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/126309
Bad Brad Lackey 1 241launched his Bill-Buchka-tuned RC450 Honda to an early lead. but when it had ended at Payerne. SOOcc World Cha mp He ikki Mikkola (1) had took second overall; Lackey third . 500 cc World Championship MX Series Round One Mikkola wins easily; DeCoster, Lac By Chris Myers PAYERNE , SWITZERLAND, APR. 9 In brilliant sunshine, World Motocross Champion Heikki Mikkola made a flying start to the defense of his championship title with two clear and devastating wins in front of a packed 25,000 crowd at Paye rne , Swit zerla nd . Out on his new O W 39 works Yama ha the flying Finn was to . never challenged. He took the lead In the first lap of both legs and then went on smoothly a nd confidently to ~ull out comfo~tab le lea ds over t~e tWIsty course set In the lush green hi lls near Pa yerne. Bri ta in's hope. Gra ha m No yce, had a disappointi ng start to the:1978 season on his works Honda. He was well placed at the sta rt of both motos , but crashes meant tha t he on ly scored once firs t time out wit h a sixth place. He crashed on the first lap of the second moto then pulled in for some stra ighten ing work on h is handlebars . setting off again like a bat out of hell to rejoin the fray , on ly to end up cras h i n~ . i nto the ropes two laps later and retlnng. O verall runner. up to Mikkola was multi . World Champion Roger DeCoster, ma king his comeback to the Gr and Prix two months after the ho rrific crash t ha t a lm ost' killed him . DeCoster m anaged to get withi n 15 seconds of the cha mp early on in the first rno to , but failed to make any fur' ther impression by the flag. After weeks without an y rid ing practice DeCoster seemed fit , but next time out he cou ld only manage fou rt h place behind Brad La ckey and runner-u ~ Dutch~ ~n Gerri t Wolsink. Only other Br iton to score at Pa yer ne was CCM teamster Bob Wright , who managed tenth place in the first moto , but then crashed into th e ropes in the second leaving GP new comer Steven Ho w to solider on alone a nd finish sixteenth. John Ba n ks was a . non -starter, staying at home to look after his ill father . back on got aw ay in nineteenth place . With Wolsink off t he leader-board , Belgian Grand Prix newcomer Andre Vromans - a DeCoster protege racing a Suzuki ยท took up station behind Va n ' Velthoven, lea ving Lackey and Noyce still fighting it out behind him . No yce held off his teammate for several laps but at the flag La ckey had the advan tage and Noyce came home sixth. American Bra d Lackey led Mikkola and the rest of th e pack up the hill and int o the first bend. Bu t within a lap Mikkola was out in front and DeCoster was holding off fe llow Belgia n la nky Jaa k Van Velthoven in fourth p lace. Wolsink was fifth ahead of Noyce . As the race wore on. Mikkol a j ust stretc hed out his lead from Lackey u n til th e American came off at the back of the ci rcuit and dropped back to fifth behind Noy ce . Wolsink was rid ing well up behind Van Velt hove n and looked good for third p lace but his Suz uki slipped its chain at the lOp of one of Paycrne's jumps and after a long delay fitting it This time out Wolsink was determined to do better and disp laced Lackey for runner-up spo t whi le still on the first la p . As the lea d ing trio d rew away West Germ an H e r be rt . Schmitz too k up fourt h place looking for points after d roppi ng out in the first rnoto whe n his seat ca me a drift. T he Ge rman p iled on th e pressur a nd second , third and fourt h men bunched up looking for a cha nce to pass. The group split u p whe n u nlucky Schmitz d rop ped out wit h another carb fault and DeCoster followed by fellow countryman Andre Malherbe on th e new works KT M moved u p. DeCoster challenged Lackey hard, . . .