Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

ovm.n- well enougfi every other week to keeP his" points way up. He was as fast as many of tbe veteralll and faster than many; only his "mistakes" kept him from being the winner more ... and they are not Iikdy to be repeated often. Physically, he's a good size for a bike racer, 5' 9" and right around 150 Ibs. He works to keep it that way. As a Junior and during his first Expert year he was sponsored by Shell Racing Specialties, alias Shell Thuett and John Reed. Shell is a name much respected in flat track circles. He's been a track name for years. Eddie talks about him. "It's a shame, Yamaha doesn't help him at all. He provides all his own parts, makes some of th~m, and thry don't do a t~in,.g for him. He's the only one trymg to go agaInst the Harleys except for the Norton. You'd think they'd do something. It's really a shame; it's burning him out. This is his last year. If he could just get some help, I know he and Jolm'd hang in there. they love it so much. Yamaha says there's no budget and that's hard to believe. Look at all the publicity they get out of it. "When I did make the main, Roxy or someone would say, '~ho wants the Yamaha to win?' and the crowd would go nuts. It's really something when you do something on a Yainaha. It's neat on a Harley too, but when you're on'a Yal1!aha, it's special." What's the difference between riding the Yamaha and a Harky? "You can get on the throttle earlier on a Harley, get the power on the ground easier. They don't slide out of the comers, that's an advantage right there. You ride a Yamaha a little hard and it'll slide right out of the groove." We've heard tales about the Yamahas being sbonflUed. YOII have to do a major overhaul ~ every time out. "We didn't touch ours. It really surprised me. They were very low maintenance. Shell didn't do much to the bikes and we never messed with the suspension; never changed the shocks or lowered the forks for different tracks. He feels if something is working right don't mess with it." How did Shell take your going to a Harky? We've heard he gets a little put-out when he's helped lOmeone and they switch. "Yeah, ~e takes it a little hard, but you can't really blame him. He understands and he's tired out now. But ~e'lI help the Harley guys, he'll ~ve them anythang he has. I'd probably still be WIth him if Yamaha had said they'd hdp and we could really go for it." How about riding the Yamaha on the different tracb? "Of course they're all different. Ascot is all on its own ... the Ascot IT is my very favorite. Then there are tracks with cushions and grooves ... and then there's Louisville." His expression and our laughter showed all of us were 4 familiar with National trail tales of Lousiville. "You can't ride a Yamaha there' no w·ay. It's like deep sand, you sink in it. .. but yo~ ~an ride a Harley full out all the way around. When It comes to places you have to ride, I don't like Castle Rock - they ought to do away with that place and I don't like Peoria much either." What's it liie, that lint year out on the National trail? .. It's hard, You get to a track and the others are all ready, they know the gearing and the tires and stuff and you're just wondering. I hung close to Ted (Boody) and Harry Lillie and they really helped me a lot. I t'aRici to Cary (Scott) a lot at Daytona. He's really ftimdly, but for a while I had the feeling he was out to get me. You get to learn which guys you've got to watch out for on the track and which ones are OK. Springsteen and Eklund are really clean, they always leave lots of room when they pass ... this year I'll be more prepared for the others. That first year I didn't know what to expect. I've talked to Jay a bit. I re.ally don't know the guy well, but watching him ride .- .he's .fantastic - he can reach right down deep InsIde himself when he has to and do it." Did yOll have a hero when you were growing up, or do you have one now? , "Yeah, of course, Kenny Roberts, just like ev~ryone else. But for me it was Men Lawwiij. I really wanted to be Mert Lawwill. I liked everything about him." We talked on about what a young professional faces in getting started when he becomes Expert and rea~wa~wgo~it. . . "You'~e got to have some help. A privateer just can't do It, not the whole national circuit. That's why they.'ve got to go to the 500cc rule to help keep the COlt down. Tires alone will kill you. They're 60 bucks each. At Louisville I went through four and at Des Moines th.ree, ~~d even if you share gas expenses with someone Just hvmg expenses now are high. My folks and I are close, and I live at home. I couldn't make it if I didn't. I sometimes work in. a bike shop in the winter." . With the Ascot season over we brought the plans up to date by press time. "Now Ascot's over I'm going t~ do a lot of road raci~g. I love it and I have a great bl~e. Sal and I would hke to go out on the circuit ~ut neither of us can..afford it. But I'm going east for all the big road races, and when I go we'll take the Harley, too. I can't go just for the dirt Nationals." Let's talk about road racing and your ride. . "I love. ~oa~ r.acing. I have a great sponsor, Ted Dann, It s his bIke (a TZ 250) and he likes to own fine equipment and see it raced. Our tuner is Matt Owens, and he really knows how to keep the bike running. When I hurt my ann badly at Houston, Ted arranged for me to see the L.A. Ram's doctor right away and I really got the right treatment. "I rode Boody's spare 750 at Daytona this year, r.n the whole race on three cylinders and finished 55rd. Yes, I'd like to see them separate road racing and dirt track and have two number ones. It would really help the guys who just like to road race. Some of us would have to either miss the road races or keep an expensive bike around for just a few races. If I do really well on thr pavement, Ted's talking about E,:,rope, and maybe SQme day ... that's another goal. RIght now I wouldn't want to give up dirt track until I've done what I want there." How long do you .think it takes to get a real chance at winning that Crand National number one from the time you stan as rookie Expen? "Say everyt~ng broke you~ way ... The first year you spend learnmg, and there s lots to learn, especially when you start to travel. 1£ you have a chance at really top equipment, maybe two years after that you'd be close, but it takes a while to learn to run with those guys." Lawson is modest, he ran with "those .guys" right from t~ beginning. Eddie Lawson on many subjects: "The AMA could do more for the racers ... our licenses cost us a lot. When you look up at the stands at a National and think of all those people and what they paid to get in, the purses should be larger. They should promOte more television I think. It's getting better, but there's where the money comes from for the tennis and golf players. When you think what they get paid and what we get paid and the difference in what we do ... we need more racing out here. "In the east, riding outlaw events in places like Granite City and Santa Fe, you can make a thousand' dollars a week. What you said about the entertainment dollar is truth though, those people back there don't have major league teams and stuff to spend money ~n. The Winston people have really helped us. But It makes me mad the AMA allowed the guest pass to be taken away from us at Nationals. I can't even get my mom up in the stands. We should all have one pass; w~ used to get it. We still get one at Ascot. "They ought to move the AMA offices out here, this is where it's all at, not back there. Anytime they want to know something technical they're on the phone to people like Racecrafters ... there's nothing back there... On the use of dope: "I haven't seen any hard stuff used but there's an awful lot of smoking going on. It's really sad; they don't need it, and they have such tal~t. ~t only slo~ them down a;nd they don't rea~ reahze It ... they think they're gomg just as fast. You can tell it. tbe nights they don't have a good ride." We .talked of specific riders and agreed. Lawson is strll.lghtforward and not embarrassed or sanctimoni· >:s ~ ous about his feeling oa:a the matter. "I don't like it when I'm lined ur next to them, that's for sure. I don't smoke at al - never have - and I've never been drunk. I don't care if others do, and some of my close friends do, but I choose not to. Just don't fault m~ for not doing it; you do your thing and I'll do mme. I get to bed early before a race, especially a National. I don't party the night before. It's important to take care of myself. I don't work out as much as I should, but I do run a lot and try to watch what I eat. I wish I were a bit shorter bot I guess fave nine is OK - except for those tall motocross bikes I need a step laddrr for those. " In the 1978 Motorcycle Olympiad, he devastated the opposition in the IT and shon track and then . took his flat tracker out on the cross country course after first not planning to do it. He knew what would happen ... "But it was something I felt I should do. N.o, ~teve McLaughlin didn't have anything to do ~th .It. I don't recall anything being said about it ... I did It on mt own. The magazines really gave.me some bad' press on it though ... kind of bummed JJi~ out." Future plans? "No, not marriage. I've got too much racing to do, and it wouldn't be fair to either of us. I've seen a lot of good riders quit or slow down because of serious relationships. That's way down the road for me. I'm going w race until I get what I want out of it. I didn't go to college because of the time limit,. I. can always go.. I'd like. to learn to be a top machmlSt some day. I hke creating, working with my hands on sophisticated machinery. Maybe own a shop some day, but that's too far in the future even to think about now. I'm doing what I want to do now just racing." . ' On-the future of racing? "They've got to go to the 500cc rule for everything. It's better racing, more close-together competition. It can get hairy and gre~t for the spectators. The big bikes can get bonng, all stn~ng out. Close competition brings out people. You'd see Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda tearns out t~en, and that's what the sport needs: the variety of bikes so people can cheer on what they ride or what they like. The expense would be cut so a lot of good guys who just quit will stay in. If the AMA really takes a real look at racing .... what's been happening and, what will happen in just a couple of seasolll, they ve got to go to the 500 rule and fast." On being professional: "The top 10 guys are OK, but ~e of the others ... they do crazy things and terronze people and stuff. That's not right. You've got to be proud of what you do and what you are not do kid stuff." ' On kids racing: "It's OK, I guess - I started youn~ - b':'t not if your dad ~eeps pushing you all the tu:ne.. KIds should only be m It for fun, not just for wanmng ... that comes later. I wouldn't mind seeing them put the rrofessional license requirement back to 18. That'l rrobably make some people unhappy, but 16 is stil young. I know that now; you should still be having fun riding at that age. It bum. a lot of gurs out starting so young, and they don't keep on gomg up the ladder. You don't encourage raclDg that way." . In May, Lawson won the 250cc GP class at a road race at Ontario. and when Wide World of Sports showed the San Jose Mile, there 'was Eddie in slow motion all the way around a turn as the commentator explained how riders took the left band off the bar and put it on the fork tube to create an aerodynanic line as they exited a tum at go-plus mph. He is indeed a racer to be watched. •

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