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/126532
anything. I won at Silverstone last year, and our bike is better this year, the tires are better, so I know we are going to be able to go around it faster. I just hope I can get enough points there and Lucchinelli doesn't. "Silverstone is a strong track for me, and Finland is also. Finland is a street circuit which I really don't like much, but I go fast around it; it's really a hard braking circuit. It's dangerous because it is on the street and you go over railroad crossings and through those trees. We're trying to ban it because of the danger, but that hasn't worked out. "I haven't raced at Anderstorp in Sweden, but I've ridden there and it's a really tight circuit, so I'm sure I can go fairly quickly there because Americans are used to racing on tight, close circuits. " While Mamola has two DNFs on the year (one crash caused by wate.rspray in Holland and a seizure in Moma, Italy)' and Kenny Roberts has had all kinds of problems ("Kenny says this is the weirdest year he's ever seen in racing," says Randy), Lucchinelli 'has scored points in every race he's run fol· lowing a crash and a DNF in the season opener. Is "Lucky" Lucchinelli really lucky, or is he just really fast? "He is really fast, but he's been really lucky. He hasn't had one prob· lem yet. He fell down in the first one and he hasn't had a problem since then. In practice they have a lot of problems, seizures and everything. But in the race everything works out for the best for them, and he's got a 16 point lead. You need to finish every race and so far I'm out of two of them." Before Lucchinelli's somewhat sur· prising success, observers felt it would be a Roberts/Mamola battle for the title, Yamaha versus Suzuki. And it appeared that the characteristics of the machines played a role as Roberts did better on faster circuits, with Mamola returning the favor on the tighter layouts. "To me, the Suzuki handles better than the Yamaha from what I can see, but Kenny does seem to go well on the fast circuits, and he always seems to have his share of handling problems in the short ones, He won Germany, which was a fast one, but I should have beaten him there. I blew';!. At another fast circuit, Paul Ricard, Kenny finish· ed fifth, but that was because of his tire. All in all, it works out to be about even because there are enough tighter circuits compared to the fast ones. "This year, eve.ryone said that it was going to be the bike. The difference in the bikes was going to determine the World Championship. It's not. The Yamaha and the Suzuki are so close. They have a little bit more horsepower, but ours handles better so it works out even. Mainly it's rider and luck. I reckon it's 60% rider and 40% bike now. Because you need the bike to fin· ish it has to be at least 40%." Randy was asked if other riders not really in contention for the championship, but fast like Barry Sheene and Boet van Dulman, were likely to play spoiler roles in the remaining rounds. "No. No way. I don't like to say this because all of those who have made it that far up in the points for the World Championship are damn good riders, and you can't take that away from them. But if one of us three - Kenny, Lucchinelli or I - break, then one of those guys will take our spot. If the three of us were to finish all the time, it would usually be the three of us on top." On top. Three years ago, few people in Europe had even heard of Randy, but now they watch him compete for a World Championship, something some riders will spend a decade or more in search of. ,Did Randy ever think it could happen that fast? .- ,KERKER: 8khart Lake KICKS: Loudon ASS: Laguna Seca The Sup.ertJiker, Team Kerker-Kawasaki's Eddie Lawson retired all competitors with three consecutive victories at the head of the competitive Superbike Class. Each time the lone Kerker KR Series Racing Supertike machine decisively demolished all challengers, overpoweringlyproving the unmatchable acceleration and uncompromising cornering clearance of the Kerket What turns one racer into THE Supertiker? His Kerker, 'cause ONLY KERKER KICKS ASS!! Factory Hotine: (800) 423-5246 outside Carlfonia (800) 382-3689 California residents. ~ 7900 Deering Avenue, Canoga Park, Caifonia 91304 . '.'. :. .' ":.". . 7/19/81 LagunaSeca Monterey,CA AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ROAD RACE RANDY MAMOLA Suzuki on DUNLOP. Congratulations on winning both legs of this race and good luck in your World Championship bid. Thank you for choosing Dunlop tires. " St ", More cydes ride on DUiliop than -.yother --:~.~~~~ l!~~~!!.p., 23