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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126481
KR usually has a nose-up attitude coming out of Laguna Seca's turn nine, as in this 79 photo lIeft), and a winner's smile (right).
"up the hill the 500 is
going to be straining
itself. There's no
doubt about it. It's
going ot be buzzing, "
You're coming back to the U.S. in
the points lead. How's it look for
world title number three?
Well, it looks very good at this po int.
This is the biggest point lead I've ever
had - especially since we only have
three races to go . Except they're
gaining with some bike problems that
I've been having - the flat tire at
Assen and also some suspension problems. So, on one hand it looks very
good for the third world championship
because of the point lead. But on the
other hand it could be close at the last
race because of the problems that
we're having with the suspension.
Do you think that you'll be able to
get them sorted out?
.
J
Yeah. What I'm banking on is not so
much sorting out the problem. The
problem does not occur on a good race _
track. And the last two races are on
good race tracks. Well , one of them is
so long that it wouldn't make any difference anyway , cause what you
sacrifice in some comers, you 're going
to make up in others cause it's 180
turns. Silverstone is the place that the
Yamaha works good and the rough
tracks - like Finland - is where the
Suzuki works better. So I've got one
more track where the Suzuki is going
to be really good. And then we're on a
Yamaha track . So I think it's going to
end up with a 10·12 point lead at the
last race.
You're riding pretty much a completely new 500, right?
Right.
It's got different cylinder arrangement.
Well , that bike was brought out , this is
its second or third race that it will be
in , if I use it in Finland. We brought it
out at Assen . W e' ha ven't ha d very
much success with it because, well , it's
been the rough race tracks. Really
when we have our weakest points it's
the rough race tracks . Now I was
testing last week at Silverstone and the
bike works very well around there. So I
don't anticipate too many problems
with Silverstone. But, Finland is the
one I've got to get through - that's
this weekend . I'm leaving today to go
there.
What about the new Suzukis? They
seem to be working?
Suzukis are faster than they were last
year. In the first three races they were
a little quicker than the Yamaha and I
think now with the new barrel arrange·
rnent we have a little more horsepower
and we have the top speed on Suzukis.
The only track that that will show up
on is Silverstone. So, and that's you
know, like maybe y'.th of a second.
Because right here in the straightaway
the Yamaha starts running and it can
pass a Suzuki. But you know, there's
only two straights. So it's not a great
big advantage to have a little faster
motorcycle at this point. It's making a
motorcycle work around the race track
that is the problem right now .
So how do you feel about having
almost a next door neighbor, Randy
Mamola, challenging you for your
title?
Well, you know, anyone who's going to
take it is going to be doing a good job.
And Randy's doing the best job in my
estimation right now and all year - as
far as competition. And if an American
wins it - that's great. I'd like to see, if
I lose it, an American win it.
And how about some of the other
riders? Lucchinelli has been doing
very good this year.
He 's been riding alittle bit on the edge
I think and I didn't consider him to be
in there as far as being there every
week because he's been riding on the
edge. I figure he's going to be a couple
of problems. When you ride that far
over your head you just expect that the .
consistency's not going to be there.
That's sorta been the case and sorta
hasn't been the cas", He's really su r prised me in