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/126778
~ ~ ;;: 00 ::::; ...... 0 0 VI ~ a z ..J a >l ~ a f- ol! VI ~ a:: w ~ a> ., O"l a:: « :I: ~ 00 ...... ~ ...... !:! a:: >a> VI = a fa :I: ~ ... Ron Lechien used a 2-1 tally to win Unadilla and became the youngest rider ever to win a 250cc GP. at 17. World Championship 250cc IfXSeries: Round B Lechien rules as Americans sweep Unadilla By Tom Kolnowski NEW BERLIN, NY,JULY 8 Honda's Ron Lechien will have his name etched in the FIM record books after becoming the youngest rider ever to win a 250cc MX GP, leading a thundering parade by Americans to the top six positions at Unadilla Valley Spon Center. Lechien, 17, put the best in the world to rest via a .8 2-1 moto rally, topping teammate Bob Hannah and Suzuki's Mark Barnell. Team Tamm's Alan King, Yamaha's Keith Bowen and Bellencourt's Honda-sponsored J 0 J 0 Kell .nabbed the next three spots, wirli Belgian Marc Velkeneers the top European at seventh overall on the factory Gilern. Barnell battled his way past Han- nah and Lechien in the waning laps of molO one and collected the win, then led of( the gate in molO twO in what looked to be a run to the finish. Brake Gremlins slowed Barnell before the hal£way mark and threw the lead over lO Hannah. Lechien then sliced to the from and held off Hannah for the remainder of the race. Lechien's second molO win combined with his first molO second place gave him the overall, while Hannah finished second overall. KTM's Heinz Kinigadner, the cur- Mark Barnett had his best ride of the season by winning the first mota on an almost-stock RM250. He suffered rear brake problems in mota two. rem series poim leader, put together an 8-10 finish [or nimh overall behind Frenchman Jacky Vimond on a Yamaha. Austrian Kinigadner heads back lO Europe with an even .more commanding lead over Englishman Jeremy Whalley, 194to 149. Unadilla marked Kinigadner's first time back riding since he sustained a serious knee injury in the West German round, and he "was riding in much pain." Whalley failed to score poims in either molO. Hannah, too, was back [or the first time since breaking his right wrist at the Allanta National some eight weeks ago, and had the wrist heavily raped. The cast came of( less than two weeks ago, and Hannah noted that "Unadilla, as rough as the track is, is not the best place to try lO corne back." In timed practice sessions Sunday morning, which were greeted by sunny conditions and a grass-laden track surface heavily watered by rains the day before, Barnell clipped to the fastest one-lap time of two minutes and 24.171 seconds, and got first pick on the starting gate. Lechien at 2:24.586, Hannah at 2:25.628, and Keller with 2:25.698 followed. Barnell rode a mostly-production Suzuki RM250, with the addition of a works cylinder and front disc brake. The crowd, estimated at 13,000 by promoter Ward Robinson, watched as the gate fell for the first of two 45-minute-plus-two-Iap motos. King, Hannah and Keller took lO the from. with Honda's Danny "Magoo" Chandler making his return to competition after a layoH and holding fourth over Lechien. Barnett, while he got a good drive off the gate, was mid-pack. "I got pushed off the track," said Barneu, "and I think Lechien or Chandler caused it. By the time I got back on I was about 12th." By the end of lap two, Hannah was cleanly in the lead as King tried in vain to make up the dif(erence. Lechien held a tight third over Keller, Chandler, Vimond and Barnetl. Through lap seven Hannah was in complete command; Lechien was up to second a full five seconds behind, wi th Barnell another six seconds back:. King kept a solid fourth over Keller, Vimond and Kinigadner. On laps eight and nine Hannah began to lose ground to Lechien, with Barnell trying lO close the gap. Chandler had dropped out. By lap II it became a three-wa" confrontation: Barnell rapidly shortened the deficit and rolled in behind Lechien. "I was slowly reeling in Hannah and Lechien. and then I was right up on them. I think I surprised them both," said Barnell. "I went right on past and into the lead. It seemed prelly easy after that, and 1 pulled out a nice lead right way." '~y plan was lO wait in behind Hannah and pass later on," said Lechien, "but I waited too long. I was just keeping a good pace and thought Barnell was just staying even. He came on pretty strong all of -II sudden and got by both of us." Hannah, however, managed to drive imo the lead once more a lap later, but it was short-lived: Barnell railed past on lap 13 and pulled away to the win while Lechien managed to