Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Randy Mamola (3) is shadowed by Eddie Lawson. Lawson reversed the running order on the last lap to finish second. Mamola was third. 250cc winner Anton Mang punches his fist into the air as he leads Lavado, Herweh, Espie and Sarron across Circuit Paul Ricard's finish line. West Germany's Anton Mang moved to within 14 points of 250cc points leader Christian Sarron with a win in France. Angel Nieto scored yet another 125cc GP victory when he nipped Garelli teammate Eugenio Lazzarini by less than three-tenths of a second. lap nine with a time of 2:01.97. But the lead was not of the order of those he had taken in Spain and Germany, where he was around 20 seconds ahead of the second man. Here he seemed content with something in the order of nine to 10 seconds, and he held it at that until light rain began to fall with four laps to go. It wasn't enough to stop the race, but it was enough to make the track slippery and fog up his visor, so the gap between him and the second man at the [Jag was down to 5.79 seconds. From Spencer's point of view, there was just one problem: he thought that the second man was Randy Mamola, but it was in fact Eddie Lawson. The problem Lawson had felt in the warm-up lap was a carburetion fault which was cutting down on top end power. Eddie knew he could get past Randy, but he was sure he could not stay ahead. The answer, therefore, was to stay close and pass at the last possible moment leaving Mamola no time to respond. And that's just what happened. The rain helped, because Mamola was fouled by a misted up visor, but Lawson could have pulled the same ploy in the dry. As the two riders came into the final couple of bends before the fin' ish line, Lawson made his move, coming through on Mamola's blind side and getting the best line for the final corner and .the IOO-yard dash to the line. There was nothing Mamola could do ahout it and Lawson's fist punched the air as he rode past his cheering crew in the pits. Spencer first, Lawson second - another six races like that and Lawson gets the title. It's a prospect that doesn't please HondaorSpem:er~'butneither does it please Lawson; he doesn't like finishing second. As usual, there was the American race for the three top places and a rest of the world race for the lower places. Poor Raymond Roche lost power on his factory Honda motor and dropped out on the fifth lap, while Boet Van Dulmen's rear swingarm collapsed and he crashed, taking Rob McElnea with him. McElnea was only bruised but the Dutchman suHered a broken arm. Barry Sheene was a good filth, behind fellow-countryman Haslam, after a long battle with Didier de Radigues, Roth and Massimo Broccoli, and Virginio Ferrari, back on form and having his best race in a long time, got gearbox and carburetion problems which dropped him from fifth on the 15th lap to 22nd at the finish. The highlight of the 250cc race preparation was the appearance of a famous star of bygone days turned race manager, tuner and test manager Kenny Roberts. Roberts was on hand early to take the opportunity of free test days before oHicial practice started, and one of the biggest groups of people to gather in the pits all weekend was the one which formed around King Kenny, wearing his familiar Marlboro Yamaha leathers, as he took out both Wayne Rainey and Alan Carter's Team Marlboro Roberts Yamahas. Roberts had brought over new exhaust pipes to test, together with a number of other items, but although Carter and Rainey got fifth and sixth places on the starting grid, their positions were due more to their skill through the corners than anything else, for the Yamahas were lamentably slow along the long back straight. During the practice sessions the organizers set up a speed .trap at the end of the straight for three of the four periods; for the other they set it up on the corner which follows that straight. Rainey was second slowest through the straight line trap in the first outing and never got higher than 22nd - he was second fastest through the corner! The stan of the 250cc GP saw a reversal of the usual procedure, with Caner catching American sickness and making a bad start while Rainey shot off in the leading group. Carter made good time to catch up, but after ten laps his engine seized and pitched him off, fortunately without injury, when he had gotten up to seventh ·spot. Rainey was suffering from lack of straight line speed, a· dire disease at Paul Ricard, and could not keep up with the leading group of five which was comprised of Anton Mang, Christian Sarron, Thierry Espie, Manfred Herweh and Carlos Cardus. Cardus' dropped back and Carlos Lavado joined the fron.t group, which was led at different times by Espie, Sito Pons, Sarron and Mang. But it was Mang who kept the lead longest, with a display of forceful riding which won him the race'and reminded spectators of the fact that he has more World Championship titles than all the other four combined. The dicing between the group slowed them down enough for Rainey to catch up with them, but he didn't have the power or handling to mix it up with them - still fiv," championship points for sixth place will come in handy at the end of the season. In the 125cc GP, Angel Nieto and Eugenio Lazzarini continued the long-running Angel-and-Eugenio-racetheir-Garellis show, which finished in the usual way with 15 points and his fourth successive victory in the class going to Angel and runner-up honors and 12 points to Eugenio. Austria's A,ugust Auinger and his MBA Bartol finished a very close third for his best result so far this year. After a couple of DNFs, Rolf Biland and KuIt Waltisperg and their LCR Yamaha returned to their accustomed place at the head of the Sidecar GP, while championship leaders Streuer and Schneiders came in third, thus ensuring a tittle more interest in the three-wheel title chase. • Results SOOcc: 1. Freddie Spencer (Han); 2. Eddie Law· son (Yam); 3. Randy Mamola (Hon); 4. Ron Haslam (Han); 5. Barry Sheene (Suzl; 6. Didier de Radigues (Han); 7. Massimo Broccoli (Han); 8. Reinhold Roth (Hon); 9. Sergio Pellandini (Suzl; 10. Wolfgang Von Muralt (Suz). 500cc POINT STANDINGS, 1. Lawson (81); 2. Spencer (57); 3. Mamola (44); 4. Roche (43); 5. Haslem(37); 6. Sheene(22); 7. Van Dulmen(19); 8. De Radigues (13); 9. Roth (12); 10. Uncini (11). 250cc: .1. Anton Mang (Yam); 2. Carlos Lavada (Yam); 3. Manfred herweth (Rot); 4. Thierry Espie (Che); 5. Christian Sarron {Yam~; 6, Wayne Rainey (Yam); 7. Carlos Card us (Cob); 8. Donnie McLeod (Yam); 9. Martin Wimmer (Yam); 10. Jean-Michel Manioli (Yam), 25Dcc POINT STANDINGS: 1. Sarron (60); 2. Mang (46); 3. Lavado (36); 4. Pons (35); 5. (TIE) Wimmer/Herweh (30); 7. Rainey (21); 8. Cornu (16); 9. (TIE) Fernandez/Ricci (15). 125cc: 1. Angel Nieto (Gar); 2. Eugenio Lazzarini (Gar); 3. August Auinger (MBA); 4. Fausto Gresini (Gar); 5. Bruno Kneubuhler (MBA); 6. Hans Muller (MBAI; 7. Maurizio Vitali (MBA); 8. Johnny Wick· strom (MBA); 9. lucio Pietroniro (MBA); 10 Henk Van Kesse' (M8A). 125cc POINT STANDINGS, 1. Nieto (60); 2. Lazzarini (44); 3. Cadalora (18); 4. Muller (17~; 5. (TIE) Vitali/Auinger/Gresini/Carracchi (16); 9. Kneubuhler (15); 10. Selini (13). SIDECARS, 1. Bdand/Waltisperg (Yam); 2. Michel/Frese (Yam); 3. Streuer/Schnieders (Hon); 4. Schwarzel/Huber (Yam); 5. Jones/Ayres (Yam), SIDECAR ~OINT STANDINGS, 1. Streuer/Schnieders (40); 2. Michel/Frese (32); 3. Schwarzell Huber (28); 4. Kumano/Diehl(17); 5. Biland/Waltisperg (15). 15

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