Willy Bauer (born 17 November 1947), is a German former professional motocross racer. He competed in the FIMMotocross World Championships between 1969 and 1978, most prominently as a member of the Maico factory racing team.[1] Along with Adolf Weil and Herbert Schmitz, he was one of the most accomplished West German motocross racers of the 1970s.
In 1973, as a member of the Maico factory racing team, he battled the reigning world champion, Suzuki'sRoger De Coster for the 500cc world championship. The title chase went down to the final race in the Netherlands, when Bauer had a mechanical breakdown, losing the championship by two points.[2][3] After falling to sixth place in the 1974 500cc world championship, he signed a contract in 1975 to race for the Suzuki factory racing team in the 250cc class. Bauer ended the season in third place behind Harry Everts and Hakan Andersson.
Bauer moved back to the 500cc class with the KTM factory racing team in 1976 and placed tenth in the world championship.[4] After a 12th-place finish in 1977, he signed a contract to race for the Sachs factory in the 1978 250cc world championship. At the 1978 British motocross Grand Prix held at Kilmartin, Scotland, Bauer crashed and had spinal cord injuries that left him paralyzed.[5]
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