Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126306
Kenny Roberts hopes for a 500cc victory ended with a blown engine on lap two. Pat H~nnen (3) went on to finish second. World Championship Road Race Series - Round one Rob'erts wins 250 GP , breaks in 500 Kenny Roberts 111 ) leads Franco Uncini in a duel for the lead during the 250cc GP, Roberts went on to victory after Uncini crashed. ' , By Mick Woollett ,< ) • J SAN CA RLOS . VENEZUE LA , MA R : 19 Barry Sheene and Suzuki won the first round in their fight .to retain the 500cc World Championship on 'Sund ay when the British ace won a superbly judged race at the Venezuela n Gra nd P rix. Kenny Rob erts scored a win in t he 25 0cc G rand Pri x in Ve nezuela. but his Yamaha 500 gave up the 14 fig ht in the " fea tu re" class after less than two la ps. W i rh temperatures soaring way over I he hu no red rna rk in I he soa ri nl( cauldron of rhc 2 .7 mile San Carlos circuit Ba rry k-t his rivals set the pace. scuk-d down and rhcnpickcd t hcm off to win - with a new absolute lap record of96.90 ,mph in the bag. " I was expecti ng a to ugher race. I th ou gh t th e Yam ah as would b e qui cker. It 's pe rfec t - j ust pe rfec t, " sa id Barry as he sip ped th e ce lebratory magnum of Moe t en Cha ndon. Not one of th e th ree works Yama has finishe d th e ra ce . Da yton a win ne r Kenny Ro be r ts, who had j ust won th e 250cc even t. completed on ly two la ps before a piston fai led ; J oh n ny' Cccouo , led in the early stages bu't then retired complaining that the slick on his front wheel was .brea king up and ma k ing handli ng impossible and finall}_350c~ winner Takazum i Ka ta ya ma crashed whi le trying to keep ahead of Sheen e. Of the new bikes on show a t the first Gran d Prix of t he year the 125cc Min arcll i . b ui lt by J org Molle r of Mo r b id e lli fame , m a d e a win ni ng debut - in t he ha nds of reigning wor ld champion Pier -P aolo Bia nchi, who, like Moller , switched ca mps at the end of last season. . And the 350cc Ka wa sa ki came nca r to a winning debut. Au ssie supersta r Gregg Ha nsford was lead ing th e race by 13 seconds whe n a n oi l seal went and put him out of t he race . " I'm rea lly chu ffed . M}' Suzuk i was as fas t as th e Yarn ahas. All we've got to d o no w is work a bit more on t he suspen sion. What a perfect stan to the seaso n " , sa id a co nte n ted Ba rry S hee ne m in ut es after winnin g th e 500cc class . . It was a repea t of last yea r's success b ut not the desperate ba ttl e Sheen c had in 1977 to beat little Steve Baker on the then bra nd new 500cc Yam a ha . This time Sheene domi na ted t he race as he wor ked his way th rough the field