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/126761
-< (Above) Fest quelifier Spencer. (Below) Fernendez (left) end Sheene. (Above) Eddie Lawson won hi. first Grand Prix in South Africa. He'. shown here et Deytone. (Below) The cerbon fiber ~r wheel on Freddie Spencer'. NSR600 exploded in prectice. Spencer mined the race with leg injuries. World Cham~ionshi~Road Race Series: .. Roundl. lawson wins first GP in South Africa By Ian.Norris KYLAMI, SOUTH AFRICA, MAR. 24 Team Marlboro Yamaha's Eddie Lawson scored his first-ever Grand Prix win in the season-opening South Africa GP which was held in pouring rain at the 2,5-mile long 12 Kylami circuit. Lawson was clocked at 53 minutes, 22.4 seconds for the 30-lap race at an average speed of 85 mph. "The conditions were terrible," said Lawson, "It puddled out and the puddles got deep. I lost my front end three or four times. It was a real hairy race.' I Missing from the starling grid of the 500cc GP was defending World Champion Freddie Spencer, sidelined with an ankle injury sustained in practice Thursday. Spencer had logged fast time in the opening practice session, but in the second session his works V-4 Honda's rear carbonfiber wheel disintegrated and Spencer unloaded at approximately 75 mph. He suffered lOrn ligaments in his right ankle. Spencer watched the race on television in his hotel room. Lawson, slarting from 11th place on the grid, jumped through the pack at the start and went into the first bend second behind Hondamounted Raymond Roche of France, who had qualified second fastest. Lawson soon took the lead and surrendered it only once for six laps while Belgian Didier de Radiques pushed his new Chevallier Honda to its limits in the wet. "I wasn'lTeally worried," said Lawson. "He was sliding around so much that I knew he couldn't keep up that pace. " Sure enough, de Radiques slipped back 1O fourth and Lawson steadily· pulled away from the 18-man field. Roche, using Ron Baslam's spare engine, finished second, 13 seconds behind Lawson, with former World Champion Barry Sheene, aboard a Suzuki, laking third, less than a second behind Roche. "I could have made up the gap but I thought Roche was only a backmarker and was not worth chasing," said Sheene. "He was going so slow on the last lap, I think I could have passed him." Sheene finished three tenths of a second behind Roche. The British veteran logged the fastest lap of the race at an average speed of 89.45 mph. Spencer's fast qualifying speed in the dry on Thursdity was 105.8 mph. Notable riders who failed to finish the race included former World Champions Franco Uncini and Marco Lucchinelli. Uncini, who was third fastest qualifier, was competing in his first race since his near falal accident at As.sen last year. The Suzukimounted Italian was forced 1O with- draw from the race due to a broken exhaust pipe. Fellow Italian Lucchinelli also withdrew with a similar problem with his Cagiva. Factory Honda rider Ron Haslam of England crashed on the 23rd lap, and Lawson's Yamaha teammate Virginio Ferrari, who qualified fifth fastest, also failed to finish the race. Frenchman Patrick Fernandez won the 250cc GP on a Yamaha, benefitting from intermediate tires on a drying uack. Many riders started with rain tires because the uack was still very wet, but halfway through the race the track staned drying out and those with rain tires saw their rubber going away rapidly. Team Kenny Roberts Marlboro's Alan Caner led the early stages but his tires went away and he fell back progressively to 10th. His teammate,. California's Wayne Rainey, dropped out of the race with gearbox problems. Carlos Lavado of Venezuela hadan unhappy Slan 1O the defense of his World Championship title. Second fastest in practice, he Slarted badly and was well back on the first lap. Then his engine began 1O overheat, forcing him 1O nurse both his bike and his ill-chosen rain tires to a disappointing ninth place and two World Championship points. Yamaha-mounted Frenchman Christian Sarron, second in the '83 250cc World Championship point standings, was second ahead of newcomer Alfonso Pons of Spain, whl> rode a Kobas. • Results 500: 1. Eddie Lewson (Vam); 2. Raymond Roche (Han); 3. Barry Sheene (Suz); 4. Didier da Radiques (Han); 5. Sergio Pellandini (Suz); 6. Massimo Broccoli (Hon); 7. Boet van Oulmen (Suz) 8. Christian de Liard (Honl; 9. Chris GuV (Honl; 10. Brett Hudson (Suz). 500 POINT STANDINGS: 1. Lewson (15); 2. Roche (12); 3. Sheena (101; 4. da Radiques (B); 5. Pellandini(6); 6. Broccoli (5); 7. van Dulmen (4); 8.le Liard (3); 9. Guy (2); 10. Hudson (1 I. 250: 1. Patrick Fernandez(Vaml; 2. ChristianSarron (Yam); 3. Alfonso Pons (Vam); 4. Manfrad Herwah (Rot); 5. Anton Mang (Vam); 6. Karl Grassel (Yam); 7. Jean Francois Balda (Perl; 8. Ivan Pal..• zese (yaml; 9. Carlos Levado (Yam); 10. Alan Carter (Yam). 250 POINT STANDINGS; 1. Fernandez (15); 2. Sarron (12); 3. Pons (1 0); 4. Herweh (B); 5. Mang (6); 6. Grassel (5); 7. Balda (4); 8. Palazzese (3); 9. Levado (2); 10. Carter (1 ).