Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Baldwin and Lawson race, Mamola plays. Baldwin (1 rand Mamola (8) lap Doug Polen (265) while Rainey watches after crashing in the corkscrew. AMA Camel Pro Road Racing Series: Round 7 Baldwin beats Mamola, Lawson crashes at Laguna By John Ulrich MONTEREY, CA, JULY 13 Team Kool Roberts' Mike Baldwin won the Nissan 200 at Laguna Seca Raceway, setting a new 100-kilometer average speed record of 102.300 mph on the slightly modified 2.0mile course. Baldwin's teammate, Randy Mamola, set a new lap record at I minute, 5.80 seconds but finished second 10 overall in the two-heat event, with MacLean Racing's Kork Ballington third overall. Baldwin and Mamola rode V-four Yamahas, with Ballington on a V-three Honda. The old lap record was set by Kenny Roberts in 1985, 1:06.488 at 102.876 mph. Roberts also held the pre~ious record, set in 1984 at I :06.~92, 102.72 mph. An estimated 40,000 people attended the two-day event at the racetrack. The course itself was widened and straightened at the exit of left-hand turn twO, where the track formerly swerved left, then right toward turn three with a curb defining the outside of the pavement. That curb was removed and asphalt laid to make a smooth radius from the exit of turn two toward turn three, without the left-right swerve. Track spokesmen .des~ri?«;d th~ ~~at;J~~ a~ ?~ilng pa~t.o,f a three-year "ongoing safety systems installation" for CART racing. Mova ble concrete barriers had also been inSTalled outside parts of the course, but were protected by what must have been a record number of haybaJes for a Camel Pro Series event. Lapped traffic played a big part in the resu1'ls. Mamola almost crashed a few laps from the finish of the second heat - while racing furiously with Baldwin for the lead - when he got out of shape trying to pass another rider in a corner. Team Marlboro Yamaha's Eddie Lawson ran o££ the track and crashed his V-four Yamaha when leading the first of the lOO-kilometer heats, while trying to ride around the outside of a lapped rider who took an unusually wide line in a turn. Lawson, (who currently leads the 500cc World Championship, came to Laguna Seca to collect start money and to be- able to race a Grand Prix bike in front of American fans) couldn't walk without crutches after the event, and said he suffered a bruised collarbone, leg and elbow and that the back of one knee hun. What e££ect the injuries will have on his quest for his second World Championship is unknown, with trainer Dean Miller saying it dido 'tlook good and Lawson saying ) ~ , ' \ .. I .. ~ J' \ .. he thought he would be able to ride by the Friday following Laguna Seca, (July 18), in practice for the July 20 Grand Prix at Paul Ricard in France. Lawson won his first World Championship in 1984, beating Freddie Spencer; Spencer crashed that year at Laguna Seca and broke his collarbone. Baldwin qualified fastest at (then) record speed, finishing a single lap in I minute, 6.109 seconds for an average speed of 103.465 mph. Lawson was second-fastest at 1:06.141 and 103..414 mph, followed by Mamola at I:06.481 and 102.885 mph, Ballington at 1:07.723 and 100.998 mph, Team Honda's Wayne Rainey· at 1:08.449 and 99.927 mph and Randy Renfrow at 1:08.748 and 99.492. Freddie Spencer Racing/SuperTrapp-sponsored Doug Chandler was seventh fastest at I :09.617 and 98.252 mph, mounted, like Rainey and Renfrow, on a Honda RS500. Canadian Miles Baldwin was eighth fastest on his Yamaha TZ750 at 1:10.088 and 97.590, followed by Keith Pinkstaff at 1:11.503 and 95.660 on a Suzuki GSXR750 superbike and Dan Chivington at 1:12.337 and 94.556 mph on a Yamaha FZ750 superbike. Baldwin, Lawson, Mamola and Rainey rode on Michelin radial slicks. Ballington and Renfrow used Dunlop radial slicks and the rest of the field used Michelin or Dunlop biasply slicks. The stan of the first heat was delayed twice by crashes on the warmup lap. The first attempt at a start saw Doug Brauneck crash his squarefour Buell in the corkscrew, spilling gasoline, which ignited; meanwhile, Renfrow fell on the straight section leading into the corkscrew, and said later he just grabbed too much front brake; he was uninjured, and made the grid for the second attempted warm-up lap and start. But Henry DeGouw crashed his TZ750 in the corkscrew on the next try ata warm-up lap, causing another delay. The riders all made it through the third try ata warm-up lap and returned to the grid. Rainey jumped out froDt briefly, o££ the grid, with Baldwin quickly lf~nq firs~ ~I,!c.eca~d .p~'!irp,~waY'1

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