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/126650
(Above) By prior agreement. Nick Richichi (26) let Miles Baldwin (22) past in the final segement. (Top right) Mike Baldwin soldiered his Honda to second overall despite extremely sore wrists. (Right) Crowd favorite Kenny Roberts was up to speed in the second segment. (Below) Winner Mamola initiates a champagne shower in the winner's circle. Baldwin. By the two~thirds marker, they were lapping up into the top 10. At the two-thirds point, the order was Mamola, Lawson, Mike Baldwin, Miles Baldwin, Filice, Aldana, Brauneck and Smrz. ;rhe final charge to the flag saw Lawson give it all he had, forcing Mamola down into the 1:07s, but it wasn't enough and Lawson had to settle for second. Both had lapped up through sevemh-place Aldana. While Mike 'Baldwin crossed the flag alone, Miles Baldwin and Richiohi had been at each other's throats most of the race. Richichi got the last wQrd in when he executed a last-lap, last-turn pass on the Canadian and made it stick. The average speed for the first 33 laps was 99.286 mph. Second leg The original qualifying order was used to grid the second leg as well, so Roberts was back, and on the pole again. Mamola elected to change only to a harder-compound from tire durin,g the break, while Roberts' crew replaced the offending part. Ironically, seven years ago at Sears Poim, Roberts had broken the same bit in a heat race and wound up on the back of the National grid, where he went from last to first in four laps. When the green flag waved, Mamola and Roberts got the advamage on the pack, with Baldwin, Lawson and Merkel following. By the end of the lap, the order had again established itself with the GP stars out from, followed by Baldwin, and then a long gap back to the rest of the field. In this case, the rest of the field was led by Richichi, Smrz, Miles Baldwin, Merkel, Brauneck and Filice. Roberts, besides having possibly the best claim to recognition as the world's best-ever motorcycle road rac1er,l ~1 Q.1 cl!lDsumatCl showmanllWbo knows what the crowd wams to see. So, coming out of turn nine on the first lap, Roberts pulled a straightaway-long wheelie; and was joined by Mamola, who had just outbraked KR at nine for the lead. They did it again at the end of the second lap, and' as a result, Lawson streaked by both of them and imo the lead. (Later, when repo~tersasked about the wheelies and the power characteristics of the machine, Roberts quipped, "Riding one of these things is like flying an airplane through an outhouse. All you can do is point it.") The next four laps saw Lawson in the lead as the from-running trio pulled away from Mike Baldwin. Roberts then took it for two laps, before Lawson got the poin t posi tion ·back. Already at this point Mamola was beginning to realize he couldn't stay with the Yamahas and their power advamage. The battle up front had dropped both Roberts 'and Lawson ,imo the 1:07 bracket, with Roberts having the unofficial best lap at 1:07.27. At the one-third mark, Lawson still was in from of Roberts, Mamola, Mike Baldwin and another Richichil Miles Baldwin tussle. At the one-third mark plus one lap, or 12 total, Lawson was out of the race with chain troubles. Roberts was on his own after having given Mamola the slip earlier. About the same time Filice was out of the race when he was forced off the track to avoid a falling rider and crashed as a resl!Jll. For the remaining two-thirds of the evem, the top two were umouchable, opening up over 20 seconds on third place. To !,eep the crowd happy they played a game of show and loft on every straightaway. Mamola knew the win was his if he stayed where he I ' • iWalsl ~uull tOa t!WaSI j USl >Wl~l 116 aid. Baldwin kept on circulating in third, despite his wrist being sore from surgery and twO tough races. Baldwin was in such pain that he kept his appearance in the winner's circle very brief. , The battle for fourth was no battle. Richichi and Miles Baldwin had struck a bargain during the break, and Richichi stuck to it, pulling over and lelling the Canadian rider by on the last lap. Sixth wem to Smrz, and after Brauneck dropped out, Yamaha rider Mark Jones and Suzuki pilot Jeff Heino finished 7-8. Rich Chambers and Roberto Pietri rounded out the top 10. Asked the secret to his day's success, Mamola replied, "I just stayed on it and rode my butt off. I had to work really hard to stay with the Yamaha guys at the beginning of the race and I knew if Eddie had stayed out there he probably would have taken it. They were setting a really hot pace." In the post-race press conference, which Mike Baldwin missed because of the pain of his injury, the two privateers who finished behind him defended their actions. Speaking first, Miles Baldwin said, "It's very importam for me to win the championship, so we had arranged that no matter what, that he would pull up on the last lap if he was ahead of me and let me pass him. We're both privateers who don't have a lot of support. Everybody knows that teams have strategies; well, we're a privateer team. We have a lot in common and we work to help each other." Richichi, who got the fourth-place purse money even though he was credited with fifth, said, "The factories have so many advantages, like money, track time, you name it. To remain this close in the poim standings against all the factory might, 2W~I',(jf,yau J41):t.-bealJ¢rP~· " ~eJJJ. We're sending them a message." In the poilus standings for the American road racing title, Miles Baldwin leads with 62, and Smrz and Mike Baldwin are knotted at 56. There are two rounds remaining. Roberts, although he didn't win, still remained the cemer of the crowd's attemion as he successfully dodged questions about his future after this year. ".When you've been doing something as exciting as motorcycle racing, there just aren't too many things that will get you going." One thing that got the crowd going was a question by Laguna Seca head Lee Moselle: "Do you ,guys want to see a grand prix here next year?" The crowd did. Consolation Bruce Lind stepped straight off his winning Sidecar machine, jumped on his Yamaha TZ750 and led all 10 laps of the consy to garner the $630 first prize. Honda rider Rich Oliver was' second, followed by Suzukimoumed Daniel Nolan. Results OVERAll: 1. Rlndy Mlmoll(Suz) 1-2; 2. Mike Blldwin (Hon) 3·3; 3. Mill. Blldwin (ylm): 4. Nidty Richichi (Ylm) 4-5; 5. Grlllg Smrz (Ylm) B·6: 6. M.rkJonl.(Ylmll0-7; 7. Jeff Hlino(Suz) 11-8; 8. Eddie lIwson (Ylm) 2·18; 9. Robeno Piotri (Hon) 12-10; 10. Rich Chlmbers (YlmI14-9; 11. Jimmy Filicl(ylmI6·17; 12. Kenny Roberts(Ylml; 13. HIP Elton (YlmI13-12; 14. Doug Breuneck (YlmI9-16: 15. John Ashmeld (KiwI 15-14; 16. Dlvid Aldene (Hon) 7-22; 17. Ricky Orllndo (Hon) 16-15; 18. Rusty Shlrp (YlmI19·13; 19. Corry Andr_ (KIwI 22-11; 20. Merk Shelton (Klw) 17-19. U.S. ROAD RACING CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS: 1. Mil.. Blldwin (62); 2. (TIE) G"'lIIl Smrz/Mike Blldwin (56); 4. Doug Breuneck(42); 5. Nicky Richichi (37); 6. Merk Jon.. (32); 7. Steve Wise (29); 8. Jeff Heino (2B); 9. Eddiellwson (231; 10. Kenny Roberts (22). AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPI CAMEL PRO SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. (TIE) Ricky Grehlm/Rlndy Go•• (182): 3: JlY Springstlln(I56};4, Bubbe Shoben(151); 5. Scott Perkor (I 32}; 6. Ale. Jorgensen (115); 7. GlryScott (72t 8. Steve Eklund (70); 9:Ted Boody (86); 10. Mil_ e.ldwin (62); II. Mickey FlY (57); 12. (TIE) G"'lIIl Smrz/Mikl e.ldwin (66); 14. Terry Poovey (66); 16. (TIE) Hlnk Scott/S_ Morehled (44t 17. Doug B~I~neck (42): ! Bo' Tim MenoN (401; 19. 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