, as winners qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (if a club won both the league and the cup, the defeated finalists would take their place in the Cup Winners' Cup).


1981 Icelandic Cup
The 10 clubs from the 1. Deild entered in the last 16, with clubs from lower tiers entering in the three preliminary rounds. Teams played one-legged matches. In case of a draw, the match was replayed at the opposition's ground.


1981 Icelandic Cup
The final was a rematch of the previous season - Fram Reykjavik and ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar meeting, but on this occasion it was the club from Vestmannaeyjar who qualified for Europe. IBV won the Icelandic Cup for the fourth time.


1981 Idaho State Bengals football team
The 1981 Idaho State Bengals football team represented Idaho State University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. A charter member of the Big Sky Conference, the Bengals were led by second year head coach Dave Kragthorpe and played their home games at the ASISU MiniDome, later renamed Holt Arena, an indoor venue on campus in Pocatello, Idaho.


1981 Idaho State Bengals football team
Led by senior quarterback Mike Machurek, the Bengals won the Big Sky championship with a 6–1 record, and were 9–1 overall in the regular season. In the eight-team NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, they won two home playoff games, then won their only national football championship to date in the Pioneer Bowl played in Wichita Falls, Texas. ISU defeated Eastern Kentucky, 34–23, to finish the season with a 12–1 record.


1981 Idaho State Bengals football team, Schedule
The regular season finale against Weber State went to triple overtime. The Big Sky introduced overtime for conference games the previous season, and this was its first-ever usage.


1981 Idaho State Bengals football team, NFL Draft
Two Bengal seniors were selected in the 1982 NFL Draft, which lasted twelve rounds (334 selections).


1981 Idaho Vandals football team
The 1981 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals, led by fourth-year head coach Jerry Davitch, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.


1981 Idaho Vandals football team
Led by sophomore quarterback Ken Hobart in the veer offense, the Vandals finished 3–8 in the regular season but were  winless in the Big Sky. In the season finale, Idaho lost to rival Boise State for the fifth straight year, but it was the Broncos' last win over Idaho until 1994, as the Vandals won a dozen straight in the interim. In their third and final win in early October, running back Russell Davis set a school record with 345 rushing yards at Portland State.


1981 Idaho Vandals football team
In August, Sports Illustrated had picked the Vandals as one of the top teams in Division I-AA, with high expectations to improve on the previous year's 6–5 record. But after a fifth straight loss and no wins in six conference games, Davitch was fired nine days before the final game against Boise State. Several weeks later Dennis Erickson was hired and immediately turned the Vandal program around in 1982, reaching the quarterfinals of the 12-team Division I-AA playoffs.


1981 Idaho Vandals football team
In 1981, Idaho State and Boise State were the top two teams in the Big Sky and both advanced to the 8-team Division I-AA playoffs, won their first-round games, and hosted the semifinals. Boise State was stopped by Eastern Kentucky, whom Idaho State defeated the following week in Texas to win the national title.


1981 Idaho Vandals football team, Notable players
Sophomore quarterback Ken Hobart of Kamiah changed from an option quarterback in the veer to a prolific passer under Erickson. He led the Vandals to a 9–4 record in 1982 and an 8–3 record in 1983 as a senior, when he was a Division I-AA All-American. Hobart played a season in the USFL with Jacksonville in 1984 and several in the CFL.


1981 Idaho Vandals football team, Notable players
Junior linebacker Sam Merriman from Tucson was selected in the seventh round (177th overall) of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. A four-year starter for the Vandals, he played five seasons with Seattle, primarily on special teams. A serious knee injury in a 1988 preseason game ended his playing career.


1981 Idaho Vandals football team, Fallen teammate
At the close of the 1981 spring semester, Vandal wide receiver Joe Keogh, age 20, was killed in a mid-morning automobile accident. En route to Seattle on Saturday, May 16, he was one of four occupants in a vehicle westbound on Interstate 90, west of Ellensburg. The driver, a family friend, lost control and veered off the road and the car ended on its side. Keogh, a 1979 graduate of Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, was the only fatality.


1981 Idaho Vandals football team, Fallen teammate
Keogh's Vandal teammates wore his number 4 on the right side of their helmets during the 1981 season. It was the second death for the football team in less than ten months: prior to his senior season, standout running back Glen White  had died in August 1980 after a brief battle with aplastic anemia.


1981 Idaho Vandals football team, All-conference
No Vandals made the first team; second team selections included quarterback Ken Hobart, wide receiver Jack Klein, and  linebackers Sam Merriman and Jay Hayes. Honorable mention were tackle Bruce Fery, guard Steve Seman, defensive linemen John Fortner and Dan Saso, and safety Kelly Miller. Despite leading the conference with over 111 yards rushing per game, running back Russell Davis was overlooked.


1981 Idaho Vandals football team, NFL Draft
Two Vandal seniors were selected in the 1982 NFL Draft, which lasted twelve rounds (334 selections).


1981 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
The 1981 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois during the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second year under head coach Mike White, the Illini compiled a 7–4 record and finished in three-way tie for third place in the Big Ten Conference.


1981 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
The team's offensive leaders were quarterback Tony Eason with 3,360 passing yards, running back Calvin Thomas with 390 rushing yards, and wide receiver Oliver Williams with 760 receiving yards. Several Illinois players ranked among the Big Ten leaders, including the following:


1981 Illinois Fighting Illini football team, Season summary, Northwestern
Tony Eason threw three touchdown passes to set the Big Ten single season record. The two teams overall combined to throw 109 passes, breaking the conference mark set earlier in the year by Minnesota and Ohio State.


1981 Independence Bowl
The 1981 Independence Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Texas A&M Aggies.


1981 Independence Bowl, Background
The Cowboys finished tied for 3rd in the Big Eight Conference in their first bowl game since 1976. Meanwhile, the Aggies finished 5th in the Southwest Conference, in their first bowl game since 1978.


1981 Independence Bowl, Game summary
In the first quarter, the Cowboys took a 10-0 lead on an Ernest Anderson touchdown run and a field goal. But the Aggies closed the quarter out with a field goal of their own to make it 10-3. As it turned out, the Cowboys were held to zero points for the next two quarters. The Aggies scored on another field goal to make it 10-6. Jimmie Williams and Gary Kubiak connected for two touchdown catches of 50 and 38 yards to give the Aggies a 20-10 halftime lead.


1981 Independence Bowl, Game summary
Another field goal (this from 50 yards) by the Aggies made it 23-10 after three quarters. After an 18 yarder to make it 26-10, the Aggies scored one last time, as Johnny Hector scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to make it 33-10. Vince Orange ran for a 5-yard score to make the final score 33-16. Kubiak went 15-of-20 for 225 yards while Williams caught 5 passes for 118 yards.


1981 Independence Bowl, Aftermath
Wilson was fired after the season by the Aggies due to the administration not being pleased with his 21-19 record in four years. They hired Jackie Sherrill, who reached three consecutive Cotton Bowl Classics in his seven-year tenure. The Cowboys reached one more bowl game under Johnson, and four more before the end of the decade. A&M returned to the Independence Bowl in 2000, and the Cowboys returned in 2006.


1981 Indian Rajya Sabha elections
Rajya Sabha elections were held on various dates in 1981, to elect members of the Rajya Sabha, Indian Parliament's upper chamber.


1981 Indian Rajya Sabha elections, Elections, Members elected
The following members are elected in the elections held in 1981. They are members for the term 1981-1987 and retire in year 1987, except in case of the resignation or death before the term. The list is incomplete.


1981 Indian Rajya Sabha elections, Bye-elections
The following bye elections were held in the year 1981.


1981 Indiana Hoosiers football team
The 1981 Indiana Hoosiers football team represented the Indiana Hoosiers in the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season. They participated as members of the Big Ten Conference. The Hoosiers played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. The team was coached by Lee Corso, in his ninth year as head coach of the Hoosiers.


1981 Indiana Hoosiers football team
Several Indiana players ranked among the Big Ten leaders, including the following:


1981 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Purdue
Doug Smith kicked the go-ahead 39-yard field goal with 8:30 left in the game and Indiana's defense stopped two ensuing Purdue drives with interceptions to preserve the victory.


1981 Indianapolis 500
The 65th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 24, 1981. The race is widely considered one of the most controversial races in Indy history. Bobby Unser took the checkered flag as the winner, with Mario Andretti finishing second. After the conclusion of the race, USAC officials ruled that Unser had passed cars illegally while exiting the pit area during a caution on lap 149 (of 200). Unser was subsequently issued a one-position penalty. The next morning, the official race results were posted, and Unser was dropped to second place. Mario Andretti was elevated to first place and declared the race winner.


1981 Indianapolis 500
A firestorm of controversy followed the ruling. After a lengthy protest and appeals process, the penalty was rescinded, and Unser was reinstated the victory on October 9. Officially, it became Unser's third-career Indy 500 victory and his final win in Indy car competition. Unser stepped out of the car at the end of the season, and ultimately retired from driving.


1981 Indianapolis 500
The race was officially part of the 1981–82 USAC season. However, most of the top entrants participated in the 1981 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. Championship points for the 1981 Indy 500 were not awarded towards the CART title.


1981 Indianapolis 500
The hectic month of May 1981 was interrupted several times by rain. Pole qualifying stretched over three days due to inclement weather, and several days of practice were cut short or lost due to rain. The 1981 race is also remembered for the horrifying crash of Danny Ongais, and a major pit fire involving Rick Mears. Ongais was critically injured, and Mears suffered burns, but both drivers would recover. Another major pit fire occurred later in the season at the Michigan 500, prompting new rules and standards to be put in place regarding the safety of fueling rigs.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Background
Three years into the first open wheel split, the sport of Indy car racing began settling into a mostly stabilized environment by 1981. The upstart CART series sanctioned the season of races. The Indianapolis 500 itself became an invitation-only race sanctioned by USAC, involving the CART regulars and various one-off entries. USAC kept alive their own "Gold Crown" championship, running Indy and the Pocono 500 in June 1981.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Background
A record total of 105 entries were expected to shatter the previous records for drivers on the track and qualifying attempts. Speed-cutting measures were still in place, and no drivers were expected to challenge the track records in 1981. The biggest rule change by USAC during the offseason was the banning of ground effects side skirts on the sidepods.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Background
Mario Andretti, as he had done in previous years, planned to race at Indianapolis in-between his busy, full-time Formula One schedule. His plans included qualifying at Indy on pole day weekend (May 9–10), then flying to Europe for the Belgian Grand Prix (May 17). After Belgium, he would fly back to Indianapolis in time for race day (May 24).


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race schedule
For the first time, USAC held a special test session for first-time drivers. The first-ever Rookie Orientation Program was organized and held over three days in early April. It allowed newcomers the opportunity to take their first laps at the Speedway and acclimate themselves to the circuit in a relaxed environment. It would be held without the pressure of veteran drivers crowding the track, without the distraction of spectators, and with minimal media coverage. The drivers were allowed to take the first phases of their rookie test during the ROP. They would then return to complete the final phase of the test during official practice in May.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race schedule
Since the 500 had been moved to the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, the 1981 race marked the earliest date (May 24) on which the race had ever been held. According to the calendar, May 24 is also the earliest date in which it can be scheduled.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race schedule
* Includes days where trackactivity was significantlylimited due to rain


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Practice – week 1
Practice started on Opening Day, Saturday May 2. The two most notable rookies of the field made most of the headlines for the afternoon. Young Josele Garza (actually 19 at the time, lied on his entry form to say he was 21) and Geoff Brabham both passed their rookie tests.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Practice – week 1
On Sunday May 3, Al Unser became the first driver to practice over 190 mph (310 km/h). A day later, his brother Bobby Unser pushed the speeds over 197 mph (317 km/h). The first incidents of the month occurred Monday, when Gordon Smiley spun, and Pete Halsmer crashed in turn 4.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Practice – week 1
Tuesday (May 5) was completely rained out, and Wednesday (May 6) was windy, keeping the speeds mostly down. A record 50 cars took to the track on Thursday (May 7), with Mario Andretti fastest of the day at 194.300 mph (312.696 km/h).


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Practice – week 1
On Friday, the final day of practice before pole day, Penske teammates Bobby Unser and Rick Mears were hand-timed just a tick below 200 mph (320 km/h). Mario Andretti was a close third over 198 mph (319 km/h).


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Time trials – weekend 1
On Saturday May 9, rain delayed the start of pole position time trials until 3:34 p.m. An abbreviated session saw only 9 cars finish qualifying runs. A. J. Foyt was the fastest of the nine, sitting on the provisional pole at 196.078 mph (315.557 km/h). Rain stopped qualifying for the day at 5:49 p.m., and pushed pole qualifying into the next day.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Time trials – weekend 1
On Sunday May 10, pole position qualifying was scheduled to resume. Rain fell all afternoon, however, and canceled all track activity for the day. 27 cars were still eligible for the pole position, and the resumption of pole day qualifying was scheduled for the following Saturday.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Time trials – weekend 1
Among the cars not yet qualified was Mario Andretti, who was due to be in Belgium for the Grand Prix the following weekend. His plans to put the car safely in the field on pole weekend were thwarted, and a contingency plan would have to be made.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Practice – week 2
Rain continued to fall, and washed out practice on Monday (May 11). On Tuesday May 12, the 200 mph (320 km/h) barrier was finally broken in practice for the month by Danny Ongais. Mario Andretti took his final practice run of the week, and departed for Belgium. Two major crashes occurred, involving Phil Caliva and Phil Krueger. Tim Richmond and Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon both were involved in spins, but suffered no contact.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Practice – week 2
On Wednesday May 13, Rick Mears pushed the fastest speed of the month to 200.312 mph (322.371 km/h). Retired veteran driver Wally Dallenbach climbed into Mario Andretti's car, and began to take some shake down laps. Due to Andretti's absence for the rest of the week, the Patrick Racing team decided to have Dallenbach qualify the car for him. On race day, Andretti would take over the cockpit once again. Dallenbach was quickly up to speed, over 191 mph (307 km/h) on his first day.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Practice – week 2
Rain closed the track on Thursday. On Friday, Bobby Unser upped the speed even further, turning a lap of 201.387 mph (324.101 km/h). A record 63 cars took to the track on the final full day of practice. World of Outlaws star, and Indy rookie Steve Kinser crashed in turn 1.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Time trials – weekend 2
Pole day time trials resumed on a sunny Saturday May 16. About a half-hour into the session, Bobby Unser took over the pole position with a four-lap average of 200.546 mph (322.748 km/h). Meanwhile, Wally Dallenbach put Mario Andretti's car safely in the field at over 193 mph (311 km/h). Mike Mosley squeezed himself into the front row posting a 197.141 mph (317.268 km/h) run. Moments later, Rick Mears took to the track.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Time trials – weekend 2
After a lap over 200.9 mph (323.3 km/h), his car developed a vibration, and he was forced to wave off, giving up his chance for the pole position. Pole qualifying continued until 2:00 p.m., when the original qualifying line was finally exhausted. Bobby Unser was awarded the pole, and the next round of qualifying began.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Time trials – weekend 2
After pole qualifying was over, Tom Sneva qualified his car at 200.691 mph (322.981 km/h). It was the fastest speed of the month, but since it did not take place in the pole round, he was not eligible for the pole position. Later in the day, Rick Mears took a back-up car out to qualify, but had to settle for a slower speed, and 22nd starting position. A very busy day saw the field filled at 5:00 PM and two drivers being bumped. A total of 53 qualifying attempts were made on Saturday, breaking the previous single day record of 45.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Time trials – weekend 2
On Sunday, bump day time trials were very busy. Ten cars were bumped during 25 attempts. The last complete attempt saw Jerry Sneva bump Jerry Karl. However, after being tipped off by another driver, Karl protested and Jerry Sneva was disqualified for using too much boost during his qualification attempt. It marked the first time since 1934 that the venerable Offenhauser engine did not make the race.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Carburetion Day
On Thursday May 21, the final scheduled practice session was held. All 33 qualified cars, along with 2 alternates, took laps. Mario Andretti returned from Belgium, and practiced in his already-qualified car. Jerry Karl was arrested during the week, but would be released on bond in time for race day. Bob Harkey practiced his car for him.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Carburetion Day
The starting grid was altered slightly after qualifying. Wally Dallenbach, who qualified Mario Andretti's car 8th, stepped aside as planned, and the car moved to the rear of the grid. In addition, George Snider vacated his ride in favor of Tim Richmond.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Practice and qualifying, Carburetion Day
Bobby Unser continued his dominance of the month, and led the speed chart for the afternoon, with a hand-timed lap of 197.6 mph (318.0 km/h). Later in the afternoon, hoping to sweep the month, his Penske Racing pit crew also guided him to a victory in the Miller Pit Stop Contest.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Start
As the field came through turn 4, the field began accelerating, anticipating the green flag. To the shock of many drivers in the back of the field, the green flag wasn't waved until Bobby Unser neared the start-finish line, and many of the back-row markers did not see the green flag until the front-runners accelerated away through turn 1.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Start
Because of the controversial start, Bobby Unser took the lead at the start, and pulled away from the field, with Johnny Rutherford moving up from row 2 into second place. Mike Mosley, the #2 starter, blew a radiator on lap 16 and finished in last place. Tom Sneva, with the fastest car in the field, charged from the 20th starting position to third place by lap 20. Unser pitted on lap 22 and Rutherford took the lead, only to go out three laps later with a broken fuel pump.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Start
Sneva led for a lap, then pitted under the yellow flag for Rutherford's tow-in. Unser made a second pit stop on lap 32 when Don Whittington's wreck brought out another yellow, which was extended when Gary Bettenhausen's car stopped on the backstretch. Sneva inherited the lead ahead of Gordon Smiley and Rick Mears, with Bobby Unser fourth.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Start
On lap 39, the field anticipated the green flag and started accelerating between turns 3 and 4. Just then, USAC changed their minds and ordered the pace car back onto the track. By then, Tom Sneva had driven through turn 4 and passed the pace car. Realizing his mistake, Sneva slowed down and blended back behind the pace car. Citing that Sneva had blended back behind the pace car and that the infraction was unintentional, USAC decided not to impose any penalties. Sneva held the lead until the second round of pit stops began on lap 56. Sneva pitted first, but the car stalled as he tried to pull away. As Sneva's crew tried to re-fire the engine, new leader Rick Mears pulled into his pit directly behind Sneva.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Mears pit fire
When Rick Mears pitted on lap 58, fuel began to gush from the refueling hose before it had been connected to the car. Fuel sprayed over the car, Mears and his mechanics, then ignited when it contacted the engine. Methanol burns with a transparent flame and no smoke, and panic gripped the pit as crew members and spectators fled from the invisible fire. Mears, on fire from the waist up, jumped out of his car and ran to the pit wall, where a safety worker, not seeing the fire, tried to remove Mears' helmet.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Mears pit fire
Meanwhile, Mears' fueler, covered in burning fuel, waved his arms frantically to attract the attention of the fire crews already converging on the scene. By this time the safety worker attending to Mears had fled, and Mears, in near panic at being unable to breathe, leaped over the pit wall toward another crewman carrying a fire extinguisher, who dropped the extinguisher and also fled. Mears tried to turn the extinguisher on himself, but at this point his father, Bill Mears, having already pulled Rick's wife Deena to safety, grabbed the extinguisher and put out the fire. His mechanics had also been extinguished, and the pit fire crew arrived to thoroughly douse Mears' car. (19)


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Mears pit fire
Thanks to quick action by Bill Mears and the fact that methanol produces much less heat than gasoline, no one was seriously hurt in the incident. Rick Mears and four of his mechanics (including Derrick Walker, a future crew chief on the Penske team) were sent to hospital, and Mears underwent plastic surgery on his face, particularly on his nose which caused him to miss the next race at Milwaukee the following week. The incident prompted a redesign to the fuel nozzle used on Indycars, adding a safety valve that would only open when the nozzle was connected to the car. (20)


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Mears pit fire
Meanwhile Gordon Smiley led lap 57 to lap 58, his first and only lap led in his career at Indianapolis. (19)


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Danny Ongais crash
Only minutes later, Danny Ongais came into the pits on lap 63 as the leader of the race, but problems during the stop caused it to drag on for a disastrous 46 seconds. After finally leaving the pits, Ongais approached a slower car at the end of the backstretch. Perhaps still upset about the long stop, he made a late pass going into turn 3. Carrying too much speed out of the turn, the car drifted out into the grey and the back end began to slide.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Danny Ongais crash
Ongais tried to correct the slide by turning right, and the car hooked to the right and crashed nearly head-on into the wall. (A year later, Gordon Smiley lost control at the same turn in the same way, but crashed directly head-on and was killed.) The front end of the car was ripped away, leaving an unconscious Ongais completely exposed in the cockpit as the car continued around turn 3, trailing a long tongue of orange fire from burning oil. Safety crews quickly surrounded the car and used the Jaws of Life to rescue Ongais, who suffered a concussion and badly broken feet and legs. Remarkably, Ongais made a full recovery and raced again at Indianapolis just one year later.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Unser pit incident
On lap 131, Tom Sneva, who fell 35 laps down after his engine stall on lap 58, got taken out of the race by a blown engine. He stopped his car in turn 4, entering the pit lane. He climbed out of his car and his car was towed off. Sneva, after having the best car, was frustratedly out of the race with a broken clutch in his engine. In an interview with Chris Economaki minutes later, Sneva said that the engine stall happened because he couldn't get the car in gear and once the problem was fixed the engine began to have problems and finally came apart on Sneva's 96th lap completed.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Unser pit incident
Pete Halsmer crashed out of the race on lap 135 and the caution came out soon afterwards for Josele Garza's accident. Josele hit the wall head-on but remarkably came out uninjured. Despite crashing, Josele Garza's effort in the race won him the 1981 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award. After 3 laps of caution, the race resumed with Mario Andretti as the race leader and Bobby Unser in second.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Unser pit incident
On lap 146, Tony Bettenhausen had a tire going down, which he at the time was unaware of. Approaching turn four, the tire deflated, and Bettenhausen attempted to move out of the groove and out of traffic. In the process, he touched wheels with Gordon Smiley, sending Smiley's car spinning and into the wall backwards in turn 4. Three laps later, leader Mario Andretti and second place Bobby Unser went into the pit area for service. Unser finished his pit stop first, and was the first driver to exit the pit area. Andretti followed a few seconds behind.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Unser pit incident
While the two cars were exiting the pits, the pace car was leading the field at reduced pace through turns 1 and 2. Bobby Unser stayed on the track apron, below the painted white line, and proceeded to pass by 14 cars. He flirted with crossing the white line at one point in the south short chute, but kept two wheels on or below the line at all times. He took his place in line as the fifth car immediately behind the pace car, still the overall race leader.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Unser pit incident
Mario Andretti himself also passed one or two cars before he blended into the field in the south short chute. Both drivers' actions went largely unnoticed at the time. Andretti claims that he immediately called his pit crew on the radio and told him that Unser had passed cars under the yellow. A couple of the lapped cars ahead of Unser subsequently pitted, thus Unser would be taking the green flag on the ensuing restart as the third car in line. Unser quickly dispatched of the lapped cars by turn four, and took a commanding lead into turn one.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Finish
Gordon Johncock led late in the race, but slowed and eventually suffered a blown engine with less than 10 laps to go. Bobby Unser assumed the lead on lap 182, with Mario Andretti second. Unser held on to win by 5.180 seconds, one of the closest finishes at Indianapolis to that point.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race recap, Finish
Bobby Unser celebrated his third Indy 500 victory (also 1968 and 1975), while Mario Andretti was lauded for charging from 32nd starting position to a 2nd place finish. Unser made a total of ten pit stops, a record for the most ever by a winner. In victory lane a satisfied Bobby Unser made no mention of a question about his win when interviewed by ABC's Chris Economaki. Though it was not widely noted at the time, it is believed that Unser did not partake in the traditional victory lane bottle of milk.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Controversy, Post race
Shortly after the race was over, rumblings over a possible protest or penalty were beginning to surface around the garage area. Andretti's team Patrick Racing, as well as other drivers, were voicing complaints over Bobby Unser passing cars under the yellow on lap 149. Word of the incident reached chief race steward Thomas W. Binford by mid-evening. At the time, it was the policy of USAC to post official results for the Indianapolis 500 at 8 a.m. the morning after the race, and that any protest of that result could be filed after the race results were posted. In a taped interview with Chris Economaki three hours after the race ended, Binford announced that he would be reviewing the video of lap 149 with the board overnight and that based on what he saw, Unser was likely to get penalized for the passes.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Controversy, Television controversy
ABC televised the race on same-day tape-delay at 9 p.m. EDT. At the time, it was the policy of ABC Sports to record live commentary of the race at the start of the race and at the end of the race. For the remaining portions of the race, commentary was recorded during post-production.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Controversy, Television controversy
Unlike the live radio broadcast, which did not notice nor mention the infraction, the television broadcast focused heavily on the incident, and reported it as it was being aired. It was later revealed that commentators Jim McKay and Jackie Stewart had provided the lap 149 incident commentary in post-production, and did so with the knowledge that a protest of Unser's actions was in the works.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Controversy, Television controversy
Jim McKay: "Bobby, out again – and Bobby, going out, very – passed a car – What's he doing? He – oh look at that! He's passed about half a dozen cars." Jackie Stewart: "Oh, James, that's a – !" McKay: "Under the yellow. You can't do that!" Stewart: "That is a no-no! He has accelerated probably in the haste of leaving the pit lane, he's certainly overtaken these other cars; I'm not sure why he did that. I know that you're certainly not supposed to do it.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Controversy, Television controversy
The regulations say that under yellow flag conditions you must not pass any other cars, and that certainly has been the case here..."McKay: "...but you're supposed to blend into the traffic, right? Let's see if he did that at all." Stewart: "Yes, you are supposed to...but certainly he's accelerated all the way down below the double yellow line there, and simply overtaken a lot of cars there; I'm sure Bobby must know the regulations, I'm sure he knew what he was doing, whether his mind was somewhere else I can't say, but he shouldn't have passed these other cars, Jim."


1981 Indianapolis 500, Controversy, Television controversy
After the end of the race and Unser's victory lane interview was aired on tape delay, a live portion of broadcast concluded ABC's race coverage at approximately 11:45 p.m. EDT (10:45 p.m. IST). At that late hour, Mario Andretti with broadcasters Jackie Stewart and Jim McKay in the broadcast booth, announced that a protest was in process:


1981 Indianapolis 500, Controversy, Television controversy
"Well, there is a protest in process, mainly because we're talking about an unusual infraction of the rules. The one particular rule we dwell on quite a bit during the private and also the public drivers are passing under yellow. This one instance where Bobby and I were exiting the pits, I was right behind him... I just lost sight. He went about 7...8...9 cars in front of me..."


1981 Indianapolis 500, Controversy, Television controversy
It was followed by the previously taped interview with chief steward Binford with Chris Economaki, with the assertion that video would be reviewed overnight, and that Unser was likely to be penalized. The overall broadcast was considered misleading, and biased against Unser, for several reasons:


1981 Indianapolis 500, Controversy, Television controversy
Unser took ABC's coverage, and Stewart's in particular, personally. In answer to this, Stewart said, "Bobby was upset. He said that if it had not been for me and ABC, USAC wouldn't have had to take action. My job is not to advise officials, but it is to inform my viewers. Had I not pointed that out to illustrate an infraction of the regulations as I understood them, I would have done a great disservice to the audience."


1981 Indianapolis 500, Controversy, Official results
USAC spent the night reviewing race tapes and scoring reports. At 8 a.m. EST Monday morning, the official results of the race were posted. Bobby Unser was charged with passing cars under the yellow, and was penalized 1 position (some erroneous reports listed it as a 1-lap penalty) for the infraction. The penalty dropped Unser down to second place, and elevated Mario Andretti to first place. Andretti was declared the victor, and it made him a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Controversy, Official results
That night, the traditional Victory Banquet was held at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis, with Andretti the new guest of honor. The mood was subdued, and the event was overshadowed by large-scale media attention (Bobby Unser did not attend the banquet). The winner's share of the purse was announced, but the pay envelope presented to Andretti was empty. Andretti was presented with the official pace car but was not given the keys. Ted Koppel's Nightline focused the evening's program on the controversy and included a live interview with Andretti who compared the situation to the 1978 Italian Grand Prix, a race in which he won on the track, but was stripped of victory when officials deemed he jumped the start.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Controversy, Official results
Penske Racing, Bobby Unser's team, immediately filed an official protest of the decision. On the Wednesday(18) after the race, a five-person panel of officials (led by Tom Binford), denied the protest. Roger Penske subsequently filed an appeal to the USAC Appeals Board. Bobby Unser refused to take a part willingly in the appeal stating(17):


1981 Indianapolis 500, Protest and appeals
Roger Penske filed an appeal after the official results were posted which had declared Andretti the winner. A hearing was held on June 12, 1981. The USAC appeals hearing resembled a court case. According to some in attendance, witnesses who took the stand were subjected to numerous odd and superfluous questions, many with little or no relevance to the race itself. The hearings reportedly were dragged out with considerable wasted time. Mid -way through the hearing, the meeting was adjourned, and the resumption was scheduled for July 29.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Protest and appeals
Bobby Unser's primary argument was based upon the "blend rule", and its perceived vague definition in the rule book. When exiting the pit area during a yellow caution periods, drivers were instructed to look to their right and see which car was next to them out on the track. After accelerating to sufficient speed, the driver was to "blend" (merge) into the field behind that car.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Protest and appeals
Mario Andretti argued that it was an established guideline that the place to look for the car to blend behind was at the south end of the pit straight, where the concrete separator wall ends. Bobby Unser countered that he understood that, as long as the car stayed under the white line and in the apron, the place to blend in was the exit of turn two. Unser argued that the warm-up apron was an extension of the pit area.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Protest and appeals
Unser added that drivers were allowed to do that as long as they did not pass the pace car nor pass the car immediately behind the pace car. He also contended that Andretti had passed at least two cars himself, and should have also incurred a penalty. In addition, it was pointed out that USAC allowed the alleged infraction to go unpenalized throughout the remainder of the race (instead of acting upon it immediately after it happened). Binford, the chief steward, stated that he did receive a complaint after lap 149, but that track observers had missed Unser's infraction, so he was powerless to act during the race.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Protest and appeals
USAC was faced with a dilemma, as the rulebook was in fact unclear in regards to the blend rule. Officials mulled over the decision for months. On October 9, 1981, a three-member USAC appeals board voted 2-1 to reinstate the victory to Bobby Unser. He was instead fined $40,000.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Protest and appeals
An official of the USAC board told reporters 3 hours after the reinstatement of Unser's win:


1981 Indianapolis 500, Protest and appeals
The appeal panel said that, since the violation could have been detected at the time it was committed, a one-lap penalty after the completion of the race was too severe. In its decision, which resulted from a 2-to-1 vote, the panel said that race officials had "a responsibility to observe and report illegal passing in yellow flag situations and they failed to do so."


1981 Indianapolis 500, Protest and appeals
Following the ruling, Andretti, without the support of Patrick Racing, filed an appeal with a higher USAC board, arguing that he wasn't given sufficient time to argue his case against Unser. The appeal was denied by the board weeks later. After a final rejected petition to the American branch of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, Andretti did not pursue the matter any further. (48)(49)


1981 Indianapolis 500, Race Results
The results below represent the final revision of the 1981 Indianapolis 500 results, as certified on October 9, 1981.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore
The 1981 Indianapolis 500 was largely considered the most controversial running to date. It was referred to as "The Great Dispute," and in some circles was "Undecided." Bobby Unser, who felt the entire ordeal was politically motivated by his USAC enemies, became disillusioned with auto racing and took a sabbatical from driving. He sat out the 1982 Indy 500, and retired officially in 1983 because the $40,000 fine for the win and several other fines he faced in sponsorship ruined his finances.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore
After being reinstated the winner, Bobby Unser was presented with the miniature Borg-Warner Trophy, while Mario Andretti had already been presented with the winner's championship ring. While Bobby Unser celebrated in victory lane on race day, the morning after the race, Mario Andretti took part in the winner's photograph session. No official victory photos were taken of Unser. Months after the race, Unser's likeness was sculpted and added to the Borg-Warner Trophy appropriately.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore
A claim was even made at the time that Andretti "threw away the winner's ring" when he heard that Unser was reinstated the victory, but the story appears to have been unsubstantiated. In a 2001 interview with Jack Arute and Bobby Unser on ESPN Classic's "Big Ticket", Andretti confirmed that he kept the ring by wearing it during the interview.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore
To this day the race is still controversial. Mario Andretti has maintained that, by the rulebook, he won the race. Unser has retorted that Andretti is being a sore loser. In recent interviews, Unser said that he and Mario were very close friends until that race, and  while they maintained a mutual respect, they did not speak with one another for upwards of 37 years. They did not personally reconcile until about 2017 when Andretti phoned Unser during an illness.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore
Unser also maintains that U.E. "Pat" Patrick, the car owner for Andretti in that race, was not the impetus for any protest on behalf of Andretti. Rather it was crew chief Jim McGee, and that Patrick actually felt Unser was the rightful winner. Andretti, in a 2019 interview, said that losing his friendship with Unser was more of a "misunderstanding", and he would have been more willing to accept the outcome, "If Unser would have just admitted that "Okay, I got away with one.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore
"” Both Unser and Andretti also agree in retrospect that regardless of the outcome, USAC mishandled the situation from start to finish and much of the controversy could have been easily avoided. Despite their difference of opinion over the controversy, Andretti would be amongst the first people to publicly praise Unser when it was announced in May 2021 that Unser died.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore
Australians Vern Schuppan (3rd), Geoff Brabham (5th) and Dennis Firestone (10th) were the first trio of foreign drivers to finish in the top ten since British drivers Graham Hill, Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart finished 1st, 2nd, and 6th in 1966. Mario Andretti was born in Italy, but was both an Italian and U.S. citizen by that time. Young rookie Josele Garza, after leading 13 laps during the race, won the Rookie of the Year award.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore
Two years later it would be revealed that Garza fibbed about his age, and was actually 19 years old on race day (rules at the time required drivers to be at least 21 years of age). By 1983, Garza was officially being credited as the youngest starting driver ever in Indy 500 history, a record he would hold until 2003. In 1996, the rules were changed to set the minimum driver age for the Indy 500 to 18 years of age.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore, Robin Miller / A. J. Foyt controversy
During practice, a controversy erupted between Indianapolis Star journalist Robin Miller and A. J. Foyt. For the first time, handheld radar guns were being used to measure trap speeds of the race cars along the straightaways. In his May 8 column, Miller casually noted that Foyt had a trap speed measured at 214 mph on the mainstretch, about 8 mph faster than any other car. The report led some in the paddock to question the legality of Foyt's turbocharger "boost" setting. Foyt was angered by the report, and denied any accusations of cheating.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore, Robin Miller / A. J. Foyt controversy
During some downtime during Friday afternoon's practice session, Foyt hunted down Miller on the grass parapet along the pit lane, grabbed him and slapped him on the back of the head and threatened to "remove two of [his] vital organs." Foyt claimed his speed was due to engine development over the winter months, and quipped 'Is it a crime to go fast?' Foyt also demanded that the radar guns be turned off.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore, Robin Miller / A. J. Foyt controversy
In response, Miller wrote a scathing column that was published in The Star on Sunday May 10. Miller accused Foyt of throwing temper tantrums, verbal and physical intimidation, and childish behavior. But more importantly, he tallied a lengthy list of USAC races in which Foyt allegedly had cheated in the past. The column sparked controversy, and Foyt immediately refuted the allegations. Foyt demanded the paper issue a retraction, and after they refused, he filed a $3 million libel suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore, Robin Miller / A. J. Foyt controversy
The suit claimed the article was false, with intent to damage Foyt's reputation, as well as create animosity towards Foyt from the other drivers. The dispute simmered during race week, and over the summer months, but was soon largely overshadowed by the Bobby Unser/Mario Andretti controversy that occurred in the race itself.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Aftermath and lore, Robin Miller / A. J. Foyt controversy
On November 1, 1981, The Star issued a retraction, acknowledging that Foyt's alleged unprofessional conduct "had never been proven nor protested," and at the time of the retraction, "remain[ed] unproven and unprotested." As a result, Foyt dropped the libel suit. The parties settled out of court for an undisclosed monetary amount, and Judge Carl O. Bue Jr. accepted the agreement and formally dismissed the suit on November 30.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Broadcasting, Radio
The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Paul Page served as anchor for the fifth year. Lou Palmer reported from victory lane. Darl Wible departed, and Bob Jenkins moved to the fourth turn position, where he would remain through 1989. Larry Henry joined the crew for the first year, stationed on the backstretch. This was Larry's only year on the Backstretch, he moved to Turn 3 the following year. This was Doug Zink's last year in Turn 3.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Broadcasting, Radio
The reporting location for Turn 2 shifted slightly, although still on the roof of the VIP Suites, the station was moved southward towards the middle of the turn. Howdy Bell, the longtime turn 2 reporter, celebrated his 20th year on the crew. This was Howdy's last year in Turn 2 until 1985. In Turn 3, the reporting location moved to a platform on the L Stand.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Broadcasting, Radio
Chief Announcer: Paul PageDriver expert: Rodger WardStatistician: John DeCampHistorian: Donald Davidson


1981 Indianapolis 500, Broadcasting, Radio
Turn 1: Ron CarrellTurn 2: Howdy BellBackstretch: Larry Henry  R Turn 3: Doug ZinkTurn 4: Bob Jenkins


1981 Indianapolis 500, Broadcasting, Television
The race was carried in the United States on ABC Sports on a same-day tape delay basis. Sam Posey rode along and reported live from inside the pace car at the start of the race.


1981 Indianapolis 500, Broadcasting, Television
The broadcast has re-aired on ESPN Classic since 2003. On May 24, 2003 the race was featured on ESPN Classic's "Big Ticket" series, hosted by Jack Arute featuring interviews with Bobby Unser and Mario Andretti. On July 30, 2003, an expanded edit of the "Big Ticket" version aired.


1981 Individual Ice Speedway World Championship
The 1981 Individual Ice Speedway World Championship was the 16th edition of the World Championship  The Championship was held on 7/8 March 1981 in Assen in the Netherlands.


1981 Individual Long Track World Championship
The 1981 Individual Long Track World Championship was the 11th edition of the FIM speedway Individual Long Track World Championship. The event was held on 20 September 1981 in Gornja Radgona in the Slovenia, which was Yugoslavia at the time.


1981 Individual Long Track World Championship
The world title was won by Michael Lee of England. Ivan Mauger crashed in heat 7 and was taken to hospital.


1981 Individual Speedway Junior European Championship
The 1981 Individual Speedway Junior European Championship was the fifth edition of the European Under-21 Championships.


1981 Individual Speedway Junior European Championship, European final
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance •  t - exclusion for touching the tapes •  x - other exclusion •  e - retired or mechanical failure •  f - fell •  ns - non-starter •  nc - non-classify


1981 Individual Speedway World Championship
The 1981 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 36th edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.


1981 Individual Speedway World Championship
It was also the last of a record 26 times that London's world famous Wembley Stadium hosted the World Final. It also marked the final time that the stadium would be used for any Motorcycle speedway. In future years when the final was held in England, it would be held at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford until the advent of the Speedway Grand Prix series in 1995. The 1981 Final was held before a reported crowd of 92,500, just shy of the Wembley record of 95,000 set at the 1938 World Final.