Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Husky's Mike Guerra posted a 4 -1 dayin Spainto become the first American in 10 years to get the overall at a 250cc MX GP. He's now second in points. World ChampioD.hip ZSOCc )IX Serie.: RoaDd Z Guerra "grabs glory in Spanish GP ., By Peter Howdle SABADELL, SPAIN . APR. 25 Husqvarna's Mike' Guerra today became the first American in 10 years to score top points in a European 250cc MX Grand Prix. Outright winner of Spain's second round of the World Ch ampionship Series at Sabadell near Barcelona 23• • yea r-o ld Guerra matched the 1973 breakthrough of fellow 14 co untryma n J im Pomero y on th e sa me track. Fo urt h in the first rnoto, in which Su zuki's points lead er Geor ges J ob e cras he d on lap one an d foug h t back to fin ish fifth . Guerra bea t th e Belgian fair ' and sq uare in the second moto. " I just had a good sta rt and mad e no mistakes. but th e tra ck was reall y slippery: ' said th e American whose previous best efforts were third pl aces at th e Brit ish. German and Dutch GPs last year. Though Guerra's glory hoisted him from n inth to second in thechampion shi p. Jobe rema ins th e favorite to take th e title vacated by Neil Hudson. Despite hi s sensational cra sh. jobe.is already 17 points a head. Rolf Dieffenbach. th e 30-yea r-o ld West German who won the Spanish GP in 1980, won the opening mo to on hi s Honda. Sidelined by a [all and a puncture nexttime out. Dieffenbach nevertheless finished third overall. beating Dt,ltchman Kees Van der Ven by two points. . Dave Wat son was pr edi ctabl y the best o f three Britons. H e ga ined a n early lea d in th e first race a nd was ru n ni ng secon d in the o ther but twi ce slid off his works Yam aha and slip ped to seven th ove ra ll. After to ppi ng the p ractice charts with h is new works Suzuki -ap pa rently not fitted with a pow er valve but endowed with a di stinctive midran ge gru nt - J obe was ex pec ted to clear o ff in a bi g wa y, Unfortunatel y. after a bad sta rt. he cras hed in a first corner tangle. Am erican Danny La Porte was th e first to go down. He recko ned he was sh u n ted from beh ind before he and Jobe bit th e dust a nd Jean-Claude Laquaye fell o n top of them . Whil e LaPorte quickl y rem ounted. a fter two other rid ers us ed him for traction. it took 38 seco nds for Jobe to disentangle h is Suzuki from Laquaye's Honda. Hi s exha us t ripped off by Jobe's rear cha in adj uster, Laquaye was unable to co nt in ue. Bu t Jobe fought back like a lion to fini sh 13 seconds behind Dieffenbach-a gap which sugges ts th e 1980 World Champion would proba bly have won by 25 seconds. Wh ile J obe com p le ted la p two in 25th positi on, Watson's cha nces were dimmed wh en he wa s ove rpowered by Spa n ia rd Fern and o " Ra ndy" Mu noz on a Beta. A 15,000 cro wd went wi ld as Munoz held the adva nta ge for a th ird of th e distance wh en a brok en rear cha in adjus ter kn ocked h im o ut. Matti T arkkonen, o ne o f three Yamaha aces on wat er-cooled prod uc tio n bik es (o n ly Watson a n d LaPorte rode ai r-cooled works mod els), too k over when Mun oz stopped but Dieffenbach was really flying. After ove rpowering Jaroslav Falta, who Iini shed a good third on his monosho ck CZ. Dieffenbach threw caution to the win ds and sto rmed to his first success [or two years. " I had no trouble passing Wat son. I knew Falta and Mun oz were not so stro ng. I waited 20 minutes before going after Tarkkonen because I didn 't want to blow my H onda. " he sa id. Heinz Kinigadner, one of th e victims of jobe's rem arkable recovery. wa s in th e running for points until he tangled with a wire fence spectato rs had felled onto the track. and Vladimir Kavinov crashed into him and broke his throttle cable. Crashers on watered sections as slippery as skating rinks incl uded Steve Russell, who beat Willie Simpson downfield in th e seco nd moto wh ile Spaniard Antonio Arcarons, o ne of the pract ice leaders. was side- li ned by a sha ttered Montesa wh eel. T he seco n d race was more clearcu t. G atin g brilliantly with hi s 1982 production Husq varna, Guerra made th e most of th e good handl ing of h is twin-sh ocker to lead from start to finish. H opes of a cha lle nge from Watson fizzled out when he slid o ff while running secon d. By th e time Wat son remounted. he was behind Kinigadner , Kees Van der Ven and Jobe wh ose secon d bad start was o ffset by progress so rapid th at he p icked up si x places in five laps. Dieffenbach was on Watson 's tail in seventh spot when he punctured at half distance-by which time Jobe was up to seco n d but unable to catch th e flying Yank. Gaston Rahier and Ra ymond Boven were involved in a series of crashes which put paid to Falta wh en he broke the twistgrip cable guide of his Czech wonder. • Results 1. ~ike Guerrll (USA - HUI) ; 2. Georg• • Jobe (Belgium • Suz); 3. Rolf Dieffenbllch (We.t Ger many· Hon); 4. Ke.s ven de' Van (Holland· KTM); 5. Mani Tarkkonen (Finland • Yam); 6. Jarulav Fait. (Czechoslovakia· CZl; 7. Olive Watson (Gr••• Britain· Yam); 8. Heinz Kiniglldner fAustrill • Yam); 9. Vilem Toman (West Germany - SUI); 10 . Hana Maisch (Wall Germany· Mai) ; 11. Jean ·Claude Laquaye (Balgium • Hon); 12. Magnul Nyberg (Sweden - Suz); 13. Danny LaPone(USA · Vam); 14. Soren MonenMn (Oenmllrk • KTM). FIRST MOTO: 1. Dieffenbach; 2. Tarkkonen ; 3. Falte; 4. Guerra; 5. Jobe; 6. Meiach; 7. Watson; 8. Van dar Ven; 9. LaPone; 10. Toman . SECOND MOTO : 1. Guerra; 2. Joba; 3. Van der Ven : 4 . Kinigldner; 5.Tomen; 6. Watson: 7. Laquey.: 8. Nyborg; 9. Monenlen; 10. LaPone . WORLO CHAMPlONSHIPPOINTSTANDINGS: 1. Joba (48); 2. Guerra (31); 3. Tarkkonen (27); 4. Van der Ven (23); 5. Wallon (19); 6. (TIE) Dieffenbachl LaPone 115); 8. Ma isch (13); 9. (TIE) Maurizio Dolce /Kinigadner (121.

• Cover