Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Martin Wimmer (4) could close on Anton Mang (2) in the 250cc nice, but couldn't get past in this Yamaha versus Honda battle. (Above) The winner, Eddie Lawson. (Below) Sarron (3) leads Gardner (4), McElnea (9) and Mike. Baldwin. Sarron crashed, Baldwin finished third. h II Road Racing World Championship series: Round 3 Lawson on top in Germany By Peter Clifford Photos by Ray Daniels URBURGRING. WEST GERMANY, MA Y 25 Eddie Lawson and his Marlboro Yamaha dominated the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in the Eifel mountains, setting a new lap record and consolidating his championship poims lead. Lawson was helped by the fact that ,. both 0 f Hon d a s maIn representatives - Freddie Spencer 18 and Wayne Gardner - were injured. Gardner was hindered by the very painful knee that was struck py another rider in Italy a week ago and needed a pain-killing injection before the race. He still finished a good second, fightin~ off the determined attacks of Mike Baldwin on the Lucky Strike Yamaha. World Champion Freddie Spencer did not ride at all though he held a. press conference to explain his medical situation. Gardner had forced his way into second place by the'end of lap three but thougb he maintained the pace he could not hold on to Lawson. "The right hand corner were no problem but changing direction in the chicanes was very painful. I coL!ld have hung on to Lawson if I ~ode at lOO%butlcouldne.v~rcatchhlmsol had LO let hIm go, saId Gardner. "He rode a great race and was tbebest man on the day." Baldwin had a plan to pa Gardner on the last lap but it didn't work. "I wa n't riding that hard and we passed and repassed each other 10 or 15 times. I had an idea worked out for the last lap but we got mixed up in traffic and I lost tOO much ground. I made an effort at the last corner but couldn't quite get underneath him." Lawson always seemed to have the ra.ce well under control and kept consistent low lap times for the first 10 laps, setting a new record on lap eight when he pulled out a second on his pursuers in one lap. By Lap 14 he had a 12-second buHer and eased the pace by a second a lap. His lead continued LO grow as the second-place trio gqt.i~ e:0 Pf~t;r; ,'raY,. Califor- nian Lawson crossed the line with nearly 13 seconds in hand at the flag. Fourth was Lawson's teammate, Rob M Elnea, who started in great style but just as he looked capable of taking second place in' the opening laps had to ease off because of a severe front end chall.ering entering the corners. A Gardner gave up trying LO chase Lawson he was aught first by Frenchman Christian Sarron on the Sonaul to Yamaha and then by Baldwin. who had made a better-than-usual start but was still down in eighth pLace on the firsl.lap. The three started a contest that had the crowd on its feet and at one time Gardner and Baldwin collided a they tried LO u e the same piece of road. In the end, though. it wa Sarron who fell on the 28th of 30 laps after a vicious rear wheel sEde that threw bim over the handlebars. He wa lucky LO e cape with a broken bone in hi foot. Gardner was not that impre sed with Baldwin's riding and thought that Sarron was safer. "Baldwin was prelly desperate on the brake and he hit me so hard once I almost went off the track," Gardner said. Baldwin had a diHerent ver ion of the incident. "I gOt alongside him going into one corner and as we turned the oth r way for the second part of the ess bend he ran in LO me," Bald win said. To most who sawit on the television it was a case of fairly even respon ibility. Gardner did well to get the Roth, mans Honda off the line after problems all through practi e with his injured knee and Baldwin is also improving his starting technique. "It's not good yet but I'm (llore confident in the bike. I gOt oH the line about 10th because I took only six steps, at Moma I LOok eight and in Spain about 16. I'm not looking to win a race yet but I will before the end of the season," said Baldwin. Mamola gOt a very poor start once more. "My hand slipped 0[£ the throt, tIe and the engine died so I had to have a second try," Mamola said. "When you get that far behind it's hard to make it up and the track was very slippery from all the rubber laid down by the sidecars; they should run that race at the end of th program." Mamola was 13th at the end of lap twoandit took until lap 14forhim to fight his way past Frenchman Raymond Roche into eventh. With half the race gone the rest were tOO far ahead to chase. Didier de Radigues made a great Start along with local hero Manfred Fisher, who led Lawson into the first corner. Down a lillIe on power with the NS500 Honda-engined Chevallier, the Belgian spent most of the race chasing McElnea after some hairy moments early on when he found the back br:ake Jocking- up a oon as he . • 1'. touched it. H till claimed fifth ahead of Mamola and Roche. Ron Haslam on the Elf, hindered by rearend challering problems, JUSt came out on top of a lengthy ballle with Honda privateer Gustav Reiner and HB Suzuki man Dave Petersen for eighth. The next Suzuki home was the Skoal Bandit bike of Paul Lewis, who was 12th just behind the fa t starting fischer. Carlos Lavado rode a faultless race on his Venemotos V-twin Yamaha to win the 250cc race by over 10 seconds from Toni Mang and Martin Wimmer, who struggled throughout the race to be the first German home. The race caused poLe,position man Lavado few problems. "It was ju t like practice, lap after lap. It is m1' birthday today and that is the be t present I could give myself." Mang was forced LO give the champion hip ballle LO Lavado, hampered by a very bad start and the fact that he lost his plastic knee scraper when he was clipped by another rider on the line. Wimmer wa not much quicker away because although his Yamaha fired he couldn't get off the line quickly enough and was 10th at the end of the first lap. By Lap two Mang was 13th and Wimmer up LO seventh but the Honda rider's more aggressivestyle helped him dose on Wimmer as they headed for the econd-place duo of Fausto Ricci and Pierre Bolle. On lap seven, Wimmer was right on Ricci's tail as JUSt behind Mang closed on Boll . Two laps later, Mang passed Wimmer to take second but Lavado already had a second-second lead. The twO Germans settled down LO try and cha e the Jlenezuelan but he opened his advantage all the time, by between a half and one second a lap. Ricci and Bolle continued LO con, test fourth while Jacques Cornu, who led at the end of lap One, tried hard LO defend every lost pLace on his out, powered production RS250 Honda, fighting hardest with similarly mounted Carlos Cardus. Both lost out LO slow- tarting Jean Francois Balde on the works NSR Honda, who passed them on lap I I and started to cha e Ricci and Bolle. . Lavado continued LO extend his lead until it wa nearly 13 seconds by lap 20 and he eased off frantionally. Wimmer passed Mang on several occasions, but the Honda seemed faster and Wimmer could not stay in front. Mang found where Wimmer could pass and had him covered over the last twO laps to secure second place. Balde passed Ricci and Bolle to take fourth. Cornu seized a well-deserved seventh as Cardus crashed trying to pas on the last lap. Campsa teammate SiLO Pons also fell on the last lap and that gave Tadahiko Taira ninth place after a hard ride from the back of the field. still hindered by his injured ankle.

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