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/126633
ful HB Tobacco-sponsored factory sei-u'p from last season. I'm not alone amongst GP observers in finding this move incomprehensible, resulting in a st an uneasy marriage and at wors t outright antipathy between two ha ves of the same team. ~After two championship wins on the tro t with previously unconsidered rid s, Roberto Gallina has nothing lef t to prove, yet Suzuki has chosen to effectively br eak up a winning organizat lOn by amalgamating the two te,ams . Ran d y Marnola, out to prove laot yea r' s poor results were but a tempo rary a berra tio n, and reigning champ io n Franco Uncini will prove to b uncomfortable teammates, and Ga l/in a's exact rol e in the new set-u p has ~et to be defined publicly. Th e sm~rtest thing Suzuki could have dorie would have been to disband th e HE tea m, thrown all their weight behind Gallina, and perhaps given Mamola a couple of bikes to run ' himself, such as they have done with reigning 350cc champ Anton Mang. A s it is, they appear to be trying to appease th eir HB sponsors for the lack of results last season by forcing World Champion Uncini to carry HB co lors in 1983. I shall be very sarprised if a Suzuki rider is champion 'again at the end o f th is season, unless the new, smaller XR facto ry bikes' prove to be streets faster tha n . th'e'opposi tion - and that's unlikely. With the disappearance ofthe italian Sanvenero and Morbidelli bikes from the 500cc class, that leaves only two other factory teams in the class, at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of budget and resources. Bo th could, however, have their day, for the Italian Cagiva team proved at the end of last season that their new C2 square-four design is competitive with the Japanese factory teams and in Jon Ekerold they have a rugged, aggressi ve rider who can never be discounted. With Virginio Ferrari rejoin- . ing the team after his sacking by H B Suzuki, Cagiva has a strong p air of riders whose experience is matched by the very able technical team this second-largest Italian bike manufacturer inherited when th ey acquired the defunct Europea n H arley-Davidson factory . Though a G P wi n ison ly a remote possibility, th e Cagiva has die potential to ge t in th e top five, with the only q uestion be ing w hether or not the team has the physical resources to support a two-rider squad. Time will tel l. Such a question could never be remotely di rected at H o nda , and while their J ap anese counterparts are either cutting back or pulling out altogether, the giant manufacturer has intensified i ts GP involvement, without, however, making its much-rumored entry into the 250cc category. That may come n ext year, but in th e meantime Honda threatens to swamp the 500cc class, with their four factory riders - la st season's revelation Freddie Spencer, former champ Marco Lucchinelli who'll be eager to prove his worth after 1982's dismal resu lts, the rejuvenated Takazumi Katayama and new recruit, Bri ta in 's R on H aslam - joined by a host of importer. sponsored privateers on so me of the 25. RS500 copies of last year's version of the NS three-cylinder reed -val ve factory bi ke, wi th o nly a few deta il changes in the interests of semi-series . prOduction . • Jus t this time last year, we were a ll wondering if the then -new Honda wou ld prove competi ti ve agai nst the rotary-valve four-cyli nder o pposition. Three G P wins later the on ly question remaining is whether this time they can win the title. f' If he can stop falli ng off so often, Fre ddie Spencer looks the man to beat, but he must rea lize that sooner o~}~t~~ . ~~, .k:_ep~ ..~~ I_~?~~~g '.?'L if WINS TALLADEGA 2ND BATTLE OF THE TWINS STOCK CLASS Dave McClure on a Harley Davidson XR1000 equipped With Koni 7610 shocks With external damping control and triple rate springs. AMATEUR MODIFIED CLASS Chuck Quenzler on a Harley Davidson XR1000 also equipped with Koni 761O's. Koni shocks like Dave and Chuck use are available for most popular street motorcycles. Ask your dealer for the winner-Koni adjustable shock absorbers. KG KONI AMERICA. Inc. 11! West L overs La n e Cu lpe pe r. VA 22701 (7 03) 825·4543 ..' 27, . ... ,