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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126524
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Kaw8•• 'd'. Eddie Lewson took the Superbike win efter Freddie Spencer hade rock jam the throttle open and ceuae him to crash with two Iapa to go.
AMA Superbike Championship: Round 3
Lawson up; "Fast
Freddie" down
By Gary Van Voorhis
ELKHART LAKE. WI. MAY 50
Eddie Lawson, by virtue of being in the right
place at the right time, took advantage of an
accident by Freddie Spencer with two laps to
go and picked up the 15 lap/60 mile Superbike
win at Road America. Spencer,
holding a lO-second lead, had a
rock lodge in one carb causing
the slide to stick open while he
was puaing a slower rider. When the
throttle wouldn't shut off. Spencer
grabbed all the brake he had and after
a long slide, went down - basically
limhurt.
"There wasn't any place to go or
anything to do but avoid the slower
rider, and hope I could ride it out."
-said Spencer. "Both the bike and I
went into the track barrier pretty
tbard."
Kawasalr.i's Lawson was all smiles .a rare occurrence for him. "Things
didn't look Iilr.e they were going to go
my way," said Lawson. "The bike
started sputtering and popping on the
final lap - just Iilr.e it had on the last
lap of the heat race - and I just
C1'OlIlIed my fmgen it wasn't anything
serious. If that wasn't enough, I almost
bailed off on the final lap when 1 hit a
patch of oil and got completely sideways. I'm glad I won; it means a lot to
(tuners) Bob Muzzy and Mark
Johnson."
Mike Spencer. the "other Spencer"
on Team Honda. put in a consistent
ride to get himself into winner's circle.
"I didn't have any problems really." he
said. "The bike tire started getting a
bit slippery and I backed off a bit. but
that was about it. "
"How would you like to ride most of
the race with out a clutch?" asked
Yoshimura Suzulr.i rider Wes Cooley.
"I can tell you it's a bear to downshift
and not a whole lot of fun, Everything
went fine on the start and I moved up
(from !14th starting position) to fourth
in two laps. Then the clutch started
going away and I just rode out the
laps," Cooley maintained his point
lead with 46, I 0 points ahead of a tie
between Lawson and Mike Spencer.
Harry Klinzmann, aboard the
Racecrafter's Kawasalr.i. took fourth
while
Yoshimura
Suzulr.i
rider
Gennady Liubirnsky took fifth.
Wes Cooley just made the delayed
start of the final. The Yoshimura crew
were feverishly worlr.ing to correct a
problem which had forced Cooley to
call it quits in his heat on the third of
five laps. Lawson then came up with
his electrical gremlins and Freddie
Spencer had taken the win.
On the start of the final it was
Lawson away fust with Spencer in tow.
At the end of lap one the leaders were
still close, then came a gap to Mike
Spencer,
Liubirnsky.
Klinzmann.
Cooley and Thad Wolff on the Team
Escargot Suzulr.i.
Spencer took over the lead on lap
three while Cooley had moved to fifth.
Spencer, who had voiced concern over
whether he could go 60 miles on a tank
of gas, began to blister the track with
laps just over 100 mph. Having not
run that fast in any session on the track
effectively ruined all fuel consumption
figures that Honda had. according to
team manager Ron Murikami.
By halfway, Spencer was getting
frantic signs from his pits to cool it. He
obliged and his leading margin shrunk
from 15 seconds to about 10 as the laps
wore down. There was little racing in
the top four. but fifth was a dogfight
between Klinzmann and Liubimsky
which would go to the last lap where a
dwindling gas supply would cause
Liubimsky to ease off the battle and
take the safe route home.
Less than a mile from the pits on lap
15, Spencer's accident occured. "It
looked bad," said Lawson. "So bad
that 1 almost stopped. I motioned to
the Honda pits when 1 went past that
Freddie was down."
Once off the track. Spencer had
little choice but to lay it down and
hope for the best. He sustained cut
hands; his bike didn't fare too well in
its collision with the track barrier.
With Lawson, Mike Spencer and
Cooley counting the miles to the
checkered flag, the attention focused
on fourth although that also became
anti-climactic. Sixth place Thad
Wolff was also cruising home.
What few people saw was the last
lap charge of Rich Chambers to
seventh. Afte being involved earlier in
a battle with Lang Hindle and Ruben
McMuner, Chambers had fallen off
the pace. "Those crazy Canadians
were playing on the final lap." said
Chambers. "I wasn't and got inside on
the last tum, scared McMurter who
straightened up and Hindle ran into
his back tire. Hindle went down and
by the time McMuner recovered. 1 was
home free."
It was champagne toasts for Lawson
later in the night - there hadn't been
any in the winner's circle - with the
entire Kawasalr.i crew. "Kawasaki lets
the good times roll." was the chorus
from all. Lawson drank some bubbly.
He was grinning from ear to ear.
•
Results
15 LAP FINAL: 1. Eddie I..awoon IKowl; 2. Mike
Spencer IHan): 3. W. Cooley ISuzl; 4. Hony
KIIN""",n (Kow); 5. Gonn8dy Liubimli