Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(Above) Roberta lead, Spencer8nd Uncini. (Right) Spencer (center) reacts to the ch8mP8gne. t: in a lap of 22.03 to break the old mark held by Roberts. But it wasn't enough to catch Uncini. Crosby was on the move and soon took Lucchinelli , then Roberts on the 27th lap, outbraking him going into the first turn for third place, which he would hold untilthe end. "I pulled up behind Kenn y on the backstraight and I was in his draft. Normall y yo u can pass someone like that if your bike 's faster, but I co u ldn' t get him there," the New Zealander said. . And behind the leading quintet, South African Kork Ballington was putting in h is best finish o f th e season on sixth place. " We finished l l th a t jararna, then had a suspen sion spe cialist check the bike over. It 's made a world of difference in th e handling, " he said. The margin was building as th e laps moved on . Uncini was hotter than the beautiful 80 degree day on the Italian Riviera and the crowd absorbed his every move. Flawlessly he ra ced the finish gelling pit signals informing him of his margin on Spencer whi ch at one time was over fifteen seconds. He averaged 90.5 mph in winning th e 84 mil e rac e by thirteen seconds with Spencer about 16 ahead of Crosby who was safel y clear of Roberts and Lucchinellli who was h aving motor troubles with his Honda. " It was a big promise 10 say I would win th e rac e," Lucky said. "My bike wasn't working well, but it will be ready for Holland (the Dutch GP on June 26)." Uncini, who lives not far from here in Reconati, hugged his efficient crew after the win and took a victory lap on the truck with Spencer, Crosby and a passel of trophy girls. "To win in 'front of our own people means a 101 more 10 me," Gallina said through a broad smile. "No problems at all with the bike," Uncini said, " It fell like the fastest one. To win here is not special, but 10 win anywhere is important," Uncini said after being congratulated by Roberts, who doesn't hide his admiration for Uncini, "To win the World Championship will not be such an easy thing." • Results 5Occ: 1. Doerflinger (Kre); 2. Torma (Bul); 3. Lusuardi (Vii); 4.' Ascareggi (Min) : 5. Delorenzi (Min); 6 . Hummel; 7 . Emmerich; 8 . Klein; 9 . Priori; 10. Van Kessel. POINT STANDINGS: 1. Doerflinger (30: 2. Lusuerdi (201; 3. Ascareggi (14); 4 . Lazzarini (12). 125cc: 1. Nieto (Gar) ; 2. Bianchi (San); 3 . Pale zesse (MBA); 4 . Aldrovandi (MBA); 5. Vigneti (San) ; 6 , Muller; 7. Kneubuehler; 8. Wickstrom; 9. Briga· glia; 10. Picircillo. . POINT STANDINGS: 1. Nieto (60); 2. Bianchi (27); 3 . Aldrovandi (24) ; 4 . (TIE) Sellini/Muller (21) ; 6. Auinger (20); 7. Lauarini (15) . 25Occ : r . Mang (Kaw); 2 . Freymond (MBA); 3 . rournedre (Yam); 4 . Neto (Yam I: 5. Estrasi (Per); 6. Broccoli; 7. Luechi; 8. Sarron; 9 . Cornu ; 10 . Conforti. POINT STANDINGS: 1. Tournadre (37) ; 2. Mang (25); 3 . Freymond (20) ; 4 . Lavado (15); 5 . Sayle (6); 6 . Balde (12) . 35Occ : t . De Radigues (Yam); 2 . Lavado (Yam); 3. Maneoni (8iml; 4 . Mang IKaw); 5. Wimmer (Vaml; 6 . Saul; 7. Reiner; 8 .,Hauf; 9. Cornu; 10. Riondato. POINT STANDINGS: 1. De Radigues (37) ; 2 . (TIE) Balde/Lavado/Saul (27) ; 5. Mang (20); 6 . Cornu; 7 . Matteoni (10) . 500cc; 1. Uncini (Suz); 2 . Spencer (Han); 3 . Crosty (Yam) ; 4 . Roberts (Yam); 5. Lucchinelli (Han) ; 6 . Ballington IKaw); 7. Katajama (Hon); 8. Becheroni (Suz); 9 . Fontan (Yam); 10. Sjostroem (Suzl. POINT STANDINGS AFTER 5 ROUNDS; 1. (TIE) Unc,nl /Robe"s (481; 3 . Sheene (361; 4 . Crosby (26) ; 5 . Spencer (22); 6. Lucchinelli (18) ; 7. Katajama (16) ; 8..Frulsch i (15) . World Champ-,ionshlpRoad Race SerIes: Round 4 King Kenny • • reIgns In Spain By Nick Harris JARAMA, SPAIN , MAY 23 King Kenny Roberts gave King Juan Carlos of Spain a perfect demonstration of -how to rule his domain by comfortably winning the 500cc Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama, In the sweltering Spanish sun, Roberts raced the V·four Yamaha to its first GP victory and increased his World Championship lead from second-placed Barry Sheene. Before a record 60,000 crowd the two Yamaha aces completely dominated the race and Roberts leads Sheene, who rode the older squarefour machine, by four points in the championship. Third place went 10 Italian Franco Uncini (Gallina Suzuki) in a 37-lap race held during the hottest part of the day and which proved a disaster for the Honda team. . Freddie Spencer, who set fastest time in practice, led for the first six laps before retiring with a broken ignition wire 10 his Honda 's coil and Spanish hero Angel Nieto, who was riding an NS500 at the request of the King, crashed, damaging his ribs on the fifth lap. After receiving the congratulations on his victory from King Juan Carlos, Kenny issued the following warning to his rivals for the remainder of the season. "The bike will be better as the sea son progresses beca use a t the moment it 's a bit of a handful ," he said -after taking a well-earned drink. "In low gears the power comes in so quick it spins the tire, but I'm confident about doing well in Misano next week. When Freddie took the early lead on I did not want 10 try 100 hard and w'As happy 10 keep him just a couple of seconds in front, although I did not want him to get too far away.Tt was hot and the tires were hot but we got through OK ." The race started half an hour late following all the excitement of the King's arrival and after only one of the two warming-up laps, the unfortunate Randy Mamola came 10 the line with his HB Suzuki only firing on three cylinders. Despite frantic work by the mechanicsand help and advice from plenty of others th e machine kept CUlling out on one cylinder. He managed to start the race but retired after three laps. "They found a stone in one of the carburetors," said a desperately disappointed Mamola. "I have scored four World Championship points and in a normal season I could have spent a month at home and still managed that:' . Spencer, determined to Jive up to his billing in pole position on the grid, raced away from the start with Sheene and Roberts in close attendance. Frenchman Marc Fontan could . not get his Yamaha to fire and was last away, while at the front the two old hands, Sheene and Roberts, set about stalking the new upstart Spencer round the twisty two-mile circuit in the sweltering heal. Behind them, Dutchman Jack Middelburg and Uncini were fighting a Suzuki-only battle for fourth place, with World Champion Marco Luc- . chinelli (Hon) and New Zealnder Graeme Crosby (Yam) going hammer and tongs for sixth. . The enormous crowd followed every move by Nietoon the Honda but just when the national hero had hoisted himself into tenth place, a great groan went up as he crashed on a blind corner, He bruised his ribs in the crash and many of the fans started to leave with over 30 laps remaining. Roberts overtook Sheene on the third lap but the Yamaha pair seemed content to let Spencer open up a twosecond lead at the front when on (he seventh lap the young American toured into the pits, his race over, "I just could not believe it at first," sa id the always cheerful Freddie. "I figured I would see how fast those guys behind me could go although I certainly could' haue gone faster if th ey'd got any closer." Sheene clung on to his old adversary Roberts for the next five laps but with his rear tire causing a few problems in the heat and after being baulked by some back markers he could make no headway as Roberts steadily pulled away to win by more than eig h t seconds at the finish. Roberts set a new lap record for the Circuit, beating his two-year-old record, when he lapped at 81.35 mph and so fast was the pace of the leading pair they lapped ever ybody but the first six finishers. U ncin i got p ast Midd clburg on the eighth lap and , when Li- ') u tch man dropped out with brok e" ; ,~ a r i n gs in his rear wheel. he compl eted a lonely ride into third place a nd hang, on :u third place in (he cha mp ions h ip, seven points adrift of Sh een e. Fourth-placed Crosby had a more interesting rid e, keeping Lu cchinelli at bay after passing him on the fifth lap, while j apanese ace Takazumi Katayama (Hon ) was (he only other rid er not lapped by Sheen e and Roberts when he finished sixth. . It wa s a brave ride by Lucchinelli who was in so much pain from the foot he injured in his Austrian GP cra sh th at h e was ch a ng in g gear by hand in the last few laps. Incredibl y, Foruan, a fter being left at the start, scratched his wa y through into seventh place after a hecti c bailie in the last ten laps with former FIM 750 Champion Victor Palomo (Su z), Kork BallinglO'n, on the ill-fated works Kawasaki and bald Italian Guidi Pad on the production Yamaha. Steve Parrish battled his way to a n unlucky 13th place on his production Yamaha despite a water leak th at started on the fifth lap. • Results 500cc: 1. K. Roberts (USA · Yam) ; 2. 8 . Sheene (GB • Yam); 3. F. Uncini (~aly - Suz); 4 . G. Crosby (New Zealand - Yam); 5. M . Lucchinelli (~aly · Han) ; 6. T. Katayama (Japan· Hon); 7 . M . Fontan (France ~ Y a m ); 8. V. Palomo (Spain - Suz); 9. K. Ballington ISouth Africa - Kaw); 10. G. Pad lItaly ~ Yam) . 125cc: 1. A . Nieto (Spain - Gar); 2 . E. Lazzarini (~aly : Ger); 3. P. Aldrovandi (~aly • Yam); 4 . H. Muller (Switzerland · MBA); 5 . Selini (France · M or ); 6. J . Wickstrom (Finland - MBA); 7. (TIE) 8 . Kneubuehler (Switzerland - MBA)/B .R. Torma (Spein • San); 9. M. Vitali (Italy • M8A); 10 . G. Waibel (W . Germany· MBA). 25Occ : t . C. Lsvedo (Venazuela • Yam); 2. J. Tournadre (France - Yam); 3. A Mang (W. Germany - Kaw); 4 . J . Bolle (France - Yam); 5. O. Robinson (Ireland· Yam) ; 6 . J .L. Guignabodet (France · Kaw); 7 . A. Neto (Brazil· Yam); B. J . Sayle (Australia Sarron (France· Yam); 10. M . Schouten Arm); 9. (Holland · MBA). 5Occ; 1. S. Doerflinger (Switzerland - Kre); 2. E. Lsnarini (~aly · Gar) ; 3 . C. Lusuerdi (Italy. Vii); 4 . T. Timmer (Holland· Bul); 5 . C. Ascaraggi (~aly - Min); 6 . S. Ma"inez (Spain - Bul); 7. G. Loayestein (Hal· land· Kre); 8 . H. Spaan (Holland· Krel; 9 . R. Blatter (Switzerland ~ Kre); 10. H. Klein (W . German.,.). J.e. e. 23

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