Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Randy Mamola leads Raymond Roche (11) and Eddie Lawson. just the way they finishad. Mamola and Lawson (right) listen to the Star Spanglad Banner played over the loud speakers after the race. Roche is at the left. World Championship Road Race Series: RoundS Lawson 27 points ahead as Spencer breaks By Hanny Ray Abrams ASSEN, HOLLAND, JUNE 30 The question seemed simple enough: "What do you think the chances are of retaining your World Championship title?" Freddie 12 Spenc~r, ~ho h~_Q J}~~n forced..O.lJt O£ the 500ccGPatAssen byamechanical problem, listened and paused to collect his thoughts. Then, with the pain of defeat riddling his voice, said. "It's out of our hands." The pack of journalists gathered in Honda's hospitality tent for Spencer's post-race impressions and waited for Spencer to continue; to try to verbalize for them and their readers his immense depression. "] personally ... now I'm just going to try to win. It·s hard to." Again his voice trailed off. He then added one final note: "Every time I get on the track] try to win." On the third lap of the 500cc race at the Dutch TT a spark plug cap came oH of one of the plugs on Spencer's V-4 NSR500 while he was pulling away from the pack and ended his day and possibly season. Honda-supported Randy Mamola won in a close race over Honda France/Total's Raymond Roche with world championship point leader Eddie Lawson of Team Marlboro Yamaha only 1.97 seconds behind Mamola. With four GPs to go, Lawson holdsa 27-point lead over Spencer, 99 to 72, with Mamola, at 69, closing in on Spencer. Roche holds fourth at 65 points over Honda's Ron Haslam at 51. World Champion Carlos Lavado had a fairly easy time winning the 250cc race ahead of Jacques Cornu and Manfred Herweh after championship leader Christian Sarron retired when a carburetor came out of its mount. Marlboro Team Robens' Wayne Rainey qualified founh fastest, but was a distant last off the stan when his machine wouldn't fire. He didn't catch up to the sweep car for a third of a lap and rode valiantly to finish 12th with the team's namesake, Kenny Robens, looking on. Teammate Alan Caner wa running as high as eighth place before his crankshaft broke with two laps to go. Assen's Circuit van Drenthe was shonened by a mile this year and also resurfaced. Many riders, Lawson and pencer among them, felt the track was Slill too narrow and that there was only one line through the corners. It didn't deter the spectators, however, with 58,000 for the three practice days and 138.000 on grand prix &a.tu~da_y. The tightly grouped qualifying normally found in the 250s was dismissed with a 2:22.32 lap by World Champion Lavado. Frenchman Guy Benin was a surprising second. almost a full second back with Manfred Herweh third. Rainey moved into founh late in the final session to fill out the front row. Teammate Caner had machine troubles in the only fully dry session and watched as hi time was bested by most of the field. He ended up on the 10th row, 34th in the 36-rider field. History here has given people a fatalistic altitude about the weather. One lap into the 250cc race a downpour began and no one was suprised. In fact, some were relieved, hoping the clouds would empty themselves before the 500cc race which has been traditionally rained on. The bikes were brought in and some changed tires. The entire front row and half the second row staged wi th slicks. Rainey, after consulting with Roberts and Dutch rider Boet van Dulmen, was slick shod. A warm up lap was given after the track dried sufficiently and the machines were gridded. A slight delay popped up when a rider decided to change tires and it would prove to be Rainey's downfall. When the field pushed 0(( Rainey was left behind pushing for about 40 yards before his bike fired. "It cooled down too much and it didn't light. We were silting on the line too long. The mechanics told me that if it didn't fire] should choke it and I did that twice," said Rainey. "Then, after the stan, it wasn't my race. it took me five laps to get my head into the race." Inexperience was the problem as a Honda mechanic, who watched the stan, said, "All of the other riders warmed their bikes up after the. warm-up lap. ] knew that Rainey would have problems because you can't let that bike cool down." After the race Robens, although as disappointed as Rainey, was able to joke about it. "] told Wayne I don't know why we bother tuning the bike. You can't start ill" As Rainey was being interviewed near Roberts' rental car, Roberts said, "Hey Wayne, you better stick around because if ] can't start this thing you'll have to push it for me." "They told me I ran the fourth fastest race lap of the race," Rainey said, "But itdoesn't really mean anything." As Rainey headed for the front, so did Lavado, taking the lead on the sixth lap and holding to the end. Sarron, Bertin, Herweh, Espie and Avinger were in a pack behind Lavado who'd pulled out a five second lead at the halfway point. Bertin and Avinger dropped off the pace as Lavado lengthened his lead and others dropped by the wayside. Espie crashed with four laps to go. Sarron was out while running second. Herweh took over with Cornu third and Anton Mang fourth. Lavado took the Venemotos Yamaha to the win by three seconds. Cornu, on the Team Parisienne Elf, slipped by Herweh on the last lap with the Massa Real of Herweh third. Mang's HB Yamaha was fourth and Benin finished fifth on the MBA. Besides the huge crowds, the Dutch round of the World Championship is known to attract quickly changing, but generally miserable, weather. Official practice began on Wednesday in the wet with lap times for the 500s in the high 2:20 range. Spencer got into the high teens in the next session on the four-cylinder, opting to tailor it to the track in favor of the lighter three-cylinder. After Thursday's practice, Roche was quickest with Spencer, Lawson and Haslam next best, but conditions for a rapid

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