Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Randy Mamola splashed his way to his first 1986 Grand Prix win at the Belgian GP in Spa; Mamola now lies second in the championship series. Rob McElnea (91 leads Wayne Gardner through a Belgian chicane early in the 500cc race; Gardner finished fourth with McElnea fifth. World Championship Road Race series: Round 7 Mamola splashes to Belgian GP win By Peter Clifford Photos by Ray Daniel SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, BELGIUM, JULY 6 Team Lucky Strike Roberts' Randy Mamola won his first Grand Prix of the year in the Belgian GP at Spa and like his last win a year ago in Holland, it took place in pouring 28 rain. Mamola dominated the race on the 4.32-mile track ahead of fast-qualifier Eddie Lawson. Frenchman Christian Sarron pulled through [rom midfield on the first lap LO finish third and make it a clean Yamaha sweep. Rothmans Honda's Wayne Gardner dropped from third on lap three to seventh after an o[[-track excursion, but the Australian fought back and Kevin Schwantz (341 holds off rain-specialist Boet van Dulman (101; Schwantz. however. finished 10th with van Dulman ninth. passed Marlboro Yamaha's Rob McElnea on lap 15 to secure [ouuh place. McElnea was glad to have finished the race and was ready to leave Spa. "I just don't seem LO get on with this place and the race was really hairball," he said. "For the first few laps there was so much spray I couldn't see a thing. lL's scary here because it is so fast and you peel 0[[ [or the corners 10 yards too early because you can't see where you're going." McElnea was fo.uuh behind Gardner on lap [our when he saw the Honda take LO the grass. "I went 0[[ at the same place in practice trying to follow Lawson, it's a tight downhill 180 degree horseshoe and he just went off on the grass." Mamola's teammate Mike Baldwin had a more serious occurance and slid out o[ third place on lap 10 atlhe La Source hairpin. He remounted but was [arced to retire two laps later. "I chose the wrong [ront tire, an intermediate," Baldwin said. "Just as I did at Assen last year and it tucked under me. There wasn't much damage it just wiped out the [ootpeg and brake lever. I picked the bike up and kept going resting my foot on the exhaust pipe, but he radiator must have split because it pumped all the water out and the engine seized." England's Ron Haslam was another faller who toured back to the pits to retire the Elf. He LOa tried to continue, but had lost the footpeg and gear lever. Raymond Roche was aboard one of Freddie Spencer's V-fours, but crashed the NSR500 in spectacular style on lap eight; the bike slid from the La Source hairpin LO the entrance of pit lane. Australian Paul Lewis by this time had already slid 0[[ the Skoal Bandit Suzuki, also at the La Source hairpin. IL was Roche's first ride on the Vfour in the continued absence of Spencer, who reportedly won't ride again until the British Grand Prix at SilversLOne on August 3. Roche found the four hard LO get on with compared LO the three-cylinder. "The four is so heavy on the front it does not turn as easily as the three," the Frenchman said. "Thot is okay for Spencer because he slides the back, but that is not how I ride. [want to ride the four at Paul Ricard for the French Grand Prix because the three is too slow so that is whay I am riding the four here, but it is not easy." Kevin chwantz qualified I ILh for his serond-everGrand Prix, butencounL- ered drama before the race began when he fell at La Source on the sighting lap; he missed the warm-up lap as mechanics replaced the lower [airing and tried to get the dirt out of the carburetors and reed valves as well as straighten bent levers. Schwantz landed, once again, on his recently broken collarbone and was in pain. On the first two laps of the race he nearly crashed again at the same place and once was completely off the bi ke fighting to get back on, in what observers described as a combination of his TransAtlantic excursion and Mamola's much-televised Misano incident of 1985. After that Schwantz sellled down and rode more steadily to pick up a point for 10th behind Dutchmen Mile Pajic and Boet van Dulman. Mamola was in command from the beginning. Even before the race started he demonstrated his disdain for the conditions by pulling a huge wheelie on the warm-up lap. From a great start he soon opened up a good lead and was seven seconds in front of Lawson after only three laps. By halfway through the 20 laps, he had stretched that advantage LO 20 seconds and then eased the pace lelling Lawson close five seconds on him before the flag. Lawson, who in the dry had turned a 2:28.28 lap which was beller than his 1~85 record, was never in danger of being caught and was more concerned with the championship points than with the race win. "I just wanted to get some points and not make a stupid mistake like last weekend," he said. ''I'm happy with second and looking forward to the next race at Paul Ricard; [want to win that one." Mamola said he had few problems. "We changed the gearing so thanhe bike would pull out of the hairpin and one LOoth made it perfect for he corners, but it over-revved a biton the straight," Mamola stated. "I got a misted visor about half distance when [ started lapping guys because the cold water cooled the screen, but otherwise it was easy. I felt like I was going slow, but he gap just kept gelling bigger. "Eddie and I chose the same front tire. the new 17-inch wet which is a di[[erent pallern to the 16that Christian used. AlLhough I didn't like the look of it: I had tried it in the wet in practice in Austria and it worked great. IL just looks like a slick with big grooves cut in it and you would

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