Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

r-------------------------------,J: u a: ...J ::> z J: o ...., o z <{ t;; z w J: J: U U a: ui a: a: o Z z ~ > lXl In g o J: ... Eddie Lawsoa: By John Ulrich "It was like a big weight came off my shoulders," Eddie Lawson told me, five days after he won the 500cc road racing WorId Championship. Many people doubted he could do it; some said he wasn't fast enough, seasoned enough, good enough. When I wrote, four months ago, that he would "I al ways prided myself on not having to worry about pressure. or that [ could handle the pressure. no problem," Lawson told me. "I didn't realize until after the race how much pressure was on me, because [ was keyed up and I didn't know it. I was gelling headache a lot. I was tense; I just didn't know it. "But after the race! Then, and win the title, I was bombarded with letters from people who said I didn't know what I was talking about. And now here was Steady Eddie, World Champion, barely believing it himself and almost bursting with excitero~Q~.. !ng wql}g~r~ , • __ !1 0 :':'. ~!!:._v~~y-'~:!~~f.e!a.x..e~~1Ju_ f didn't know how much pressure was on me until it was over. "I was in a daze," Lawson continued, describing the scene at the Swedish Grand Prix, which he won to secure his championship. "I was in a daze. A bunch of screaming people were jumping on me. People were talking to me and I didn't even hear 'em. I didn't even know what they were saying. "It was a great feeling, and it still is, I'm no different, but you wonder about it, just once in a while. Did this really happen? "Some people want to know if I'm different. Or they act a little different towards me, some of my friends do. I think they expect me to be more cocky, whatever, be different somehow, "Even at Sweden, before the race, I was thinking anything could happen, I could fall off, the thing could quit. I tried to put it out of my mind. I figured, when it's over, It's over. "When I saw Kel put out the sign, 'RM Out,' I thought, that's gelling closer. That was about the halfway point in the race. Raymond (Roche) was right in front of me for a few laps, and he was holding me up, bad. So I knew - I was real comfortable riding around - if this thing doesn't quit, we've got il. "He was holding me up. And so was Randy. [ passed both of 'em and put about two seconds on 'em and then they started catching up. I held 'em off at about a second. I was pushing it pretty hard then, so I thought I'd better back down and follow 'em. But Randy quit before that. "The tires were working good. I noticed that I could go into the corners and through the middle of the corners fasterthan they could. It's just that I had a problem accelerating where they could accelerate and make it hook up and I had to get out of it (the throttle) a little bi t. "We got new tires at Laguna (Seca), but the racetracks have a lot to do with il. I think Silverstone was easy on tires anyway, and so was Sweden. The tires worked good there. I had no problems, but I think we would have been okay anyway, But the new tires did help. . "Now they go so many laps, three or four laps, and then they drop off and start to slide, but don't get any worse (after the initial drop in performance). Before they used to drop off and keep getting worse. Now it'S real consistent. Even though they slide, you can still go forward. Before, if you slid, you went sideways and it wanted to high-side you. It's more tractable. I think we're right there with the Michelins now. "It was crazy when I crossed the finish line. People just went nuts. It was greal. I can't explain it, the feeling. I'm telling you, it was unreal. "I called my dad on the phone and he couldn't even talk. I just told him I won. He freaked OUI. With my mom it was the same thing. They didn't want to talk to me. They wanted to hang up and call everybody. "We got drunk after the race." said Lawson, normally a teetotaler. "I new back home early. got in a rental car and drove home. "The thing that stands out in my mind is to have the number one plate. That's the only thing that really ... to me, that's what it was all about. "Even the words 'World Champion' mean a lot. but JUSt having the number one, that's aliI was thinking about ... that I'd really like to have that number one on my bike. Because when I was a Novice [was the number one 1 ovice, and we didn't use the number one plate. Then Junior, I didn't use it. AFM road racing and !9~ .), ('lent. on,. ?t tIle p9'h,ikc Championship and the Lightweight (F-2) Championship and never used the number one. All those times we got number one and never got to use it. And that's the only thing'that was standing out in my mind: getting to put that number one on the bike. "I hadn't even thought about the money part, and I don't really now. "Next year I just want to go out and win some races. I don't care what the standings are, where I am in the points ... just go out and win. "I want to win the last race this year, too." But wasn't there a threatened rider boycott of the final race. scheduled for Mugello, Italy? "Yeah," Lawson said, "but we're going. We were talking about it (the boycott) because we just get no respect whatsoever. The riders have no say. They (the promoters) sell paddock passes, and you can't walk in the pits, you can't get water to your motorhomes, the toilets are always a messit's notso bad forme, [have my motorhome. But for all the other riders it's a hassle. The showers don't work, they're always cold, no pressure, no electricity or it's very weak-just all the facilities in the paddock. "At all the tracks. And Italy is the worst for selling paddock passes. You can't walk. You can't even start your bike because of all the people. They said they would do something and that's the whole reason we're going. I seriousl y dou bt i I. "I don't like Europe at all. I don't like the food; I'm finicky anyway and I don't like it - except Italian food. Language is always a problem. I don't really care for the way of life over there. "Everything's so old and behind the times. You can't make phone calls. You can't do a lot of things. Here everything works so well. Whatever you want you just run down to the store and get il. We're spoiled here. It's greal. We're spoiled. "In Europe you have to wait at a border until they say you can go through. Then you have to change your money over. It's a whole different world every time you go into another little country. It's a completely different world you have to adapt to, and I don't like il. "But I like the racing. The racing makes up for il. In Europe they are into it. You get 100,000 screaming people at the track. They get into it. They know who you are, they know everything about you. You get TV coverage, newspaper coverage. But to live, I like it here in California." Asked if former World Champion Freddie Spencer's missing two of the last three races marred his title, Law-

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