1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Season summary
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, but activity in 1985 began more than a month and a half later with the formation of Tropical Storm Ana on July 15. It was an average season in which 13 tropical depressions formed. Eleven of the depressions attained tropical storm status and seven of these attained hurricane status. In addition, three tropical cyclone eventually attained major hurricane status, which is slightly above the 1981–2010 average of 2.7 per season. The amount of activity is attributed to a La Niña that persisted since the previous season. Seven hurricanes and two tropical storms made landfall during the season, causing 60 deaths and $4.52 billion in damage. The last storm of the season, Tropical Depression Thirteen, dissipated on December 9, over a week after the official end of the season on November 30.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Season summary
Tropical cyclogenesis in the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season began with the development Tropical Storm Ana on July 15. Less than a week later, Hurricane Bob developed in the Gulf of Mexico. Activity briefly halted until Hurricane Claudette formed offshore Georgia on August 9. The month of August also featured Hurricanes Danny and Elena. As September is the climatological peak of hurricane season, it was the most active month. Five tropical cyclones developed, including two tropical depressions, Tropical Storms Fabian and Henri, and Hurricane Gloria. Thereafter, activity began to slow, with Tropical Storm Isabel and Hurricane Juan in October. Another named storm, Hurricane Kate, developed near Puerto Rico on November 15. The final tropical cyclone of the season, Tropical Depression Thirteen, developed in the Caribbean Sea on December 7 and dissipated by late on December 9.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Season summary
The season's activity was reflected with a cumulative accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 88, which is classified as "near normal". ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. ACE is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding 34 knots (39 mph, 63 km/h) or tropical storm strength. Subtropical cyclones are excluded from the total.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Ana
In the second week of July, an area of convection merged with a cut-off low-pressure area, which developed on July 8. After about 7 days, ship data indicated that a circulation developed on July 15. Thus, the system became Tropical Depression One at 1800 UTC that same day, while located south-southeast of Bermuda. The depression slowly curved northwestward around Bermuda and began strengthening. By late on July 16, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Ana. Thereafter, the storm turned northward and passed west of Bermuda later that day. On July 17, Ana accelerate north-northeastward under the influence of a frontal system and eventually paralleled Nova Scotia.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Ana
While passing close to Sable Island on July 19, Ana peaked with winds of 70 mph (115 km/h). Shortly thereafter, the storm merged with frontal system, hours before it crossed the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland. The storm produced relatively light winds on Bermuda, with sustained winds of 29 mph (47 km/h) and gusts up to 47 mph (76 km/h), causing no damage. Ana and its remnants dropped light rainfall and produced moderate winds on Sable Island and Nova Scotia. On Sable Island, rainfall peaked at 3.3 inches (83 mm), while 2 inches (50 mm) or less was reported on eastern Nova Scotia. After becoming extratropical, the system dropped slightly heavier precipitation amounts over southeastern Newfoundland, which peaked at 4.2 inches (106.3 mm).


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Bob
A tropical wave developed into Tropical Depression Two in the eastern Gulf of Mexico on July 21. The depression drifted southeastward and then northeastward without significant intensification. However, late on July 22, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Bob. The cyclone made landfall near Fort Myers, Florida with winds of 45 mph (70 km/h) on the following day. While crossing Florida, Bob curved sharply northward and emerged into the Atlantic Ocean near Vero Beach early on July 24. It continued to strengthen and reached hurricane intensity later that day and peaked with winds of 75 mph (120 km/h). At 0300 UTC on July 25, Bob made landfall near Beaufort, South Carolina at the same intensity. The storm weakened quickly inland and was absorbed by a frontal trough over West Virginia on July 26.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Bob
Bob dropped heavy rainfall in South Florida, peaking at 21.5 in (550 mm) in Everglades City. Localized flooding occurred, but was mostly limited to inundated streets and minor damage to crops. Hurricane-force winds were observed in South Carolina. Falling trees and power lines left 32,000 residents without electricity, most of which were in the Charleston area. One person was killed in North Carolina from a traffic accident. The storm produced three tornadoes in Virginia, one of which destroyed two homes and another damaged ten homes.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Bob
Gusty winds and heavy rainfall also knocked over gateways, tents, and portable toilets at the 1985 Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree at Fort A. P. Hill, injuring several scouts. Four people died in Washington, D.C. and Maryland from traffic accidents caused by slick roads. Overall, Bob caused about $20 million in damage and 5 fatalities.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Claudette
A trough and an associated low-level circulation were observed over the Gulf Coast of the United States on August 7. The system moved eastward and entered the Atlantic Ocean, where it transitioned into a low-pressure area offshore Georgia on August 9. Around that time, the system developed into a subtropical depression. It strengthened and slowly acquired tropical characteristics while moving east-northeastward. Early on August 11, the depression was reclassified as Tropical Storm Claudette. As the storm passed north of Bermuda late on August 12, minor effects were reported, with sustained winds reaching 28 mph (45 km/h) and rainfall up to 0.61 in (15 mm). Continuing eastward, Claudette attained hurricane status early on August 14.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Claudette
At 1200 UTC on August 15, Claudette peaked with winds of 85 mph (135 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 980 mbar (29 inHg). However, colder sea surface temperatures caused Claudette to weaken to a tropical storm early on August 16. The storm turned northeast and struck Corvo Island in the Azores later that day. At Lajes das Flores on Flores Island, sustained winds reached 29 mph (47 km/h), with gusts up to 52 mph (84 km/h). Furthermore, higher elevations on the island of Flores reported winds as strong as 76 mph (122 km/h). At 0000 UTC on August 17, the storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone, while located north-northeast of the Azores.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Danny
A tropical wave developed into Tropical Depression Four on August 12, while located near Grand Cayman. The depression moved northwestward and initially remained weak. Early on August 13, it brushed Cape San Antonio, Cuba before emerging the Gulf of Mexico later that day. The system then intensified into Tropical Storm Danny on August 14. Danny deepened further and became a hurricane early on the following day, while beginning to re-curve north-northwestward. At 1620 UTC on August 16, Danny attained its peak intensity with winds of 90 mph (145 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 988 mbar (29.2 inHg).


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Danny
Only 10 minutes later, the storm made landfall near Grand Chenier, Louisiana at the same intensity. Early on August 17, Danny weakened to a tropical storm and was downgraded to a tropical depression several hours later. It moved east-northeastward across the Southeastern United States, until dissipating over southeastern Virginia on August 18.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Danny
There was widespread coastal and inland flooding in Louisiana. The storm brought up to 8.91 inches (226 mm) of precipitation to Kentwood. Additionally, there were two tornadoes reported in the state. Overall, 33 single-family homes and 26 mobile homes were destroyed, while 3 condos, 908 single-family houses and 265 mobile homes were damaged. A combination of rainfall and storm surge in southern Mississippi caused severe beach erosion and flooded 70 homes in Hancock County alone. Further north, a tornado in Enterprise severely damaged 6 homes, 3 barns, and 2 roofs; it also destroyed 1 house.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Danny
In Alabama, the storm spawned 34 tornadoes, which destroyed 27 single-family residences and 18 mobile homes. About 90 homes, 8 mobile homes, and 23 businesses suffered damage. Impact was similar but less severe in several other states, including Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, and Texas. Danny caused 5 fatalities and about $100 million in damage.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Elena
A tropical wave developed into Tropical Depression Five on August 28, while located near the eastern tip of Cuba. The depression then moved ashore on the island. Despite the mountainous terrain of Cuba, the depression strengthened while tracking west-northwestward across the island. Later on August 28, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Elena. The storm emerged into the Gulf of Mexico near Havana early on the following day. Elena reached hurricane status later on August 29. After becoming a Category 2 hurricane, the storm veered east-northeastward and missed the central portions of the Gulf Coast of the United States.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Elena
Elena drifted erratically and posed a threat to Central Florida. However, by early on September 1, the storm re-curved to the west-northwest. It continued to intensify and early on the following day, Elena peaked with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (200 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 953 mbar (28.1 inHg). At 1300 UTC on September 2, Elena made landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi at a slightly weaker intensity. The storm rapidly weakened inland, falling to tropical storm status only 5 hours later. It meandered across the Southern United States, until dissipating over  Missouri on September 4.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Elena
About 1 million fled the coast as Elena approached, with some people undergoing two emergency evacuations due to the erratic path of the storm. Although Elena remained offshore of Florida, it generated large waves along the west coast of Florida. Severe damage occurred to the oyster crop, and 40 ft (12 m) of sand was washed away along portions of the Florida Panhandle. Elena also dropped heavy rain in the Big Bend area, where precipitation peaked at 15.67 in (398 mm) in Cross City. Tornadoes in the Tampa Bay area also caused some damage, mostly to mobile home parks.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Elena
Despite landfall in Mississippi as a Category 3 hurricane, sustained winds in the state only reached 91 mph (146 km/h), recorded in Harrison County, Ocean Springs, and Pascagoula. Severe wind damage occurred particularly in Pass Christian, where at least 75% of homes suffering losses. Throughout the Gulf Coast region, 294 single family homes were destroyed, while 17,189 were damaged to varying degrees. About 541 mobile homes were destroyed and an additional 2,642 suffered damage. The destruction of 239 apartments and condominiums, as well as impact to 1,909 other units were reported. Elena caused $1.3 billion in damage. In addition, there were nine total fatalities, including two in Texas from storm-induced rip currents; this was considered a low number, most likely the result of the massive evacuations prior to landfall.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Fabian
The remnants of Tropical Depression Six drifted northeastward and crossed Hispaniola on September 15. Later that day, the remnants of the depression emerged into the Atlantic Ocean. It combined with the remnants of a frontal system and quickly developed into a surface low. At 1800 UTC on September 15, Tropical Depression Seven formed about 150 mi (240 km) north-northeast of Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos Islands. The depression was steered northeastward by a frontal trough, which was extending northeastward into the Atlantic. It is estimated that the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Fabian at 1800 UTC on September 16, which was when a reconnaissance aircraft reported an atmospheric pressure of 1,004 mbar (29.6 inHg).


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Fabian
At 0700 UTC on September 17, the depression was operationally upgraded to a tropical storm. Fabian strengthened further and at 0945 UTC on that day, the storm attained its peak intensity with winds of 65 mph (105 km/h) and a minimum atmospheric pressure of 992 mbar (29.3 inHg). A low-pressure area began developing along the frontal trough, causing the storm to accelerate eastward. The ship Vant recorded winds as high as 80 mph (130 km/h) while passing between Fabian and the developing low pressure system on September 17 and September 18. At around 1800 UTC on September 19, Fabian was absorbed by the low-pressure area about 405 miles (650 km) southeast of Flores Island, Azores.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Gloria
A tropical wave developed into Tropical Depression Eight on September 16, while located near Cape Verde. The depression strengthened while passing south of the islands and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Gloria on September 17. During the next 24 hours, Gloria did not intensify further and instead weakened back to a tropical depression late on September 18. However, by 0000 UTC on September 20, it re-strengthened into a tropical storm. Slow deepening occurred as the storm approached the Lesser Antilles. Late on September 21, Gloria was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. The storm re-curved west-northwestward by the following day. Gloria then underwent rapid intensification, starting at 1800 UTC on September 23. The storm became a Category 4 hurricane by early on September 25.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Gloria
At 0120 UTC on September 25, Gloria attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (235 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 919 mbar (27.1 inHg). However, later that day, the storm quickly weakened to a Category 2 hurricane. Although Gloria weakened to a Category 1 hurricane on September 26, it soon re-strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane while re-curving north-northeastward. Early on September 27, Gloria made landfall on Hatteras Island, North Carolina with winds of 105 mph (170 km/h).


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Gloria
After re-emerging into the Atlantic Ocean, Gloria weakened back to a Category 1 hurricane later on September 27. At 1600 UTC on that day, the hurricane made another landfall on Long Island, New York with winds of 85 mph (135 km/h). Gloria continued to weaken while moving inland and became extratropical over Maine at 0000 UTC on September 28.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Gloria
The storm brought strong winds to eastern North Carolina, with sustained winds up to 98 mph (158 km/h) and gusts as high as 120 mph (190 km/h). Wind damage to trees and structures were reported as far as 30 mi (48 km) inland. One man was killed after a tree fell on his mobile home near Havelock. Storm surge amounts ranging from 4 to 8 feet (1.2 to 2.4 m) also caused flood damage to numerous homes along the Outer Banks.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Gloria
In New York, wind gusts up to 100 mph (160 km/h) on Long Island damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses. Hundreds of aircraft sustained damage. Thousands of trees were knocked over, which struck power lines, leaving about 1.5 million people – roughly two-thirds of Long Island – without electricity. Storm tides also caused severe beach erosion, flooded hundreds of streets, and damaged or destroyed hundreds of boats. In Connecticut, thousands of trees downed by strong winds struck power lines, leaving up to 727,000 people without electricity. Along the coast, hundreds of small crafts and pleasure crafts were torn from their moorings. Additionally, a number of houses were inflicted flood damage from storm tides. Similar impact was reported in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Overall, Gloria caused 14 deaths and about $900 million in damage.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Henri
A trough of low pressure located near dissipating Tropical Storm Fabian developed a circulation on September 18 and then began to drift northward. By 1800 UTC on September 21, the system became Tropical Depression Nine, while located about 415 miles (670 km) east of Palm Coast, Florida. However, the advisories were not operationally initiated until 0230 UTC on September 22, after a reconnaissance confirmed a low-level circulation. The depression strengthened and became Tropical Storm Henri early on September 23. Shortly thereafter, Henri attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a minimum atmospheric pressure of 996 mbar (29.4 inHg).


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Henri
After reaching peak intensity, wind shear began to steadily weaken the storm as it tracked north or north-northeastward. At 2100 UTC on September 24, Henri struck the eastern tip of Long Island with winds of 40 mph (65 km/h). While weakening to a tropical depression, the storm made its second landfall near the Connecticut and Rhode Island border around 0000 UTC on September 25. Six hours later, Henri was absorbed by frontal zone centered over New England. Rainfall was widespread, but light, as minimal deep convection was retained as Henri was affecting land. Only one location in both Massachusetts and North Carolina reported precipitation in excess of 3 inches (76 mm). As a result, no significant damage was reported.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Isabel
A tropical wave exited Africa on September 29. It entered the Caribbean on October 5 and produced torrential rainfall across Puerto Rico; the floods killed 180 people, mostly from a mudslide near Ponce. On October 7, the wave spawned a tropical depression north of Hispaniola. Located on the western edge of a mid-Atlantic high pressure system, the storm moved northward and intensified into Tropical Storm Isabel, although initial development was hampered by interaction with Hispaniola. After moving through the southeastern Bahamas, Isabel quickly intensified and attained peak winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) late on October 8. An approaching cold front caused the storm to weaken and a ridge behind the front caused Isabel to curve westward. In addition, strong southwesterly flow gradually decreased convection around the center.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Isabel
Isabel made landfall near Fernandina Beach, Florida as a 40 mph (65 km/h) tropical storm late on October 10. It quickly weakened to a tropical depression, and the circulation turned to the north and east once inland. Late on October 11, Isabel emerged from the coast near Brunswick, Georgia and subsequently drifted to the northeast. The circulation was absorbed by a cold front while located east of the Outer Banks of North Carolina on October 15. When Isabel made landfall on northeastern Florida, the storm dropped light rains across the Southeastern United States, peaking at 3.38 in (86 mm) in southeastern North Carolina. Additionally, minimal precipitation fell in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Juan
An upper-level low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico developed into a tropical depression on October 26. By later that day, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Juan. Juan re-curved several times, but eventually moved north-northwest on October 27. The storm strengthened and by early on October 28, it became a hurricane. Later that day, sustained winds peaked at 85 mph (135 km/h). Between October 28 and October 29, the storm executed a cyclonic loop just offshore Louisiana. Shortly before 1200 UTC on that day, Juan made landfall near Morgan City, Louisiana as a minimal hurricane.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Juan
It quickly weakened back to a tropical storm. The storm began to execute another cyclonic loop, reaching the Lafayette area before curving back out to the Gulf of Mexico on October 30. The storm briefly remained offshore, before a second landfall on the Mississippi River Delta in Louisiana early on October 31. Juan re-emerged into the Gulf of Mexico, before yet another landfall near Gulf Shores, Alabama. The storm weakened inland and became extratropical over Tennessee on November 1.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Juan
Juan produced large waves at oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, causing several damaged platforms, vessels, and killed nine people. The erratic motion of the storm offshore and inland over Louisiana resulted in heavy rainfall, peaking at 17.78 inches (452 mm) in Galliano. Significant flood ensued, damaging 5,000 homes and 100 businesses. In Jefferson Parish alone, heavy rainfall and storm surge combined flooded at least 2,233 homes, 3,100 cars, and 100 businesses. In southern Mississippi, rainfall exceeding 10 inches (250 mm) in some areas inundated 342-352 homes and 6 businesses.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Juan
The remnants of Juan also produced extensive flooding in the Appalachia region of the United States. Flood levels along rivers such as the James, Potomac, and Roanoke Rivers in Virginia rivaled that of Hurricane Camille in 1969 and Hurricane Agnes in 1972. In the state of Virginia alone, damaged exceeded $800 million. West Virginia was also significantly impacted. Many streams and rivers rose to 100-500 year flood levels, with some cresting at record heights. As a result, whole towns, roads, and bridges were swept away. Nearly 9,000 homes were damaged, 4,000 of which were destroyed. Losses reached $577 million. Overall, Juan caused $1.5 billion in damage and 12 fatalities, including 1 in Texas, 2 in Louisiana, and 9 offshore.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Kate
The interaction of an upper-level trough and a tropical wave spawned Tropical Storm Kate at 1800 UTC on November 15, while located northeast of Puerto Rico. Kate strengthened while moving westward and was upgraded to a hurricane about 24 hours later. Early on November 19, the storm made landfall in Ciego de Ávila Province, Cuba with winds of 110 mph (175 km/h). It curved west-northwestward and weakened to a Category 1 hurricane before emerging into the Gulf of Mexico late on November 19.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Kate
Kate turned northwestward and strengthened, peaking as a 120 mph (195 km/h) Category 3 hurricane on November 20. However, it weakened to a Category 2 hurricane on November 21, several hours before making landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida. The storm quickly weakened inland and was downgraded to a tropical storm on the following day. It crossed the Southeastern United States and emerged into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, North Carolina on November 23. Kate re-curved east-southeastward, before becoming extratropical while located about halfway between the Outer Banks and Bermuda.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Kate
In Jamaica, heavy rains brought flooding to five provinces, with repairs to transportation costing $3 million. Additionally, there were seven deaths on the island. In Cuba, strong winds damaged sugar mills and much of the sugar cane crop. An estimated 3,653 mi2 (9461 km2) of sugar cane and 34,000 tonnes of sugar were ruined. The storm also destroyed 141,000 tonnes of bananas and 87,078 tonnes of other fruits and vegetables. Kate damaged 88,207 houses and destroyed 4,382 others. There were 10 deaths and about 50 injuries. Damage was estimated at $400 million.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Kate
In the Florida Keys, strong winds downed trees and left power outages between Big Pine Key and Key West. Further north in the Florida Panhandle, strong winds also resulted in numerous power outages, including in Tallahassee, where 90% of the city was left without electricity. About 242 buildings were severely damaged in the Florida Panhandle, most of them in Franklin County. Storm surge left about 150 homes uninhabitable in Wakulla County alone. Five deaths occurred in Florida and damage reached about $300 million. One death occurred in Georgia; a man in Thomasville was fatally struck by a falling tree. Heavy rains brought flooding the southern portions of the state, with damage totaling $101 million.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Other systems
In addition to the 11 named storms, three other tropical cyclones developed during the course of the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season. At 1200 UTC on September 8, a tropical depression developed about 230 mi (370 km) north-northwest of São Vicente, Cape Verde. It tracked west-northwestward and intensified slightly, reaching winds of 35 mph (55 km/h). However, no further strengthening occurred, and 1200 UTC on September 13, it dissipated while located about 345 mi (555 km) east-southeast of Bermuda.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Other systems
Three days after the previous tropical cyclone developed, Tropical Depression Six formed about 10 miles (15 km) north of Tobago on September 11. Shortly after developing, it made landfall near Tivoli, Grenada with winds of 30 mph (50 km/h). The depression remained weak, intensifying minimally and maintaining an ill-defined circulation as it tracked west-northwestward across the Caribbean Sea. Eventually, the depression began disorganizing, with convection stretching across Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Leeward Islands on September 14, despite the center being located south of Jamaica. Later that day, a reconnaissance aircraft did not indicate a circulation; thus, the depression dissipated while located about 195 mi (315 km) south of Kingston, Jamaica on September 14. After dissipating, the depression later redeveloped into Tropical Storm Fabian.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Other systems
The final tropical depression developed in the southwestern Caribbean Sea on December 7, which was seven days after the official end of the season. It was the first off-season tropical cyclone to develop in the Caribbean Sea since Tropical Storm Arlene in 1981. Designated as Tropical Depression Thirteen, it headed west-southwestward toward Panama with little change in strength. At 1800 UTC on December 9, the depression dissipated about 50 mi (80 km) northwest of Colón, Panama.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Storm names
The following names were used for named storms that formed in the north Atlantic in 1985. The names not retired from this list were used again in the 1991 season. This is the same list used for the 1979 season except for Danny and Fabian, which replaced David and Frederic. Storms were named Danny, Fabian, Isabel, Juan and Kate for the first time in 1985. Names that were not assigned are marked in gray.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Storm names, Retirement
The World Meteorological Organization retired two names in the spring of 1986: Elena and Gloria. They were replaced by Erika and Grace for the 1991 season.


1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Season effects
This is a table of the storms in 1985 and their landfall(s), if any. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but are still storm-related. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical or a wave or low.


1985 Auburn Tigers football team
The 1985 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season.


1985 Auburn Tigers football team, Season
Bo Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards, which was the second best single-season performance in SEC history behind Herschel Walker's 1,891 rushing yards for the Georgia in 1981. For his performance, Jackson was awarded the Heisman Trophy edging out over Iowa quarterback Chuck Long. Auburn began the season ranked #1 in the AP Poll before losing to Tennessee on September 28.


1985 Australia Day Honours
The Australia Day Honours 1985 were announced on 26 January 1985 by the Governor General of Australia, Sir Ninian Stephen.


1985 Australia Day Honours
The Australia Day Honours are the first of the two major annual honours lists, announced on Australia Day (26 January), with the other being the Queen's Birthday Honours which are announced on the second Monday in June.


1985 Australian Drivers' Championship
The 1985 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to racing cars complying with Formula Mondial. It was the 29th Australian Drivers' Championship and the fourth to be contested by Formula Pacific-based Australian Formula 1 cars or by the similar Formula Mondial cars. The championship winner was awarded the 1985 CAMS Gold Star.


1985 Australian Drivers' Championship
Tasmanian driver John Bowe successfully defended his 1984 Australian Drivers' Championship crown in his Ralt RT4  Ford. Bowe dominated, winning the first four rounds of the series to take a twelve-point victory over Peter Hopwood (Ralt RT4 Ford). Peter Macrow (Cheetah Mk.8 Ford) was a very distant third in the series, only moving into the position when he won the final round at Sandown Park.


1985 Australian Drivers' Championship, Calendar
The championship was contested over a five-round series with one race per round.


1985 Australian Drivers' Championship, Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the first six placegetters at each round.


1985 Australian Endurance Championship
The 1985 Australian Endurance Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Touring Cars complying with an Australian version of FIA Group A Touring Car regulations. The championship was the fifth Australian Endurance Championship and the fourth to be awarded as a drivers title.


1985 Australian Endurance Championship, Calendar
The championship was contested over a five-round series which was staged concurrently with the 1985 Australian Manufacturers' Championship.


1985 Australian Endurance Championship, Class Structure
Cars were grouped into three classes based on engine capacity:


1985 Australian Endurance Championship, Points system
Championship points were allocated on a three scale system, to Australian license holders only, for outright places gained in each round:


1985 Australian Endurance Championship, Points system
In rounds where two drivers were compulsory (i.e. the Sandown and Bathurst rounds), full championship points were allocated to each of the two drivers provided that both had driven at least one third of the relevant distance. In all other rounds, where two drivers were not compulsory, points were allocated to each of the two drivers provided each had driven at least one third of the distance. If each had not driven such a distance, full points were allocated to the driver who had driven the greater distance. In all cases, points were only awarded to a driver who had driven one single car throughout the duration of the event.


1985 Australian Endurance Championship, Results
Note: Only the top ten pointscorers are shown in the above table.


1985 Australian Football Championships
The 1985 Australian Football Championships was an Australian rules football series between representative teams of the three major football states. Games involving Victoria were played under State of Origin rules, whilst the match between Western Australia and South Australia involved players based in their respective states at the time.


1985 Australian Football Championships
The competition drew controversy when the result of the game between Victoria and South Australia, originally a 57 point win to Victoria, was overturned and awarded to South Australia as a result of Victoria fielding too many players when coach Kevin Sheedy snuck Shane Heard into the squad and into the team as an extra player. The competition was won by South Australia, and it was their first Australian championship since 1911.


1985 Australian Football Championships, All-Australian Team
Following completion of the series, the best players over the three games were selected in the All-Australian team.


1985 Australian Formula 2 Championship
The 1986 Australian Formula 2 Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to cars complying with Australian Formula 2 regulations. The title, which was the 18th Australian Formula 2 Championship, was won by Peter Glover, driving a Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen.


1985 Australian Formula 2 Championship, Points system
Points were awarded to the first 20 placegetters in each race as per the following table:


1985 Australian Formula 2 Championship, Championship results
Note: The above table lists only the top ten championship positions.


1985 Australian GT Championship
The 1985 Australian GT Championship was the eighth Australian GT Championship and the fourth to be decided over a series of races. It was open to GT Cars complying with CAMS Group D regulations with Group B Sports Sedans and superseded Group C touring cars competing by invitation. The title was contested over six rounds from 24 March to 25 August 1985.


1985 Australian GT Championship
This was the final season before the series would be cancelled. It would later be resurrected in 2005.


1985 Australian GT Championship, Schedule
Note : Rounds were run concurrently with those of the 1985 Australian Sports Car Championship.


1985 Australian GT Championship, Results
For rounds contested over a single race, i.e. Rounds 1, 4, 5 & 6, championship points were awarded on a 30-27-24-21-19-17-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2 basis to the top twenty finishers in the round.


1985 Australian GT Championship, Results
For rounds contested over two races, i.e. Rounds 2 & 3, championship points were awarded by allocating race points on a 30-27-24-21-19-17-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2 basis to the top twenty finishers in each race, aggregating the points from the two races and then dividing the result by two. (Race points allocated for these races are shown in the table below within brackets)


1985 Australian Grand Prix
The 1985 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on a street circuit in the city of Adelaide on 3 November 1985. The Australian Grand Prix was the sixteenth and final race of the 1985 FIA Formula One World Championship. It was the 50th running of the Australian Grand Prix and the first to be held on the streets of Adelaide on a layout specifically designed for the debut of the World Championship in Australia. The race was held over 82 laps of the 3.780 km (2.362 mi) circuit for a total race distance of 310 kilometres. The race was won by Keke Rosberg driving a Williams-Honda; this was the final win by a Finnish driver until Mika Häkkinen won the 1997 European Grand Prix.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Pre-race
The new circuit was received extremely positively with glowing reviews from those within the paddock despite the circuit's temporary nature as it wound through streets, parkland and across horse racing venue Victoria Park Racecourse immediately adjacent to the Adelaide central business district, with the drivers enjoying a street circuit that was unlike Monaco and Detroit with their endless short straights, narrow roads and hairpin or right angle corners.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Pre-race
The Adelaide circuit was wide and fast in places, and included a 900-metre long straight (named the "Brabham Straight" for Australia's three-time World Champion Sir Jack Brabham) where the faster cars reached over 200 mph (322 km/h). The reception for the track, and the professional way in which the event was organised and executed was sufficiently positive to see the promoters awarded the Formula One Promotional Trophy for 1985.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Pre-race
Dual World Champion Nelson Piquet confirmed the drivers' positive view on the circuit when he said early in race week "After Dallas and Las Vegas, we all expected another bad street circuit", while his Brabham team boss and head of the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) Bernie Ecclestone told the assembled media that he believed that the standard of the organisation and the circuit itself was bad news for Formula One, explaining that Adelaide had raised the standards of what would be expected in the future and that several tracks in Europe already on the calendar, or hoping to be, would have to lift their own games in order to match it.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Pre-race
Over the course of the weekend, the only complaint from the drivers was of a lack of grip on the newly laid surface (along with the new road built inside the Victoria Park Racecourse which is where the pits were located, the entire circuit other than the Brabham Straight had been re-laid a few months prior to the race to prevent the problems often faced on American street circuits where the road surface broke up badly under the strain of the high powered cars). The new surface was causing graining in both qualifying and race tyres. Other than a bump in the road at the end of the Brabham Straight, the circuit itself was generally given the thumbs up by those that really mattered, the teams and their often highly paid drivers.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Pre-race
The only Australian driver in the field, 1980 World Drivers' Champion Alan Jones who was driving the Haas Lola team's Lola THL1-Hart, was given the honour of driving the first Formula One car out onto the new circuit when first practice opened at 10am on the Friday morning. Bernie Ecclestone had arranged for Jones to do a lap of the track before any other cars were released from the pits. Jones also had the honour of having a section of track named after him, with the Rundle Road section of the track, a 350-metre straight between turns 9 and 10, renamed as the "Jones Straight" when the circuit was in use. Jones Straight led directly onto the fast Brabham Straight.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Qualifying
Official qualifying became a battle royal between the Williams-Hondas of 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg and his teammate Nigel Mansell, and the Lotus-Renault of Ayrton Senna. Rosberg took the honors on Friday with a lap of 1:22.402, only 0.001 faster than Senna, with Mansell a further 0.161 back in third. During final qualifying, Mansell looked to have pole position wrapped up with a lap of 1:20.537 in his Williams FW10, with Senna second with Rosberg another three-tenths further back in third.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Qualifying
Senna was out on his third run with only minutes left before the end of qualifying in his black and gold Lotus 97T, powered by a special Renault qualifying engine rumored to be putting out some 1,150 bhp (858 kW; 1,166 PS), and stunned everyone with a time of 1:19.843, seven-tenths faster than Mansell, to grab his 7th pole position of the season. As such, Senna was the only driver to record a time under 1:20.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Qualifying
World Champion elect Alain Prost was 4th on the grid in his McLaren TAG-Porsche, the Ferrari of 1985 World Championship runner up Michele Alboreto fifth, and Marc Surer in his Brabham-BMW rounding out the top six qualifiers. Outgoing World Champion Niki Lauda was 16th on the grid in his McLaren. Alan Jones ended up 19th on the grid after engine and turbo problems throughout practice and qualifying.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Qualifying
The slowest qualifier for the race, Huub Rothengatter in the Osella-Alfa Romeo, was 10.473 seconds slower than Senna with a time of 1:30.319. With only 25 cars appearing for the race (the RAM and Zakspeed teams did not contest the last two races of the season - indeed RAM would never race Formula One again), all cars that attended qualified for the start.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Race
The race of high attrition, which was run in 35 °C heat, was won by Rosberg driving the Williams-Honda; it would turn out to be the last victory (and last fastest lap) of his Formula One career. Rosberg was the only front running driver to finish strongly and one of only eight cars to be classified. It was the fifth and final Grand Prix win of Rosberg's career and confirmed his status as a street race specialist with three of his previous four wins being on the streets of Monaco (1983), Dallas (1984), and Detroit earlier in the 1985 season. Rosberg had some technical problems which could have lost him the race, his race engineer, Frank Dernie suggested a strategy to minimise loss of time. Rosberg gave the winner's trophy to Dernie.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Race
On the penultimate lap, Ligier-Renault driver Philippe Streiff tried to overtake his senior team-mate Jacques Laffite for second place and, as result of this manoeuvre, Streiff's front wheel axle was severely damaged. With fourth placed Ivan Capelli a lap down in his Tyrrell-Renault, Streiff managed to limp his Ligier JS25 home and retain third place despite having only three wheels firmly attached to the car, with the front left wheel bouncing up and down over the course of the last lap, but somehow remaining attached to the car. It would remain a career best finish for Streiff. Ligier team boss Guy Ligier, not impressed that Streiff had almost taken out both team cars at the end of the race when they were both assured of a podium finish, would not offer the Frenchman a drive for 1986.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Race
A delayed Stefan Johansson finished fifth in his Ferrari ahead of Gerhard Berger in his Arrows-BMW. Berger at that stage of his career was also a part-time factory touring car driver for BMW in the European Touring Car Championship (he had won the Spa 24 Hours for BMW's Schnitzer Motorsport in July 1985). He performed double duty during the AGP weekend, also driving a BMW 635 CSi during the Group A support race.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Race
This was actually a breach of Formula One's driver rules which stated a driver must not drive another type of race car or in another motor race within the 24 hours before the start of a Grand Prix. As the Group A race was scheduled to start on the Saturday afternoon one hour after F1 qualifying had finished, Berger had to obtain permission from FISA, FOCA, and his Arrows team boss Jackie Oliver to race the BMW.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Race
As it turned out, his touring car race lasted 3 laps before he was punted into the gravel trap at the end of the pit straight by the Mobil Holden Dealer Team Commodore V8 of Australian veteran John Harvey. The only other race finishers were Huub Rothengatter (Osella) and Pierluigi Martini (Minardi), both of whom were four laps behind Rosberg. Martin Brundle's Tyrrell was running at the end, but Brundle was 33 laps down on Rosberg and was not classified as a finisher.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Race
Renault had a largely forgettable weekend in their last Grand Prix as a manufacturer (until 2002). Patrick Tambay, whose Renault RE60B was fitted with an on-board camera during practice and qualifying, qualified 8th while Derek Warwick qualified in 12th place. After Friday's qualifying, Tambay visited Adelaide's major dirt track racing venue Speedway Park which was hosting the inaugural Australian Sprintcar Masters meeting and while there turned a few laps of the ¼ mile clay oval track in a 700 hp (522 kW; 710 PS) V8 Sprintcar. Warwick did the same thing on the Saturday night of the two night meeting.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Race
However, unlike Berger in the Group A race, Warwick did not have permission to drive the winged sprint car within the 24 hours before the race time period and was hit with a hefty fine by the governing body FISA (despite Warwick only driving a few laps and not actually racing). In their last race both Renaults retired with transmission failure, Tambay on lap 21 and Warwick on lap 58.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Race
All 25 cars present qualified for the race. With RAM Racing (who pulled out of F1 altogether after the European Grand Prix) and Zakspeed (who only ran the European races in 1985) not making the journey to Australia, there would not be a cut-off based on grid numbers. Early in the race Elio de Angelis, driving in his last race for Lotus, was disqualified for regaining his original grid position after being delayed on the parade lap. de Angelis later confessed that in the heat of the moment he simply forgot the rules.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Race
The race was the 100th World Championship start for 1980 World Champion Alan Jones. Jones (along with Alain Prost) was one of two drivers to have won the Australian Grand Prix previously (Jones in 1980 and Prost in 1982). Jones' Lola retired on lap 21 with failed electrics following a typically fiery drive through to 6th place after stalling at the start and being dead last at the end of the first lap, while Prost retired with engine failure on lap 27. It was also the last race for outgoing world champion Niki Lauda. His McLaren ended in the fence with damage to the front left after a brake failure at the end of the long Brabham Straight.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Race
Fittingly Lauda's career ended while he was in the lead of a Grand Prix. Lauda and race winner Rosberg were the only drivers in the field who had actually competed in the non-championship 1984 Australian Grand Prix which was held for Formula Pacific cars. Lauda had also failed to finish the 1984 race while Rosberg had finished second behind Brazilian Roberto Moreno.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Race
Both Alfa Romeo and Renault had their last Grand Prix as a constructor in the turbo era. As of 2020, Alfa have never returned to Grand Prix racing as a factory team; the Alfa team that competed in F1 from 1982-1985 was actually a pseudo-factory team actually run by EuroRacing with support from the Alfa factory, and the Alfa team that will take part in the 2019 F1 season is a rebranded Sauber with Alfa Romeo providing technical assistance with the hope that Alfa Romeo will be a works team in the near future.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Race
Renault would return in 2002 following their purchase the Benetton team. It was also the last Grand Prix for the Toleman team under the Toleman name. The team would continue in 1986 but would be renamed Benetton after being purchased by their main sponsors, the Italian clothes manufacturer Benetton Group. All six cars (the Alfa Romeo 184TB's of Riccardo Patrese and Eddie Cheever, the Renault RE60B's of Patrick Tambay and Derek Warwick, and the Hart powered Toleman TG185's of Teo Fabi and Piercarlo Ghinzani) failed to finish the last F1 race for their teams.


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Championship permutations
McLaren-TAG Porsche and Ferrari came into this race fighting for the Constructor's Championship


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Championship permutations
As no Ferrari won the race, McLaren-TAG clinched their second consecutive title


1985 Australian Grand Prix, Cultural notes
In Adelaide's northern industrial suburb Wingfield, a connected group of streets bears the names of the 1985 pole-sitter and the 6 points scorers: Senna, Rosberg, Laffite, Streiff, Capelli, Johansson and Berger Roads.


1985 Australian Manufacturers' Championship
The 1985 Australian Manufacturers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for car manufacturers. It was the 15th manufacturers title to be awarded by CAMS and the 6th to carry the Australian Manufacturers' Championship name. All championship rounds were open to cars complying with Australian Touring Car regulations, which were based on FIA Group A rules.


1985 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Calendar
The championship was contested concurrently with the 1985 Australian Endurance Championship over a five-round series with one race per round.


1985 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Class Structure
Cars were grouped into three engine classes based on engine capacity:


1985 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Points system
Championship points were awarded on a multi scale system for outright places gained at each round:


1985 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Points system
Points were awarded only for the highest scoring car from each manufacturer at each round.


1985 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Results
Note: Only the top ten championship placing are shown in the above table.


1985 Australian Masters
The 1985 Winfield Australian Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place in August 1985 at the Parmatta Club in Sydney, Australia.


1985 Australian Masters
Tony Meo won the tournament by defeating John Campbell 7–2 in the final.


1985 Australian Open
The 1985 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on grass courts at the Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia. It was the 74th edition of the Australian Open and was held from 25 November through 8 December 1985; the last to be held at this time of year.


1985 Australian Open
With the decision to hold the tournament in January in future, the next Australian Open would be the 1987 Open, held just over a year later.


1985 Australian Open, Seniors, Men's doubles
Paul Annacone /  Christo van Rensburg defeated  Mark Edmondson /  Kim Warwick, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4, 6–4


1985 Australian Open, Seniors, Women's Doubles
Martina Navratilova /  Pam Shriver defeated  Claudia Kohde-Kilsch /  Helena Suková 6–3, 6–4


1985 Australian Open, Juniors, Boys' Doubles
Brett Custer /  David Macpherson defeated  Petr Korda /  Cyril Suk 7–5, 6–2


1985 Australian Open, Juniors, Girls' Doubles
Jenny Byrne /  Janine Thompson defeated  Sally McCann /  Alison Scott 6–0, 6–3


1985 Australian Open, 1986 Australian Open
The Australian Open was not held in 1986 due to the Open changing dates from December to January. This allowed it to count as a Grand Prix event after the movement of the Grand Prix Masters from March to early December. As such, the next Australian Open was the 1987 Australian Open.


1985 Australian Open – Men's Doubles
The Men's Doubles tournament at the 1985 Australian Open was held from 25 November through 8 December 1985 on the outdoor grass courts at the Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Paul Annacone and Christo van Rensburg won the title, defeating Mark Edmondson and Kim Warwick in the final.


1985 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Fifth-seeded Stefan Edberg defeated two-time defending champion Mats Wilander in the final 6–4, 6–3, 6–3 to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 1985 Australian Open.


1985 Australian Open – Men's Singles
This was the first time that no Australian player among the top 16 seeds and none of the Australian players have reached in the quarterfinals in the Australian Open history.


1985 Australian Open – Men's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Stefan Edberg is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1985 Australian Open – Men's Singles Qualifying
This article displays the qualifying draw for men's singles at the 1985 Australian Open.


1985 Australian Open – Women's Doubles
Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver were the defending champions and won in the final 6–3, 6–4 against Claudia Kohde-Kilsch and Helena Suková.


1985 Australian Open – Women's Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1985 Australian Open – Women's Singles
Second-seeded Martina Navratilova defeated top-seeded Chris Evert in the final 6–2, 4–6, 6–2, to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 1985 Australian Open.


1985 Australian Open – Women's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Martina Navratilova is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1985 Australian Open – Women's Singles Qualifying
This article displays the qualifying draw for women's singles at the 1985 Australian Open.


1985 Australian Professional Championship
The 1985 Australian Professional Championship was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament, which took place in September 1985.


1985 Australian Professional Championship
John Campbell won the tournament defeating Eddie Charlton 10–7 in the final.


1985 Australian Rally Championship
The 1985 Australian Rally Championship was a series of six rallying events held across Australia. It was the 18th season in the history of the competition.


1985 Australian Rally Championship
Barry Lowe and navigator Kevin Pedder in the Subaru RX Turbo won the 1985 Championship.


1985 Australian Rally Championship, Season review
The 18th Australian Rally Championship was held over six events across Australia, the season consisting of one event each for New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and West Australia. This was the first time an ARC round was conducted in Tasmania, making it a truly Australian wide series. The 1985 season saw the Group A cars finally come into their own, with many crews making the change to the new category, but more importantly the first championship won by a Group A car. It was a tightly fought season with only three points separating first and second after the six events.


1985 Australian Rally Championship, The Rallies
The six events of the 1985 season were as follows.


1985 Australian Sports Car Championship
The 1985 Australian Sports Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group A Sports Cars. It was the 17th Australian Sports Car Championship and the first to be run concurrently with the Australian GT Championship.


1985 Australian Sports Car Championship
1982 Australian Sports Car Champion Chris Clearihan won his second national title, driving a Kaditcha Chevrolet. Only 2.5 points behind Clearihan was Terry Hook in the ex-Guy Edwards owned Chevrolet powered Lola T610 (this car had previously competed at Le Mans in 1982 and 1983), while finishing 3rd in his Mazda powered JWS C2 (an FIA Group C2 sports car) was Jeff Harris.


1985 Australian Sports Car Championship
The 1985 ASCC saw the début of the Veskanda C1 Chevrolet (using a 5.0L Formula 5000 engine) and driven by dual Australian Drivers' Champion John Bowe. Built in Adelaide by K&A Engineering and owned by ASCC driver Bernie Van Elsen, the Veskanda would go on to be regarded as Australia's fastest ever sports car and one of the countries fastest ever race cars.


1985 Australian Sports Car Championship
The Veskanda made its race debut in Round 4 at its home circuit, the Adelaide International Raceway where Bowe failed to finish, though he would win Round 5 at Melbourne's Calder Park Raceway, easily defeating the previously dominant Clearihan Kaditcha and Hook Lola. Bowe finished in 7th place in the championship with 25 points.


1985 Australian Sports Car Championship
The 1984 Champion, Queenslander Bap Romano driving his 3.9L Cosworth DFL powered Romano WE84 was expected to bring a strong challenge in defence of his title despite now running in the outright class due to the larger Cosworth V8, but unreliability saw his challenge fade as the series progressed (prior to December 1984 the Romano WE84 had used an ex-Formula One 3.0 L Cosworth DFV V8 engine which put the car in Class B). In the defence of his title, Romano finished in 6th place having only scored 36.5 points.


1985 Australian Sports Car Championship, Points system
For single race rounds, championship points were awarded to the top twenty outright placegetters in the Sports Car category, based on the following three tier structure:


1985 Australian Sports Car Championship, Points system
For rounds contested over two heats, the same points system was applied to each heat, with the aggregate points achieved by each driver divided by two to determine the championship points allocation for the round.


1985 Australian Sports Car Championship, Results
Note: The above table lists only the first four placings in the championship.


1985 Australian Swimming Championships
The 1985 Australian Swimming Championships were held at the Melbourne State Swimming Centre from Thursday 21 February to Sunday 24 February. They were organised by Amateur Swimming Union of Australia.


1985 Australian Swimming Championships, Medal winners, Men's events
Legend: AR – Australian record; ACR – Australian All Comers record


1985 Australian Swimming Championships, Medal winners, Women's events
Legend: AR – Australian record; ACR – Australian All Comers record


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1985 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Touring Cars. It was the 26th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the first to be contested using regulations based on the FIA's International Group A regulations after having been run under CAMS home grown Group C rules between 1973 and 1984. The championship began on 10 February 1985 at Winton Motor Raceway (the track's first ever ATCC race) and ended on 14 July at Oran Park Raceway after ten rounds.


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Season Summary
Triple Bathurst winner Jim Richards won his and BMW's first Australian Touring Car Championship driving a 3.5-litre 6 cyl BMW 635 CSi entered by JPS Team BMW. Defending series champion Dick Johnson finished 2nd in his Ford Mustang (the first time a Mustang had been seen in the ATCC since 1973), with Peter Brock finishing third in his Holden VK Commodore.


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Season Summary
The first round of the series at Winton also created history when for the first time since the ATCC was first held in 1960, no Holden of any sort was on the grid. The race also saw the first ever ATCC race win by a BMW with Richards winning by a lap from his new JPS teammate, fellow New Zealander Neville Crichton. Richards' win in the BMW also saw the first ATCC round win by a European car since Jim McKeown won the 7th and final round of the 1970 ATCC at Symmons Plains in a Porsche 911S.


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Season Summary
Swedish marque Volvo also joined the winners list when Kiwi Robbie Francevic won Round 3 at Symmons Plains in Tasmania in his Volvo 240T. Still a resident of Auckland, Francevic's win also saw him become the first non-Australian resident to win an ATCC race. The big Kiwi's win in Tasmania in the turbo Volvo was also the first of what would be an eventual 55 ATCC round wins (out of a possible 72) for cars powered by turbocharged engines up until the end of Group A racing in 1992. It was not the first turbocharged car to win an ATCC race however, as George Fury had won the Lakeside round in 1984 in a Nissan Bluebird Turbo.


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Season Summary
Richards (Winton, Wanneroo, Adelaide, Calder, Surfers, Lakeside and Amaroo, which staged its first ATCC race since 1978), Brock (Sandown) and Francevic (Symmons Plains and Oran Park) were the only drivers to win a race in the series. That actually gave New Zealand born drivers 9 wins out of the 10 rounds, a record for non-Australian wins that still stands as of 2016.


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Season Summary
Jim Richards and John Smith in his Toyota Team Australia Corolla were the only drivers to finish each round of the series. Smith won the Up to 2000cc class at the first nine rounds of the series before finishing a close second behind teammate Drew Price in the final round at Oran Park.


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Season Summary
Other drivers/cars who made an impression in Australia's first foray into Group A included Sydney privateer Garry Willmington in his privately entered Jaguar XJS (built from a second hand road car) with its 5.3 litre V12 engine which proved fast but underdone thanks to Willmington's small budget. The Jaguar was often the fastest car in a straight line when it appeared, but Willmington's lack of budget to develop the car saw it lack the handling needed to be competitive on the smaller Australian tracks.


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Season Summary
Also impressing were Perth based expat Kiwi Tim Slako in an ex-Andy Rouse BTCC Rover Vitesse powered by a 3.5 litre V8, another Kiwi in Jim Richards' JPS teammate Neville Crichton in his BMW, and yet another Kiwi Kent Baigent who joined the series in Adelaide driving his ex-Schnitzer Motorsport BMW 635. Also impressing with giant killing performances was 1980 Formula One World Champion Alan Jones in Colin Bond's second Network Alfa team Alfa Romeo GTV6.


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Season Summary
Jones, in an Luigi Racing (ETCC) built GTV6 generally out-performed Bond who drove his Alfa which had been converted from Group E to Group A specification in 1984. Jones, contesting his first ever ATCC finished 8th in the championship despite not contesting the final three rounds (Jones would return full-time to F1 in late 1985). Don Smith and Laurie Nelson both drove a privately entered Ford Mustang each, and even though they would on occasions both achieve decent results in qualifying, lack of reliability and funding kept them well off the pace of Johnson's front running Greens-Tuf Zakespeed Ford Mustang GT.


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Teams and drivers
The following drivers and teams competed in the 1985 Australian Touring Car Championship.


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Teams and drivers
* Peter Brock and John Harvey both drove #05 and #7 during the season.


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Race calendar
The 1985 Australian Touring Car Championship was contested over a ten-round series with one race per round.


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Points system
Championship points were allocated on a three tier system, to Australian license holders only, for outright places gained in each round:


1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, Points system
Points from the best nine round results were retained by each driver, any other points not being included in the nett total.


1985 Australian Touring Car season
The 1985 Australian Touring Car season was the 26th season of touring car racing in Australia commencing from 1960 when the first Australian Touring Car Championship and the first Armstrong 500 (the forerunner of the present day Bathurst 1000) were contested. It was the first season in which Australian Touring Car regulations were based on those for the FIA Group A Touring Car category.


1985 Australian Touring Car season
Touring Cars competed at 19 race meetings in Australia during the 1985 season, contesting the following events:


1985 Australian Touring Car season
In 21 races contested in 1985 (including the heats of the AMSCAR series rounds), the JPS Team BMW 635 CSi of Jim Richards won 17 races. This saw him easily win the ATCC, Endurance and AMSCAR titles.


1985 Australian Touring Car season, Australian Grand Prix support race
This race was a 15 lap support event at the 1985 Australian Grand Prix meeting.


1985 Austrian Grand Prix
The 1985 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on 18 August 1985. It was the tenth race of the 1985 Formula One World Championship. It was the 25th Austrian Grand Prix and the 24th to be held at Österreichring. The race was run over 52 laps of the 5.94-kilometre (3.69 mi) circuit for a total race distance of 308.9 kilometres (191.9 mi).


1985 Austrian Grand Prix
The race was won by Frenchman Alain Prost, driving a McLaren-TAG, after he started from pole position. Prost took his fourth victory of the season by 30 seconds from Brazilian Ayrton Senna in a Lotus-Renault, with Italian Michele Alboreto third in a Ferrari. With the win, Prost moved level on points with Alboreto at the top of the Drivers' Championship.


1985 Austrian Grand Prix
This was the last F1 race until the start of 1987 in which a car with a naturally aspirated engine was entered, Martin Brundle failing to qualify his Cosworth-powered Tyrrell.


1985 Austrian Grand Prix, Race summary
Missing from the grid was RAM driver Manfred Winkelhock who had been killed in a sportscar race in Canada just a week before. His place was taken in the team by Kenny Acheson for his first Formula One race since the 1983 South African Grand Prix.


1985 Austrian Grand Prix, Race summary
Before Saturday morning practice triple and defending World Champion (and 1984 Austrian Grand Prix winner) Niki Lauda, flanked by a very unhappy McLaren team boss Ron Dennis, announced to the media that he would be retiring for good from Formula One following the season ending Australian Grand Prix to concentrate on running his airline Lauda Air. Dennis was reportedly unhappy as he had paid Lauda a considerable amount of money to make his F1 comeback in 1982 and he had unsuccessfully tried to get Lauda to continue racing into the 1986 season.


1985 Austrian Grand Prix, Race summary
A now relaxed Lauda gave his home fans something to cheer about when he qualified a season-high third. Lauda's team mate Alain Prost captured pole position, averaging 155.478 mph (250.219 km/h), followed by Nigel Mansell (Williams-Honda), Lauda, Keke Rosberg (Williams) and Nelson Piquet (Brabham-BMW). After a troubled qualifying, Senna only qualified 14th on the grid in his Lotus-Renault.


1985 Austrian Grand Prix, Race summary
The race was restarted after one lap (with Niki Lauda having made a great start from third on the grid to lead Prost as the race was stopped). Mansell had got away very slowly in his Williams, but behind him Teo Fabi in the Toleman-Hart barely moved. Elio de Angelis (Lotus) dived left to avoid Fabi and was hit by the Ferrari of Alboreto. Fabi suffered damage as did the Arrows-BMW of Austria's "other" driver in the race Gerhard Berger.


1985 Austrian Grand Prix, Race summary
Luckily for those with damaged cars (especially championship leader Alboreto) the first lap was declared null and void and the race was completely restarted meaning those with damaged cars were permitted to start in the team spares. Lucky too was Prost who was able to change cars after his McLaren had developed a misfire. Piercarlo Ghinzani became a non-starter in his Toleman after team mate Fabi took over the spare TG185 for the race as he had qualified 6th while Ghinzani started 19th. This left Ghinzani without a drive.


1985 Austrian Grand Prix, Race summary
On lap 13 Andrea de Cesaris survived one of the biggest crashes ever seen in Formula One when his Ligier-Renault got sideways at the left hand Panorama Curve and slid onto the outside grass at high speed. The grass, wet from overnight rain caused the Ligier to initially slide sideways before his right rear hit a slight bank launching the car into a series of rolls with de Cesaris's head bouncing around freely in the cockpit.


1985 Austrian Grand Prix, Race summary
Somehow as soon as the Ligier came to a rest (thankfully the right way up), de Cesaris undid his seat belts and walked away with nothing more than a mud-splattered helmet and driving suit. The crash was the end for de Cesaris at Ligier, with team owner Guy Ligier firing the Italian after he saw a replay of the crash stating "I can no longer afford to keep employing this man" referring to the constant repair bills from de Cesaris's crashes since he joined the team in 1984. When he returned to the pits, de Cesaris told the team that the reason for his DNF was that the car had stalled and wouldn't restart. It was reported at that point that the Ligier team had not seen a replay of the accident.


1985 Austrian Grand Prix, Race summary
With his 20th career victory, Prost moved into a shared lead in the World Drivers' Championship alongside Alboreto, with each having 50 points. After a string of non-finishes since his win in the second race of the season in Portugal, Senna drove a great race into second from a lowly (for him) 14th on the grid, with Alboreto finishing third in the spare Ferrari to retain his lead in the World Championship (now shared with Prost). Stefan Johansson (Ferrari), Elio de Angelis, and Marc Surer (Brabham), completed the points-scoring finishers.


1985 Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1985 Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix was the fifth round of the 1985 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 1–2 June 1985 at the Salzburgring.


1985 Azad Kashmiri general election
General elections were held in Azad Kashmir in 1985 to elect the members of third assembly of Azad Kashmir.


1985 Azteca 2000 Tournament
The Azteca 2000 Tournament was a minor international football competition, which took place in the summer of 1985 in Mexico City.


1985 Azteca 2000 Tournament
Host nation Mexico, England and West Germany participated in the tournament, and matches took place at the Estadio Azteca. The three-nation mini-tournament was arranged as a preparatory exercise for Mexico, who would host the 1986 FIFA World Cup final tournament the following year.


1985 Azteca 2000 Tournament
The first game of this tournament (England vs. Mexico) was also the final game of the Mexico City Cup Tournament.


1985 BC Lions season
The 1985 BC Lions season was the 28th season for the team in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and their 32nd overall. The Lions finished in first place in the West Division with a 13–3 record and won the Grey Cup by defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 37–24 in the 73rd Grey Cup game. The win captured the second championship in franchise history and also ended the longest Grey Cup drought for the Lions at 21 years.


1985 BC Lions season, Playoffs, Grey Cup
BC – TD Armour 84 yard pass from Dewalt (Passaglia convert)BC – FG Passaglia


1985 BC Lions season, Playoffs, Grey Cup
BC – FG PassagliaHAM – TD Ingram 35 yard pass from Hobart (Ruoff convert)HAM – TD Shepherd 00 yard pass from Hobart (Ruoff convert)BC – TD Armour 59 yard pass from Dewalt (Passaglia convert)BC – FG Passaglia


1985 BC Lions season, Playoffs, Grey Cup
HAM – FG RuoffBC – Single PassagliaBC – TD Sandusky 66 yard pass from Dewalt (Passaglia convert)HAM – TD Stapler 35 yard pass from Hobart (Ruoff convert)


1985 BDO World Darts Championship
The 1985 Embassy World Darts Championship was the 8th World Professional Championships. The tournament was held between 5 and 12 January. It was the seventh and final time that the tournament was held at the Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent, as the tournament organisers, the British Darts Organisation, decided to move the event to the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey, from 1986. The Jollees Cabaret Club closed in 1992, due to losing money, not reopening until 2016.


1985 BDO World Darts Championship
Eric Bristow went into the tournament as defending champion and was almost beaten in the first round by Ken Summers. Summers had won the first set and was two legs to nil in front and left on 68 to pull off a major surprise. After hitting single 20 and single 16, he threw a potential match-winning dart at double sixteen just inside the wire of the single. Bristow then came back to win the match. Bristow went on to win his fourth World Title, extending his own record for victories. John Lowe suffered defeat in the final for the fourth time, failing to add to his only previous title – won in 1979.


1985 BDO World Darts Championship
Keith Deller, champion two years previously, set a new record for becoming the first player to average over 100 with his three darts during a match at the World Championship. His average of 100.30 was not enough to win his quarter-final against John Lowe, who averaged 97.83. Bristow almost matched this record in his semi-final victory over Dave Whitcombe. Bristow fell just short of a hundred, with an average of 99.66. In the final against Lowe, Bristow exactly equalled the then record for the highest average in a World Championship final, of 97.50, from the previous year's final of Bristow vs. Whitcombe.


1985 BDO World Darts Championship, Prize money
Total Prize fund was £43,000 (plus a £51,000 bonus for a nine-dart finish – not won)


1985 BMW Championships Marco Island
The 1985 BMW Championships, also known as the BMW Challenge,  was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Marriott Marco Beach Resort in Marco Island, Florida, United States. It was part of the 1984–85 Virginia Slims World Championship Series and was played from January 28 through February 3, 1985. Second-seeded Bonnie Gadusek won the singles title.


1985 BMW Championships Marco Island, Finals, Doubles
Kathy Jordan /  Elizabeth Smylie defeated  Camille Benjamin /  Bonnie Gadusek 6–3, 6–3


1985 BRDC International Trophy
The 37th BRDC International Trophy, was the opening round of the 1985 International Formula 3000. The inaugural was held at Silverstone, on 24 March.


1985 BRDC International Trophy, Report, Entry
A total of 17 F3000 cars were entered for the first ever event. Every new formula sets new questions and this one was no exception; some teams ran ex-Formula One machinery, while the Lola T950 was based upon an IndyCar design, whereas Ralt and March drew upon their Formula Two experience.


1985 BRDC International Trophy, Report, Qualifying
Michel Ferté took pole position for Equipe Oreca, in their March Engineering-Cosworth 85B, averaging a speed of 135.404 mph.


1985 BRDC International Trophy, Report, Race
The race was held over 44 laps of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. Mike Thackwell wrote himself into the history books by winning the International Trophy for the third time and the first F3000 race in the process, driving a works Ralt RT20 from teammate John Nielsen in a similar car. Thackwell won in a time of 1hr 07:41.01mins., averaging a speed of 114.397 mph, with Nielsen over 34 seconds behind. The next three places were filled by March 85Bs in the hands of Michel Ferté, Christian Danner and Gabriele Tarquini, with the sixth place going to a Formula One Tyrrell 012, driven by Roberto Moreno.


1985 BYU Cougars football team
The 1985 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by 14th-year head coach LaVell Edwards and played their home games at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. The team competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, winning a share of their 10th consecutive conference title  with a conference record of 7–1, sharing the title with Air Force. BYU was invited to the 1985 Florida Citrus Bowl, where they lost to Ohio State. The Cougars were ranked 16th in the final AP Poll with an overall record of 11–3.


1985 Badminton World Cup
The 1985 Badminton World Cup was the seventh edition of an international tournament Badminton World Cup. The event was held in Istora Senayan, Jakarta. Indonesia won 3 titles while China finished with the titles from 2 disciplines.


1985 Bakhtar Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26 shootdown
1985 Bakhtar Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26 shootdown was on 4 September 1985 when a Bakhtar Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26 (registered in Afghanistan as YA-BAM) on a scheduled internal flight from Kandahar to Farah was shot down by a ground-to-air missile. The aircraft had departed from Kandahar Airport and had circled twice close to the airport to gain height and then set course for Farah Airport, it was at a height of 3800 metres and 18.5 km west of Khandahar when it was shot down and destroyed by a ground-to-air missile. All five crew and 47 passengers were killed.


1985 Bakhtar Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26 shootdown, Aircraft
The aircraft was an Antonov An-26 twin-engined turboprop airliner that had been built in the Soviet Union.


1985 Ball State Cardinals football team
The 1985 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its first season under head coach Paul Schudel, the team compiled a 4–7 record (3–6 against conference opponents) and finished in a three-way tie for sixth place out of ten teams in the MAC. The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.


1985 Ball State Cardinals football team
The team's statistical leaders included Wade Kosakowski with 1,614 passing yards, Carlton Campbell with 747 rushing yards, Deon Chester with 617 receiving yards, and John Diettrich with 87 points scored.


1985 Ballon d'Or
The 1985 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to Michel Platini on 24 December 1985.


1985 Ballymena Borough Council election
Elections to Ballymena Borough Council were held on 15 May 1985 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used four district electoral areas to elect a total of 23 councillors.


1985 Ballymena Borough Council election, Districts results, Ballymena Town
1985: 3 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Independent Unionist


1985 Ballymoney Borough Council election
Elections to Ballymoney Borough Council were held on 15 May 1985 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used three district electoral areas to elect a total of 16 councillors.


1985 Ballymoney Borough Council election, Districts results, Ballymoney Town
1985: 2 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Independent


1985 Ballymoney Borough Council election, Districts results, Bann Valley
1985: 2 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Sinn Féin


1985 Baltimore Orioles season
The 1985 Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Orioles finishing 4th in the American League East with a record of 83 wins and 78 losses. The Orioles led Major League Baseball in home runs (214) and slugging percentage (.430).


1985 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1985 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1985 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1985 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1985 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1985 Banbridge District Council election
Elections to Banbridge District Council were held on 15 May 1985 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used three district electoral areas to elect a total of 15 councillors.


1985 Banbridge District Council election, Districts results, Knockiveagh
1985: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Independent Nationalist


1985 Bandy World Championship
The 1985 Bandy World Championship was the 14th Bandy World Championship and was contested between as many as five men's bandy playing nations, more than ever before, as the United States entered the championship for the first time. The championship was played in Norway from 3 February-10 February 1985. The Soviet Union became champions.


1985 Bangladesh cyclone
Tropical Storm One was an extremely deadly cyclone which developed in the central Bay of Bengal on May 22, strengthened to a peak of 70 mph winds before hitting Bangladesh on the 25th. The storm brought torrential rains and flooding, killing around 11,069 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.


1985 Bangladesh cyclone, Meteorological history
On May 22, a depression formed in the Bay of Bengal, it rapidly intensified to a tropical storm on May 24, it made landfall and dissipated on May 25.


1985 Bangladesh cyclone, Impact and aftermath
As tropical storm one made landfall in Bangladesh, it brought winds of 70 mph and a storm surge up to 3 meters high and heavy torrential rains and flooding, killing around 11,069 people. Every single people in the char of Urichar, which back then was approximately 500 people, is thought to be swept into the Bay of Bengal. A pilot who flew over the char said it was swept by waves, like it was inside the fireball on an atomic bomb. A total of 1.3 million people was affected. Approximately 137,000 homes were damaged, 102,000 of them were destroyed, 133,00 acres of crops damaged, and 120,000 cattle were killed.


1985 Bangladesh cyclone, International assistance
Ireland: For emergency relief 15,088.24$, for rehabalation 30,176.49$, Total 45,263.45$


1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum
A referendum on military rule was held in Bangladesh on 21 March 1985 in order to confirm the military rule of Hussain Mohammed Ershad, the Army Chief of Staff who had seized power in 1982. The referendum asked voters "Do you support the policies of President Ershad, and do you want him to continue to run this administration until a civilian government is formed through elections?"


1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum
The result saw 94.5% vote in favour, with a turnout of 72.2%. The opposition organised a general strike on the day of the referendum, and alleged that the results were fraudulent.


1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum, Background
In 1982 a coup d'état led by Army Chief Hussain Muhammad Ershad overthrew democratically elected President Abdus Sattar, suspended the Constitution and imposed martial law. Parliament was dissolved and all political parties were banned. Ershad appointed Justice A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury as President on 27 March 1982, a position which he held until December 1983 when Ershad assumed the presidency himself. In 1983 Ershad promised to hold presidential elections in May 1984 and to restore parliamentary government the following year. However, neither elections were held within the stated time.


1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum, Background
Amid increasing opposition from the general public, Ershad aimed to legitimise his regime by holding a referendum in March 1985. Voters were asked "Do you support the policies of President Ershad, and do you want him to continue to run this administration until a civilian government is formed through elections?"


1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum, Background
The opposition organised a general strike on the day of the referendum.


1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum, Results
The official result of the referendum was overwhelmingly in support of his regime, which saw 94.5% vote in favour, with a turnout of 72.2%. However, there were allegations of large-scale vote rigging, and a 2000 report by the Bangladesh Institute of Parliamentary Studies noted that "many local and foreign observers found the figure inflated and claimed that the turnout was not more than 15 to 20 percent."


1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum, Aftermath
Parliamentary elections were held on 7 May 1986, which saw a victory for Ershad's newly formed Jatiya Party. However the result was controversial, with a British team of observers terming the elections a "tragedy for democracy" and a "cynically frustrated exercise". Subsequently, presidential elections were held on 15 October 1986, which were boycotted by all major opposition party candidates, allowing Ershad a landslide victory amid reports of electoral irregularities.


1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum, Aftermath
In November 1986, Parliament passed the seventh constitutional amendment bill, protecting Ershad and his regime from prosecution for actions taken under the years of military rule. Martial law was subsequently lifted on 11 November .


1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum, Aftermath
In July 1987, the opposition parties united in opposition to government policies. Ershad declared a state of emergency in November, dissolved Parliament in December, and held parliamentary elections in March 1988. All major political parties refused to participate resulting in a victory for Jatiya Party (Ershad).


1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum, Aftermath
In 1988 Parliament passed the controversial eighth amendment to the Constitution, which made Islam the state religion, in contravention of the original secular nature of the Constitution.


1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum, Aftermath
In 1990 a popular mass uprising led by future Prime Ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina led to Ershad resigning from the Presidency, and the country returning to parliamentary democracy, with the Office of the President becoming a largely ceremonial one.


1985 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1985 followed the system in place since 1978. The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from recent major league players and elected two, Lou Brock and Hoyt Wilhelm. The Veterans Committee met in closed sessions to consider older major league players as well as managers, umpires, executives, and figures from the Negro leagues. It also selected two players, Enos Slaughter and Arky Vaughan. A formal induction ceremony was held in Cooperstown, New York, on July 28, 1985, with broadcaster Brent Musburger handling introductions and Commissioner of Baseball Peter Ueberroth in attendance.


1985 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
The BBWAA was authorized to elect players active in 1965 or later, but not after 1979; the ballot included candidates from the 1984 ballot who received at least 5% of the vote but were not elected, along with selected players, chosen by a screening committee, whose last appearance was in 1979. All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to vote.


1985 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Eleven players, who had previously been dropped from the ballot, were re-listed, following review and approval from a committee of six writers. Added were: Richie Allen, Ken Boyer, Clay Carroll, Ron Fairly, Curt Flood, Harvey Haddix, Denny McLain, Dave McNally, Vada Pinson, Ron Santo, and Wilbur Wood. Ultimately, none of the 11 were elected by the BBWAA, with only Santo gaining entry to the Hall, via selection by the Golden Era Committee in 2012 balloting.


1985 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Voters were instructed to cast votes for up to 10 candidates; any candidate receiving votes on at least 75% of the ballots would be honored with induction to the Hall. The ballot consisted of 41 players; a total of 395 ballots were cast, with 297 votes required for election. A total of 2,918 individual votes were cast, an average of 7.39 per ballot. Those candidates receiving less than 5% of the vote will not appear on future BBWAA ballots, but may eventually be considered by the Veterans Committee.


1985 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Candidates who were eligible for the first time are indicated here with a dagger (†). The two candidates who received at least 75% of the vote and were elected are indicated in bold italics; candidates who have since been elected in subsequent elections are indicated in italics. The 18 candidates who received less than 5% of the vote, thus becoming ineligible for future BBWAA consideration, are indicated with an asterisk (*).


1985 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Nellie Fox was on the ballot for the 15th and final time.


1985 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Thurman Munson, who died in a plane crash in 1979, would have been eligible for the first time, but the five-year waiting period was waived.


1985 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
The newly eligible players included 16 All-Stars, two of whom were not included on the ballot, representing a total of 44 All-Star selections. Among the new candidates were 8-time All-Star Catfish Hunter,.and 6-time All-Stars Lou Brock and Don Kessinger. The field included two Cy Young Award-winners (Catfish Hunter and Jim Lonborg), as well as George Scott, whose eight Gold Gloves at first base were a record at the time.


1985 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Players eligible for the first time who were not on the ballot were: Darrel Chaney, Gene Clines, Joe Coleman, Willie Davis, Frank Duffy, Ray Fosse, Ellie Hendricks, Steve Mingori, Bob Montgomery, Tom Murphy, Bob Robertson, Wayne Twitchell, and Bobby Valentine.


1985 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, J. G. Taylor Spink Award
Joe McGuff (1926–2006) received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award honoring a baseball writer. The award was voted at the December 1984 meeting of the BBWAA, and included in the summer 1985 ceremonies.


1985 Basilicata regional election
The Basilicata regional election of 1985 took place on 12 May 1985.


1985 Basilicata regional election, Events
Christian Democracy was by far the largest party, largely ahead of the Italian Communist Party, which came distantly second. After the election Christian Democrat Gaetano Michetti was elected President of the Region.


1985 Bavarian Tennis Championships
The 1985 Bavarian Tennis Championships was a Grand Prix Tennis Circuit  tournament held in Munich, West Germany which was played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 69th edition of the tournament and was held form 6 May through 12 May 1985. Joakim Nyström won the singles title.


1985 Bavarian Tennis Championships, Finals, Doubles
Mark Edmondson /  Kim Warwick defeated  Sergio Casal /  Emilio Sánchez 4–6, 7–5, 7–5


1985 Bavarian Tennis Championships – Doubles
Boris Becker and Wojtek Fibak were the defending champions, but did not participate this year.


1985 Bavarian Tennis Championships – Doubles
Mark Edmondson and Kim Warwick won the title, defeating Sergio Casal and Emilio Sánchez 4–6, 7–5, 7–5 in the final.


1985 Bavarian Tennis Championships – Singles
Libor Pimek was the defending champion, but lost in the second round this year.


1985 Bavarian Tennis Championships – Singles
Joakim Nyström won the title, defeating Hans Schwaier 6–1, 6–0 in the final.


1985 Baylor Bears football team
The 1985 Baylor Bears football team represented the Baylor University in the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Bears finished the season second in the Southwest Conference to Texas A&M, although Baylor won the head-to-head matchup with the Aggies that season. A highlight of the season included a win at USC in week 3 when the Trojans were ranked in the top 5.


1985 Beirut car bombings
On 8 March 1985, a car bomb exploded between 9 and 45 metres from the house of Shia cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Beirut, Lebanon, in a failed assassination attempt by a Lebanese counter terrorism unit linked to the Central Intelligence Agency. The bombing killed 80 people and injured 200, almost all civilians.


1985 Beirut car bombings
Beirut experienced three other deadly car bombs in following months on 22 May, 14 August and 18 August 1985.


1985 Beirut car bombings, The blast
The bomb explosion, estimated to have been equivalent to 200 kg (440 lbs) of dynamite, occurred in the western Beirut suburb of Bir al-Abed, outside an apartment building. It killed worshippers, mostly women and girls, leaving Friday prayer services at an adjacent mosque, and destroyed two 7-story apartment buildings and a cinema.


1985 Beirut car bombings, The blast
While several of Fadlallah's bodyguards were killed in the attack, the cleric escaped injury as he was attending Friday prayers at a nearby mosque.


1985 Beirut car bombings, The blast
Locals fired guns in the air, following the blast, trying to clear the roads to allow ambulances to pass. A banner was strung across the blast site by locals, reading "Made in USA."


1985 Beirut car bombings, Historical context
In 1976, Gerald Ford became the first U.S. president to forbid political assassination, in the wake of the Church Commission, issuing Executive Order 11905. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan strengthened the policy with Executive Order 12333, which decreed that "No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination." This Executive Order remains in effect today.


1985 Beirut car bombings, Historical context
The Beirut car bombing occurred "within the continuously evolving framework of an American 'preemption' counterterror program". Following the 1983 United States embassy bombing, 1983 Beirut barracks bombings, and the 1984 U.S. embassy annex bombing, the U.S. military considered a range of retaliatory options, but it was unclear that these would have any deterrent value. On 14 November 1983, Then-president Ronald Reagan authorized a retaliatory strike, but Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger did not authorize U.S. aircraft to take off for reasons that have not been disclosed. CIA director William Casey, along with CIA General Counsel Stanley Sporkin, favored the use of preemptive counter-terrorism practices in Lebanon; others, including Deputy Director of Central Intelligence John N. McMahon, did not approve of the strategy, concerned that it would violate Executive Order 12333.


1985 Beirut car bombings, Responsibility
In June 1985, the Washington Post reported that a CIA supported counter terrorism unit, made up of Lebanese Intelligence officers and others, was responsible for the bombing. They reported that the CIA did not authorize the bombing and had no direct links to the bombers. A Lebanese intelligence source said the CIA knew of plans for the bombing but did not want involvement because of the dangers to civilians. The CIA denied any complicity in the bombing. A House intelligence committee, in June 1985, said there was no evidence the CIA "encouraged or participated in any terrorist activity in Lebanon" or had knowledge of the bombing beforehand.


1985 Beirut car bombings, Responsibility
In the aftermath of the bombing, US officials cancelled its Beirut based counterterrorism operation, that trained Lebenese counterterrorism units, because of indirect links between the CIA and the bombing.


1985 Beirut car bombings, Responsibility
In 1987, reporter Bob Woodward wrote that CIA director William Casey, on his deathbed, had admitted personal culpability in the attack, which he suggests was carried out with funding from Saudi Arabia. Fadlallah would later suggest the amount $3,000,000 as the price that had been offered by the Saudis for Casey to arrange the bombing. Woodward suggests that Fadlallah accepted $2 million from the Saudis to stop attacks from Hezbollah. Asked about the allegations, President Reagan responded, "Never would I sign anything that would authorize an assassination... I never have, and I never will, and I didn't." William Casey's widow strongly denied that Woodward had spoken to Casey in hospital before his death.


1985 Beirut car bombings, Responsibility
The U.S. National Security Advisor, Robert McFarlane, stated that those responsible for the bomb may have had American training, but asserted that they were "rogue operative[s]," and the CIA in no way sanctioned or supported the attack. Woodward's own account of his conversation with Casey suggests that Casey's action was "off the books".


1985 Beirut car bombings, Responsibility
Several Lebanese politicians, such as Selim Hoss, blamed Israel for the attack, saying: "there is no doubt that Israel is behind this ugly crime". Hezbollah claimed that it had found a network of cooperation between the CIA, the Mossad, the Lebanese Army and the Kataeb Party.


1985 Beirut car bombings, Aftermath
A car bomb on 22 May killed 48 people. Another on 14 August killed 15 people. Another on 18 August went off in a Christian suburb of East Beirut and caused the death of fifty people. It was one of the worst explosions to take place in the city's east, which was relatively calm compared to the west.


1985 Beirut car bombings, Aftermath
A former CIA operative maintains that the failed 1985 attempt tarnished the CIA's reputation.


1985 Beirut car bombings, In Literature
The car bombing is described in Ken Follet's 2014 historical novel "Edge of Eternity"  (Chapter 57).


1985 Belfast City Council election
Elections to Belfast City Council were held on 15 May 1985 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used nine district electoral areas to elect a total of 51 councillors, most representing the more heavily populated north and west.


1985 Belfast City Council election
The UUP remained the largest party, overtaking the DUP and John Carson became the Lord Mayor.


1985 Belfast City Council election, District results, Balmoral
1985: 2 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance


1985 Belfast City Council election, District results, Castle
1985: 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Unionist


1985 Belfast City Council election, District results, Court
1985: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x PUP, 1 x Protestant Unionist, 1 x Independent Unionist


1985 Belfast City Council election, District results, Laganbank
1985: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance


1985 Belfast City Council election, District results, Lower Falls
1985: 3 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance


1985 Belfast City Council election, District results, Oldpark
1985: 2 x Sinn Féin, 1 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Workers' Party


1985 Belfast City Council election, District results, Pottinger
1985: 3 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance


1985 Belfast City Council election, District results, Upper Falls
1985: 2 x Sinn Féin, 2 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance


1985 Belfast City Council election, District results, Victoria
1985: 3 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 2 x Alliance


1985 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1985 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 15 September 1985. It was the thirteenth round of the 1985 FIA Formula One World Championship. The race was the 43rd Belgian Grand Prix, the 31st to be held at Spa and the second since the circuit had been rebuilt and re-opened at half its original length in 1979. The race was held over 43 laps of the seven kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 301 kilometres.