Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

to 00 0') Eddie U1wson (2) leeds Ron Haslam, Raymond ~oche, Marco Lucchinelli Randy Mamola finished second on his Yamaha V-four. six seconds behind. Road Racing WOIId Championship 5erIes: Round 2 Lawson in control in Italy By Peter Clifford Photos by Richard Francis MONZ~, ITALY, MAY 18 Eddie Lawson won'a superbly judged 500cc Italian Grand Prix at Monza on his Marlboro Yamaha and took the Championship points lead in the absence of Freddie Spencer, 28 who missed the event because of the forearm problemo.4bat .. . J forced him to retire from the - Spanish Grand Prix'two weeks ... (27), Randy Mamola (6), Rob McElnea. before. Anton Mang beat Carlos Lavado in the 250cc race. Lawson led a Yamaha sweep with Team Lucky Strike Roberts' Randy Mamola and Mike Baldwin second and third. Baldwin gOt the beSt of a race-long battle with Christian Sarron and Rob McElnea on similar machines and the unlucky McElnea crashed on the last lap, having read the erroneous official l;;Ip board and made his playa lap early to lead the trio across the line. "We were in such a close group," said McElnea later, nursing his swollen hand, "that I could not see my team pit board clearly. I was watching the official board and that was wrong because when I crossed the line and sat up thinking I was third they both passed me. Baldwin's bike was quicker and I tried to get the power on hand to chase him again but the back end came around. I thought I could hold it but it threw me of£. Lawson had been telling me to get OUt there and 'nick the bitch' but the bitch fficked me!" Wayne Gardner's World Championship lead was dashed away from him when Swiss privateer Marco Gentile hit him on the stan line. "I didn't get a good start but the bike fired and I was JUSt getting on when I was hit in the back of the leg. It smashed my knee into the gear lever and it hurt so much I almost dropped the bike. The engine died ~nd when I tried to push it again I had hardly any power in my leg. When I gOt it started I found that I could change up but not down. I just had to call into the pits to have it straightened." With Gardner trying to catch up an almosl-lwo-Iap deficit, he had little chance of gelling into the points but he rode hard. geuing upto 16that the end. For Lawson, it was a perfect race and unusually he was first away from the line. "I couldn't believe my start and when I gOl to the first corner in front I didn't know what to do with mysel£. The bike was perfect and the only slight problem I had wa sweat running into my eyes because it was so humid." said Lawson. Lawson's comment on Gardner's start line incident was strong. "That is the second time in two races, sooner or later someone is going to get badly hurt. We have this wonderful system of push starts and it has gOt' to change." Lawson was never challenged and Mamola followed him all the way after passing Didier de Radigues for second early on; de Radigues slowed as his rear suspension unit started to fail and he finished fifth. Less fortunate was Ron Haslam, who had a fine ride on the Elf only to be robbed of sixth place when heran OUt of fuel, as did Spaniard Juan Garriga on the Cagiva. Lawson has a very good start to the year. "Anything can happen, there are only two races done," said Lawson. "Something can happen to me but it's a great start to the season." Kenny Roberts, though impressed with the wav his men Mamola and Baldwin rod'e, as always was out to win. "Everything, every practice, every discussion night and day is geared to winning and then when you watch Eddie click off one or two-tenths of a .second each lap, increasing his lead, you stand there trying to figure OUI why the strategy we figured out and talked about all week long isn't working.1 guess it is a lillIe unfair because the Marlboro Team has a lot of experience on us but my competitiveness means that in the back of my mind I want to win. They did a good job, though. and we'll get better." Baldwin set the fastest lap of the race, breaking Roberts' Lap record, but Lawson always seemed to have things well under control and was not pushed to repeat his pole-setting time. He had a two-second lead after seven laps and almost three seconds after nine laps. From that point he took his time passing tail enders and just kept the advantage to around twO seconds until Mamola began to give up the chase overthe last 10 laps. Lawson had a six-second advantage at the flag. Mamola cited the superior speed of Lawson's machine. "I needed to get into his slipstream to stay with him and I gOI quite a good start and tried hard but I gOt held up by Didier early on and that meant I never gOt on Lawson's tail. I will, though, and I'm going to win a few before the end of the season." Baldwin had nowhere near as good a start even after lengthy lessons from Roberts. "I took eight steps and hit the tank with my chest but it JUSt didn't fire up right and the three cylinders and Eddie got away so well it. was hard to catch up," Baldwin said. In tbe 250cc race, Toni Mangcame from being sixth fastest in practice and drew on his tremendous experience and determination to win on his Rothmans Honda, but only .by three feet from Carlos Lavado on the HB Yamaha. So fast was the pace that Mang's race average speed exceeded that of the old lap record. Mang's increased pace caused him problems with the suspension. "The bike was not handling well going into the corners so I had to go in slower and try and come out quicker," he said. "That worked but towards the end of the race the handling went off even more and I had to slow. Carlos made the mistake of trying to ride 'round the outside of me in the last corner and no one was going to pass me there; he should have tried up the inside. I know because I made the same mistake with Jon Ekerold in 1981 Jean Francois Balde was a very good third. getting the beller of a long baule with pole position man Martin Wimmer and Sito Pons. Wimmer had started badly again on the Yamaha and though he fought

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