Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(Above) M id-pack action. with Dan Chivington (53). Dale Quarterley (32), Rueben McMurter (24), Michel Mercier (61 and Paul Iddon (55). (Below) John Ashmead (37) loses the front end in the midst of Lance Jones (69). Sam McDonald (29). John Bettencourt and Ricky Orlando (12) . ·24 ninth with the wrong rear tir e. For that same reason, McElnea had to pu ll out of the fourth race and Burnell was th ird beh in d Am ericans Schwantz and Merkel and ahead o f H onda Britain tea m m ate Mars ha ll, wh o was su fferi ng severe loss of power every time th e engi ne got hot . even though h is mech an ics had cha nged everythi ng possible on the bi ke after a frustrating first da y. British privateer Irons was only a reserve but after forcing himself onto pol e position at the end of a wet and co ld practice, he led th e first race bri eflv after Schwantz had fallen. With two second-place fini shes, Irons chased Burn ell in the series point ra ce, riding wha t looked to be the fastest Yamaha FZ750 in the race. The biggest disappointment for the British team was th e mach inery ava ilable for Has lam. He was p revented from riding a co m petitive Suzuki because of hi s Elf Honda Grand Prix cont ract, a nd had to race a stock VFR750F H o nda. H e crash ed th e bike in practi ce wh en th e slick tires h elped him run o u t o f ground clearance. H e decided h e co u ld o n lv race .oom pe titi."el Y ,·!IJ' . th ~ rain, aRd •. . finished an outstanding third in races three and eigh t despite having 30 less horsepower than the slowest of the ot her machines. Bu rn ell lost his chance of fighting the two Amer ica ns for the personal bes t points score whe n he slid o ff unhurt in th e seventh race. H e had chosen a fu ll wet fro nt tire but the track dried . The issue of tir e choice p lagued everyone. Conditions constantly changed, and a seven-lap. l7 .5-m ile race could start in pouring rain and finish with a drying track , or start dr y and finish with snow falling. or vice versa. Tire choice was a guessing game; sometimes it worked for a rider. sometimes it worked against a rider. For Schwantz, it worked against h im in th e sixt h and eighth races; in th e same races , it worked fo r Merkel, who wo n thos e rou nds wit h Sch wa ntz second. Even so, Schwantz was th e hero of th e ser ies with four wins in eigh t sta rts . Whil e serving as com me nt a tor for British television co vera ge of th e series, former 500cc World Ch ampi on Barry Sh een e sa id o f Sch wa n tz, : '.H e ~o u l d be ! h e next Kenny Roberts or Freddie Spencer. In very difficult co nditions he has shown us just wha t g reat talent h e has." • RACE DISTANCE: 17.5 miles TIM E OF RACE: 13:45.7 AVERAGE SPEED: 76 .30 mph RACE FIVE (M A RCH 30 1 1. Schwantz; 2. McEI: nea; 3. Burn ett; 4 . Irons; 5. Marshall; 6. Mercier; 7. Martin; 8 . Quarterley. 9. Nat ion ; 10 . Iddon; 11 . Results McMuner; 12. Orlinda; 13 . Has lam; 14. MacGre· gor: 15 . Robinson; 16 . Bettencourt; 17. Parrish; 18. RACE ONE (MARCH 29 ): 1. Rob McElnea (Yaml; 2. Roger Burnell (Honl; 3. Kenny Irons (Yaml ; 4. Steve Parr ish (Yam); 6. Chris Martin (SUl); 6. Fred Merkel (Han); 7. Keith Huewen (Suzl; 8 . Michel Mercier (SUl); 9. Roger Marshall (Han); 10. Dan Chivin gton (Yam); 11. Reuben McMurter(Yam); 12. Paullddon (Suz); 13. Trevor Nation (Suz); 14. Lance Jones (Yaml; 15. Sam McDonald(Yam); 16. Graeme McGr egor (Suz); 17. John Ashmeed (Honl; lB. Ricky Orlando (Hon); 19. Neil Robinson (Suz); 20. Jo hn Bette nco urt (Han); 21 . Dale OuarterJey(Yamt. RACE DISTANCE: 17.5 miles TIM E OF RACE: 12 min utes. 52 .3 seconds AVERAGE SPEED: 81 .57 mph ' RACE TWO (MARCH 29 1 1. Kevin Schwa ntz : (SU l); 2. Merkel: 3. Irons; 4 . Burn ett ; 5. McEln ea; 6. Dan Chivin gton (Yam); 7. Mercier; 8. Ouarte rtey; 9. Marshall; 10. McM urte r; 11. Huewen; 12. Bett en· court; 13. MacDonald; 14 . Ashmead; 15. Glenn Barry (Hon); 16. Jo nes; 17. Nation; 18. M acGregor; 19. Robinson . • RACE DISTANCE: 17.5 miles TIM E OF RACE; 12:52 .4 AVERAGE SPEED: 81 .56 mph RACE THREE (MARCH 301: 1, Burnell; 2. Mar shall; 3. Haslam; 4 . Merkel; 5. Martin; 6. ldelon; 7. Nation ; 8 . frons; 9. M8cElnea ; 10. Parr ish ; 11. Qu arterl ey; 12. Mercier; 13. Or lando ; 14. MeMur· ter; 15. Jon es; 16. Ashmea d; 17. McDonald. RACE DISTANCE: 17.5 miles TIM E OF RACE: 14:18 .7 AVERAGE SPEED: 73.36 mph RACE FOUR (M A RCH 30 ): 1. Schwantz; 2. Me rkel; 3. Burnett ; 4. Marshall; 5. Nation ; 6. Irons; 7. Parri sh; 8. Mercier; 9. lddon ; 10. Haslam; 11. Orlando; 12. Jones; 13. Barry; 14 . Robinson; 15. MacGregor; 16. Bett encourt; 17. Ash mead. Barry: 19. Ashmead; 20 . Jones; 21. McDoneld. RACE DISTANCE: 17.5 miles TIME OF RACE: 13:31.1 AVERAGE SPEED: 77.6B mph RACE SIX (MARCH 31) : 1. Merke l; 2. Schwantz; 3. Burnett; 4 . Haslam ; 5. Irons; 6. Parrish; 7.lddon; 8. Quarterley; 9. Martin; 10. McElnea ; 11. Ash mead; 12. Barry ; 13. MacGregor; 14. Bettencourt; 15. Orlando; 16 . Huew en; 17. Chivi ngton; 18. Nation; 19. Robinson. RACE DISTANCE: 17.5 miles TIME OF RACE; 13.44 .2 AVERAGE SPEED: 76 .43 mph RACE SEVEN(M ARCH 3 1): 1. Schw antz; 2. Merkel; 3. McEln ea; 4. Mercier; 5. Irons: 6. Parri sh; 7. Haslam ; B.lddon; 9. Chivin gton ; 10 . Quarterley; 11 . Berry; 12 . Huewen; 13. Robinson ; 14. Orlando; 15. Bettencourt. RACE DISTANCE: 17.5 miles TIME OF RACE: 13:09 .5 AVERAGE SPEED: 79 .79 mph RACEEIGHT(MARCH 31): 1. Mer kel; 2. Schwentz; 3. Haslam ; 4. Bur nett; 5. Mercier: 6.lddon; 7. McEI · nea; 8 . Irons; 9. Ouarterley ; 10. Bettencourt; 11. Barry; 12. Martin: 13. Parrish; 14. Orlando: 15 . Robinson ; 16. Jone s. RACE DISTANCE: 17.5 miles TIM E OF RACE; 13:55 .6 AVERAGE SPEED: 75.39 mph SERIES TEAM POINTS: 1. Great Br itain. 314 ; 2. U.S.A.. 214 . SERIES INDIVIDUAL POINTS: 1. Schwenn, 84; 2. Merkel. 79; 3 . Burn ell. 73; 4. Irons. 5 1; 5. McElne e. 50; 6. Haslam. 33 : 7. Marshall. 30 : 8. Mer cier. 29 ; 9. Parr ish. 23; 1O. tddon. 20; 11. Martin, 18; 12. tie. Nation /Quarterley, 12; 14. Chivington. 8; 15. Huewen. 4 .1 6. TIE. McM urt er /Bett encour;t.J ......

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