Kenny Roberts (4) and i Freddie Spencer got out front early, but when Spencer DNF with crank troubles, Roberts (inset ) cruised to the w in.
World
Cbam~ioDsbi~ Road
.
Race Series: Round 6
Roberts, ' aw son , S
L
Mamola ,' -Z-3 Austrian GP
By Hanny Ray Abrams
SALZBU RG, AUSTR IA. MAY 29
Team Marlboro Yamaha's Kenn y R o berts
won the .Au str ia n G rand P rix a t Salzburg
and closed to within six points of points
leader Fredd ie Spencer, w ho fa iled to score a
20
poi nt wh en he dropp ed out on
th e 12th lap wh en his Honda
NS 500 developed cranks haft
problems.
Co nt i n u i ng th e to ta l Ame rica n
domi na tio n of th e 500cc GP cla ss
wer e Marl bo ro Yam ah a 's Ed d ie
La wso n. with his best fini sh o f th e
year in seco nd, an d HB Su zuk i's
Randv Mam ol a , wh o made th e best
of a n underpow ered machin e t o tak e
th ir d. Fourth. a nd fir st H onda . went
to Taka zumi Kat a yama. while defen din g World C ha m pi on Fran co U nci n i
won th e batt le for fifth over the Marc
Fon tan ,
Spencer leads th e titl e chase o ver
Rob erts, 68 to 62. with Mamol a third
at 39, Kat a yam a fourth with 36, a nd
Lawson movi ng u p to fif th wi th 32.
The Au strian ro u nd ma rk ed th e h allwa y po i nt o f th e 12- ra ce Wo rld
Champion sh ip ser ies.
Alw ays th e most co m pe titive class,
the 250cc co m petitors d idn ' t di sa p -
point a t th e Sa lzburgr ing as th e top
seven finish ers co vered a sp read o f
o n ly 2.44 secon ds. (T he n ext cl osest
ga p was in the I25cc class wh ere first
a nd sevent h were 44 seco nds ap art.
The 500cc race's m argin was almost a
full rninut e.) Leadin g th e 250cc pack
at th e chec kered £lag wa s West G ermany's Manfred H erw eh wh o p icked
up th e fir st GP p oints o f th e yea r for
his Rotax-powered R EAL team . T aking
over th e lead fo r th e 250cc cro wn was
seco n d pl aced Didi er d e Radigues on
th e T eam Elf/Joh ns on Ch evalli er
Yamaha an d h is teammat e Thi erry
Esp ie was third. De Radigues leads
Ven ern ot os Yam aha 's Carl os Lavado
(sevent h her e) in th e p oint sta n di ngs,
44 to 42.
Ruli n g th e l 25cc class. on ce aga in ,
w er e Ga re ll i teamm at es Wor ld
Cha m p io n An gel Ni eto a nd . seco nd
i n th e wor ld, E ugenio Lazzarin i.
Sa n ven ero 's Pi er-Paol a Bian ch i was
thi rd, a d istant 35 seco n ds beh ind the
Span ish multi-tim e Worl d Cham pion
Ni eto . T hi s is th e same order of finish
