Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

ftl~~~_I~'. -- - -~---~- -- -- -- - ~ -~-----~-- 00 ...... Eddie Lawson finished the 1985 season with a win in M isano and appears set to challenge Freddie Spencer in 1986 on the Marlboro Ya maha . GP Notes: ( Con tin ued f ro m p ag e / 5) T he quest ion o f th e Ken ny R o berts 500cc team still han gs in th e a ir. w ith " e stro nges t rumors bein g tha t Wa yn e th Ra in ey will be o ne of th e riders o n th e wor ks Ya m a h a s a n d th a t R a n d y Mamol a co u ld be th e o the r. If on e assum es th at Spencer w ill sign for H onda aga in , Wayne Gardne r seem s th e most li kel y to jo in h im o n th e V-Io u rs, and H onda has said th a t th ere will n ot be man y o f th e top ma chines to go arou nd . Other H onda rid er s will proba bly ha ve to p u t u p with th e th rees a nd bo th works a nd privat eer mach ines wi ll ha ve si mi lar engines to th is year but tw in sp ar frames verv si mi lar to th e V-fo ur NS 500 an d 'the R S250. Ron H a sla m co u ld jo in th e Elf team ru n by Serge Rosser beca use h e will join Didi er de R ad ig ues a nd Christ ian Leliard in th e sq uad for th e Maca u Grand Pri x in N ovem ber. H onda Brita in m ay not run a team at a ll , part icularly as Gera ld Dav ison, th e H onda Britai n d irector m ost in terested in racing, has resign ed . In d irectl y. H on da ha s prom ised Alan Ca ner a works RS250. a nd J a p a nese ac e Tereo Fu kuda , who m issed th e ent ire 'S5 sea son th ro ug h inj ury. will a lso get a bi ke. Reti red G P star Takasumi Ka ta va rna was at Misano to tie u p some d~als for Fuku da , who sti ll has lO undergo surgery o n h is injured leg , but Ka ta yama sta ted th at Fu kuda . need ed linl e h elp runn in g h is tea m a n d h is o wn p lan s wer e n ot clear. H e wou ld race aga in when he felt like it but not a t the Gra n ds Prix and the TT i n the Isle o f Man is a lik el y o ut ing for the ex -350cc World Champio n . Yam aha wi ll field Ma rrin Wim m er a nd Ca rlos Lavado o n V-twins, an d they co u ld well be joi ned by Manfred H erw eh if a dea l between h is spo n sors, Massa Real , a nd Ya maha is co m p leted . Massa is a h uge h yperma rket cha in a nd th ey a re talking to Yam ah a abou t sell ing th eir bi kes directly through th e sto res , At th e mome n t, th ey o n ly se ll th e Real mopeds . Suc h a deal to sell the bikes would incl ude th eir m a n H erweh gettin g a works 250. Practice crashes Wayne G a rdner was o ne o f ma ny rider s wh o crash ed du ri n g prnr tir e on a circ u it made sl ippery by o il spi lled from the loca l "F·100 H o nda suppo n races. G a rdn er d id not fall on oi l. th ou gh . bu t slipped fro m overbraki ng wh en Lawson and Roche pulled ou t o f th e p its in front o f him. " It wa s n ot th ei r faull ," sa id Gardner, wh o esca ped with a sligh tlyspra ine d wrist . "They just p u lled o u t of the p its .when th e lights went .gree n, but as they arr ived a t th e first co rner th ey were still goi ng qu ite slo wly. I was co m in g u p fast a nd th ey were j us t ge tt ing lO th e apex wh ere I wanted to be. I had lO slow down reallx hard and just lost th e front end. Sergio Pell a ndi ni fell in his first m eeting o f th e seaso n a nd su ffer ed a co nc u ssio n , bad lu ck a fter a seaso n lost th rough h is o ld an kle injury. T~y Let ' Desig ns ha s visors design ed to bolt o n to th e Bell Mo ro 4 a nd Mag 4 h elm ets. T he y a re ma de [rom in jectio n-m o lded p lastic a n d co me w ith a moun tin g p ackage wh ich i ncl udes fo ur butt on -h ead a llen screws a rid t "'0 co lored cli ps . Find th e $9.95 u ni ts a t yo ur dealer o r co n tact Troy Lee Desig ns a t 714/ 371-5219. Elf2 The Elf 2 appea red aga in wit h yet more changes and Didierde Radigucs tried on e o f th e two bikes duri ng practi ce. T h e lat est a lte ra tio n ma kes th e bike even more illega l than it wa s befo re, as it no w ha s a hu ge header ta nk posi tio ned under the du m m y ta n k seat cov er betw een th e rider's legs and beh ind th e rad ia tor. T h e m ain tank is still un der th e engi ne , a n d two tanks are aga inst FIM regulat io n s. T he coo ling ai r n ow exi ts th rough slits at the riders kn ees, as it ca n n o t pass o u t th rough the bac k o f th e bike because of the new tan k. T here were m or e cha nge s to th e fron t su spen sion geome try. bu t th ey d id not prevent Le liard from bein g thrown off once more wh en th e bik e star ted ho p pin g un der bra king, a fau lt that has p lagued the bik e fro m the beginning . O 'Nea l U lt ra -L ite p an ts sell for S89.95 a n d ha ve a n elas tic in ner wa istband. spa nd ex sid,' p.uu -Is, doubl e lea th er la yer s o n th e knees and plast ic kn ee/ shin pad -. Ulua -L i «: j,·IS(·ys a re ava ilable ill 50150 po lv/ cou on (S I6.95 ) or 100 percen t ,"lio n ( H ."O). From O ' neal USA. Dep t. C N', 9555 Owen sm o urh , Cha tswort h. c, \ 9 1:1 11. Vital i's 125cc and 250cc Ita lia n Mau rizio Vita li had hi s work cu t o u t a t M isan o testing a new fra me fo r h is V-twin 250cc Ga rell i and rid in g h is o ld I25cc MBA. It ha s been a diffi cu lt season o n th e 250 C a relli a nd the team decided to bui ld a n ew fram e to test o u t ideas for the '86 versio n . O ne of Vitalli 's was so low hi s knees were a lways draggin g on th e g rou nd , and hence 1 1l' co u ld not lean over far eno ugh . T he repl acem en t fra me is a tubu larstee l stru cture but built lik e a twin spa re frame wit h fou r tu bes. two o n each side o f th e eng ine fro m steer ing head to swi nging a n n pi vo t. Vital i's a lso m ade a co mebac k in the 125cc cl ass, o bsren sibly lO give h im the sa tisfact io n o f a good result after a tryin g yea r o n th e 250cc. bu t it is n o coi ucidc ncr th at G arell i needed some hel p if th eir ma n Fau sto Gu-s sin i was to sta nd a nv chance o f beatinl?; ch am p io nsh ip I ~'ader Pier Pao lo Bian ch i. - Arias Forged P j strms ' I' lo -;\l;ox hig-ho ll' ki t [or the Ka wasa ki KZ900 / 1000 mod<'Is rai se, t lu -displa n 'llH'nt to l · l ~ H( ( ;1I111 is des ig lled for d r.u; raci ng on ly. The kit illllud,'s th e engi ne blork . , 1('('\ (" ;1I 111 specia l 83 m III piSIOIlS. Co nt act Ar ias l nd ustri ex. Ine. . i\lo lOrcyd e DiL. Dep t. eN'. 13·1205. Norma nd ieAvr.. G arden a . CA 902·19, 2 1:1 ,,32-97:li o r s.c. Enl?;ineer inl?;. Dept. ex . ,,781 i\lachi ll<' Dr.. H u n tin glOll Bea ch , CA 9:16·19. 71'11 898-1 ;1):1:1. 23

• Cover