Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

00 Cj) IAbovelettl Eddie Lawaon showed Jim Filice the tnt wey in traffic.IAbove mlddlel Rllce aure ....,. fer for a little guy.lAbove right) Anton Mang got third, International Lightweight Lavvson shovvs 'em hovv By Gary Van Voorhis Photos by Charles Morey DAYTONA BEACH, FL, MAR. 7 Eddie Lawson held classes for Jimmy Filice in the crafty art of skillful use of slower traffic to outwit an opponent. Filice learned his lessons well, but when it came to the final test it was Lawson, the teacher, showing Filice, the student, the way home in the IOO'mile International · h . h L Ig twelg t event. 12 Anton Mang, the reigning 250cc World Champion, put his Kawasaki Germany entry into third to run to four his consecutive top four finishes. Fourth and fifth wem to self-sponsored Yamaha rider Craig Morris and Jeff Sayle of Australia, respectively. Sayle was mounted on an Armstrong CCM, a British built road racer powered by a water-cooled Rotax engine. Lawson's second straight Lightweight win also marked the first by a rider on two brands - he won last year on a Yamaha. It was the second win by a brand other than Yamaha since 1965. Unlike recent years where multi-rider battles were waged right to the flag, this year's edition was basically a two rider event from the stan with Lawson, aboard his Team Kawasaki entry - using chain drive rather than belt - and Filice, on the Roberts/ La_ill Racing Yamaha, the protaganists. ~ beat races, ':'ID Fr;iday,.~rovi~ p!enty of good raCIng. WI~ Filice WInmng the first aft~ dISpoSIng of both lawson and Mang 10 strong form. . .The fina: l heat saw a ba~tle between ~ch ArnalZ, on the Amau Constructlon Yamaha, and The Flower Company/G. Grm.:es Yamaha enu)' of Rusty Sh~rp. AmalZ t~k the WI.n to put Wmston ~ro Sc:nes Rookie of the Year c~dida.t? 10 the top two spots on the gnd. FIlIce took the pole. The opening laps found Lawson holding a small lead over Filice as Mang began a blistering attack through traffic after a poor start. "I am not familiar with staning this way and did not make a very good one," Mang would say later through an interpreter. Sharp was in the hunt as was Amaiz. ' . From 76th starting spot on the grid, Rich Schlachter was slicing through traffic in a valiant attempt to catch the leading group before they got too far away. Schlachter, already 10 seconds off the pace from a third wave stan after seizing the engine in his heat, was up to 19th by the stan of lap three. By lap four Lawson had a four-second lead on Filice and Mang was in third, but pressured by both Sharp and Dan Chivington. Amaiz was in the pits with undisclosed problems, but out quickly although lOSIng any chance of getting· back with the leaders. On the following lap Ftlice had cut Lawson's margin to three seconds while opening a six second lead himself on Mang. Mang was putting room between himself and Sharp while Schlachter continued to move up through traffic. Sharp took hiJnself out of the race with a crash in the infield. He was shaken up. ~ site of the crash had taken out at least four other riders earlier in the race when somebody dumped oil on the track. With Sharp out, Mang inherited a cushion on the rest of. the field he would hold until the finish. Mang slowed in the final laps, plagued by an apparent loe»e rear axle that affected the handling of the bike. Meanwhile, Lawson was giving Filice lessons on riding in traffic through the infield. Lawson seemed to always pick up the edge in the infield and then lose some of it to the 110pound Ftlice when the bikes hit the oval and raw horsepower rather than finesse was the main ingredient. By lap IS, the halfway point, Filice had closed to within about 10 bikelengths of Lawson as the pair entered the infield only to have Lawson slip away in traffic. Schlachter was now in fourth and closing slightly on Mang. Craig Morris had moved into fifth. Schlachter's charge ended on the next lap. "The chain jumped off going into tum one," said Schlachter afterward. "I stopped and put it back on, but it jumped off again, 1 felt that I could get away with it coming off twice, but three times was pushing my luck so I parked it." While Schlachter was going out, Filice wu going ahead. grabbing the -- . lead from Lawson at th~ stan/finish line going into lap 15. In additio , Sayle had moved to a tenuous founh ahead of Morris and Bobby Behe\. Behel, who had been struck by a low flying pigeon in his heat race while lying third, had his bad luck struck this time while founh on lap 17, "Apparently vibration caused a hole to wear in the gas tank at the front mount," said Behe\. "Luckily, I ran out near the pits and coasted in, ran to my pit, got gas and filled up." The problem dropped Behel to S2nd. Cbiviogton wu another hard luck rider. He lost his ignition in the closing laps while lying sixth. Morris retained possession of founb to the flag while Sayle and Bavarian Cycle/Longevity-sponsored John Long diced to th~end, Former Grand National Champions Men Lawwill and Dick Mann were flashing Filice pit signs as the laps wore down. Lawson regained the lead on lap 18 and although repeatedly challenged, did not relinquish it again. uHe (Lawson) taught me a lesson," said Filice in the winner's circle. "If I just could have gotten closer on the final lap I know I could have swooped him." "I coJ1gtalulate Jimmy on a fi~ ride," said Lawson. "Every time I looked back there he was, «e doesn't give up. I almost didn't make it here," continued Lawson. "Near the end I thought Jimmy was drafting and 1 went down on the apron along the front straight. I hit some din, got the bike crossed up and somehow saved it. I wouldn't have liked to do anything ,to mess up all the work Steve and Mike Johnson did. " Results 1. Eddie ~ Itc.w); 2. Jim FiIico lY_); 3. _ Mong ~; 4. W. c..;g _ lYom!; 5. Jeff s.ylo lArmI; 8. John t.>g lYom!; 7. _ AIonw1; 8. _ Mello lYom!; 9. S"",,*, _ lY.,.,); 10. Alojondro AIonw1lY_); 11. S _ T~n lArmI; 12. _ _ KIomont lYom!; 13. Jofhy eurnr- lYom!; 14. Didier do ~ lYom!;l6. Glen Sha!JI* lY ; UI. _ _ lY_to17. n-- ~ lY ; 18. RIcI.-d _lYom!; '9, _ s......... lYom!; 20. Gory CollIno lY.....

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