Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ DAYTONA '83 ~ (Above) For 10 laps Roberts and Eddie Lawson thrilled the crowd with a high speed ballet. (Below) Mike Baldwin (43) and Steve Wise battled for fourth before Baldwin DNF. (Bottom) Canadian Steve Gervais (33) turned on the gas to finish fourth. throughout much of it. In past yea~s, Roberts has been content to turn SIX laps and then watch and wait. Here, he felt a bit of pressure. Many felt the two minute mark in qualifying would be broken and Roberts would be the one to do it. He didn't disappoint anyone. He turned in a I minute, 59.751 second run at ' 116.341 mph to erase the 2:00.435 / 115.681 qualifying record set by Freddie Spencer in 1981.Roberts noted he was " hap p y to be the first rider to break the twos." Lawson and Spencer also broke Spencer's old record, but neither timed under two minutes. Haslam and Baldwin filled out the top five. The entry was lacking some top names from past events. Last year's winner, Graeme Crosby was not on hand and will ride in only selected races this season. Two-time Daytona 200 winner Dale Singleton has gone from two wheels to four in his racing, but was on hand to do color commentary for the television broadcast of the race. Wayne Rainey, who rode both Formula One and Superbike for Kawasaki last year, has turned his efforts strictly to Superbike this season. "His contract initially called for him to ride both," said Kawasaki's Gary Mathers. "We sat down, had a talk and decided a 100% effort toward the Superbike Championship was the best." Foreign entries were also down considerably. The 20 0 8 The front row or the grid, with the exception or Baldwin's growling Honda FWS four-stroke, featured the GP-based two-stroke machines or Roberts, Lawson. Spencer and Haslam. Wise, on another Honda FWS, held the pit-side pole in row two with Wes Cooley, on a 1000cc Kawasaki four-stroke, and the Yamaha TZ750s of Aldana, Nick Richichi and Steve Baron rounding out the first 10 starters. The normal five minute countdown to the start was stretched to seven to allow riders a warm-up lap to warm up their tires . The first of three waves in the 80 rider field was led off the line by Baldwin with Haslam, Spencer, Roberts, Lawson and Cooley in tow. Baldwin pulled a surprising gap over his pursuers and was in command at the end or the first of 52 laps on the 3.84 mile combined ova l/road course. As Baldwin blasted past the start! finish line at the end or lap two, lapping the first or many backmarkers the leaders would have to contend with throughout the race, Spencer made an unscheduled pit stop to have a part of his race shield taped wher~ a snap had broken, and took on sc;?me gas as well. . .( Jimmy Adamo, who had qualified the Team Leoni/Sure-Fire Ducati Pantah, a 600cc twin, in 30th, had the engine break before he completed a lap. . Wes Cooley went down an~ outpn lap two when he blew an engme exiting the turn two banking onto the high-speed backstraight. "I saw pieces of metal flying past my helmet," said Cooley afterwards. "I pulled the clutch in and got the bike down onto the track apron, but there wa,soil al~ over the reartire and I couldn t keep It up. The bike went sideways and I was highsided. I've got a clean break in my right collarbone. Baldwin led the third lap past the scorers and it was on this one that Roberts made his unscheduled stop. He was pointing to the rear tire as he pulled into the pits and. onc~ stopped, got off the bike ~nd exa~l!1ed It as did the Dunlop ure technician, who said it was OK. "I got sideways really bad in the turn two banking and it scared the hell out or me," said Roberts later. "I thought I had blistered a tire. I was going relatively slow because I had been told to give the tires a few laps to heat up. I felt it was better to come in and check the tire rather than risk crashing. When I round out there wasn 't any problem, I got mad because I could have stayed out there. In any case, things still worked out." The pit stop cost Roberts 19seconds, dropped him way back among the slower traffic, and made him alter his pre-race strategy. -r planned to .Iet Baldwin and Spencer run away with the early part or the race,"said Roberts. "Eddie and I wanted to save our tires Ior the last part of the race after the second gas stop and turn it on. The pit stop blew those plans." Lawson had moved into the lead on lap four and from there until the checkered flag it would be the black and gold colors of Lawson then Roberts out Iront all the way. Baldwin. Haslam and Wise followed Lawson across the line with an onthe-move Spencer, Wolf(, Aldana, Richichi, Gervais and Fred Merkel behind. Roberts had a great deal or real estate to make up just to get the leaders in sight and he began his charge immediately as he sliced through traffic deftly. "The improved powerband of the re-worked engine allowed me the option. when I needed it, to roll off the throttle and wait a moment or two before getting back on the gas to go around a slower rider. I had to downshift last year." From about 18th on the Iifth lap, Roberts steadily moved up and was in sixth on lap 10, turning laps two and three seconds raster than the lead rive riders. He set his sights on Spencer in fifth and moved past on lap 13. The two began a four lap battle which ended only when each pitted for gas. Wise was the first rider in for gas

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