Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

i Left) Superbike winner Wayne Rainey (60) goes through traffic. (Above) Th ird place Thad Wolff trails Roberto Pietri, who finished fifth . (Below ) Lawson. Susan Callicutt. Rainey, Larry Maiers and Wolff)n winner's circle. (Continued f rom page 10) Results FORMULA ONE: i. Mike Baldwin (Han); 2. Eddie Lawson (Kaw); 3 . Wayne Rainey (Kaw); 4 . Steve Wise (Han) ; 5. John Bettencourt (Yaml ; 6. Dale Sin gleton (Yam); 7 . Frank McTaggart (Yam); 8 . Miles Baldwin (Yam); 9. Jeff Umrysz (Yam); '0. Steve Gervai s (Yam); 11 . Mark Homchick (Vam); 12 . Rich Chambers (Yam); 13 . Thad Wolff (Yam); '4. Doug Brauneck (Yam); 15 . Dave Schlosser (Yam); 16 . Jeff Heino (Suz); , 7 . Greg Smrz (Yam); , 8. Harry Cone (Yam); 19 . Harry KUnzmann (Kaw); 20. Jimmy Fil ice (Yam). Time : 54 min .• t 9.250 sees, Average speed : 83 .062 mph . U.S. ROAD RACING CHAMPIONSHIP FORMULA ONE POINT STANDINGS: i . Eddie Lawson (321; 2. M ike Baldwin (31) ; 3. Steve Wise (30) ; 4 . Dale Singleton (23); 5. Wayne Rainey (22) ; 6. (TIE) John Bettencourt /Nick Richicni (18) ; 8 . Freddie Spencer (161: 9 . (TIEl Miles Ba ldwin /Steve Gervais /Mark Homchick (141. AMA GRAND NATIONALCHAMPIONSHIP/WIN · STON PRO SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. Ricky Graham ('23); 2. Jay Springsteen (99); 3 . Scott Parker (80) ; 4 . Terry Poovey (76); 5. Randy Goss (66); 6. Alex Jorgensen (64); 7 . Gary Scott (63); B. Steve Morehead (5' I; 9. Mike Kidd (45); , D. (TIE) Steve Eklund /Steve Wise (43) ; 12. Eddie Lawson (42) ; '3. Ted Boody (36); '4. Tim Mertens (34) ; 15 . Wayne Rainey (33) ; 16 . Bubba Shobert 132); 17. Mike Baldwin (31) ; 1B. Scott Pearson (23) ; 19. Mickey Fay (21 I; 20 . Wes Cooley (20). AMASuperbike Championship . Series: Round 5 Rainey • surprrse • wmner LOUDON, NH, JUNE 19 " I can't believe I won, I just can't believe I won," said Wayne Rainey over and over again to himself and everyone around 20 him after his Superbike victory. In fact , Rainey was still disbelieving the next morning, saying he found it a bit hard to sleep that night because he was so excited. Rainey led his Team Kawasaki/Kerker teammate Eddie Lawson to winner's circle in th e Bell H elm ets sponsored event with Team Escargot Suzuki rider Thad Wolff ma king up the threesome in thechampagne spraying contest. It was Rainey's second win in as many appearances at Bryar Motorsport Park. Last year he was the Novice victor. Rolling home in fourth was Wes Cooley while Roberto Pietri took fifth . They were Suzuki and Honda mounted, respectively. Lawson was a. bit disappointed with his performance. "I knew from nearly the first lap on that my choice of a front tire compound was wrong. There wasn't anything I could do so I just set about to collect all the points I could to hold onto my series lead." " T h ird place was a gift, I know that," said privateer Wolff afterwards. " I' ll take it. This makes up for some of the bad luck that has been coming my way lately. " Lady Luck did not smi le on Honda's Steve Wise or Mike Baldwin who both would've probably figured in theouteome. Wise crashed whilechallenging for the lead just past the halfway point. Baldwin, contending with fading front brakes, also crashed while lying second with just over one lap to run. "I started having to pump the front brakes about seven laps from the end. I thought things would be alright, but going into turn eight on the next to last lap the lever came right to the handlebar gri p . I knew I was going to crash." Lawson and Rainey still hold the top two spots in the Superbike Ch ampionship standings at 85 to 69 with Cooley and Wolff a t 49 and 47 points, respectively. Baldwin led the drag race into turn one at the start of the 32 lap, 51 mile final. Baldwin, who had cruised home i th e winner in th e first' heat race, had plenty of company from Wise , Lawson and pole sitter Rainey, who won th e faster second heat. By lap three the ra ce had settled into a pattern with th e front fo ur tight and the n a gap to Cooley. Farther back in a pack of three came Pietri, Wolff and Harry Klinzmann. By lap four th e front runners were a lready lapping traffi c. Ra in ey moved up into contention on lap five and passed Baldwin for th e lead in th e final turn before the start/ finish line beginning lap six . On lap eight, Rainey opened up a two second lead on Wise with Baldwin and Lawson trailing closely. Cooley had dropped back. There was plenty of action for sixth place as Wolff and Klinzmann kept close company ahead of a battle involving Pietri and Rich Chambers. The short 1.6 mile, IO turn course and the quickness of the factory bikes kept the leaders moving quickl y through slower traffic, ofttimes using sheer horsepower to avoid a collision . Rainey, now three seconds ahead of Wise, couldn't shake him and as the race moved towards the halfway mark, Wise began to eat away at Rainey's advantage bit by bit. Baldwin and Lawson were equidistant behind the front runners'. Cooley, slowed by traffic was now feeling the advances of Wolff with Klinzmann right on his tail. At the halfway flags, Wise had closed to within a few bikelengths of Rainey and Baldwin was creeping up also. It was a clear lap for the top three with no traffic in front. Wise put a strong charge on Rainey as the two began lap 18.They had lapped up to 12th place by that time. Wise's ride came to a halt two turns later as he went down in turn two . Wise was quickl y up, but h is bike was too damaged to go on . The crash by Wise gave Rainey a six second advantage over Baldwin with La wson a no ther five seconds back. Rainey kept the ga s on to main tain h is pace and six second interval. Baldwin appeared to be still pushing while Lawson was waiting for Baldwin to make some mistakes so he could close the gap. Cooley, was way, way back in fourth, being stalked by Wolff. Klinzmann held a good distance over Dan Ch ivington with Pi etri and Chambers next. Rainey was soon in pos ition to lap Chambers and leave only eight riders on the same lap. On lap 23 Wolff moved past Cooley and Rainey lapped Chambers. On the next lap, Rainey lapped Pietri. Two laps later Klinzmann moved past Cooley also and the three Wolff, Klinzmann and Cooley established a close moving trio. In quick succession Klinzmann lost his chain and Chivington had his gas line come loose. Unnoticed in all the lapped riders and Rainey 's lapping of nearly everybody was the ride of New Englander Joey Osowski who rolled home in sixth. His Team Eagle Racing leathers and blue and white Kawasaki were winners in the best appearing category. "I guess it was my typical race," said Osowski. "I started about 20th and worked my way up. Nothing fancy, just plain determination." On the next to last lap, Baldwin crashed in the sharp left hander at turn eight and was out of the race, moving Wolff up to a place in winner's circle. Rainey raised a fist to his pits as he came around to take the checkered flag and then saluted the crowd as he .crossed the finish line. . •

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