Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126961
take the time to work through the possibilities. " Regardless of whether they'd done pre-race testing, the Lucky Strike Yamahas would have found that, like the other Yamahas, they were at a distinct power disadvantage to the re-designed NSR500 Hondas. A radar gun placed at the end of the 655-yard long front straight, the longest straightaway on the course, had Gardner LOpping out at 147.89 mph in the third session. In the fourth session, he knocked almost a second off his lap time. The Hondas of Mackenzie and Haslam were next fastest with the Yamahas of Sarron and Lawson peaking at 146.03. Mamola and Baldwin were seventh and eighth fastest on top end. "On fast circuits, the Honda will be more trouble," Lawson said, adding that he didn't think the race pace would be as brisk as qualifying. "I think the suspension and tires will go off and the riders will fatigue. Wayne you can count on. For Mackenzie and Rob (McElnea) 30 laps is a long time. Wayne 'and I feel comfortable about the pace. They don't know where their limits are." Gardner's assessment was nearly identical. "Eddie's going to be hard to hang onto and I think he thinks the same about me, Rob and Niall might be up there for a while. It's not a fast track and it's not dangerous. There's not as much steering with the back as I would like," McElnea said that, "The turns here are critical for setting the front end up. I'm still not aggressive enough. Eddie says get out there and flick it and I guess that's what he's The European Alternative Is Available Now! See the full line of Off-Road, Sports and Street motorcycles at these participating Southern California and Arizona dealers. doing~" When the green flag dropped in the 85-degree heat of the following day, Lawson sped away hom the 31rider field and was first into the righthander at the end of the start straightaway. Gardner was right behind with Mackenzie third followed by McElnea, Taira, Haslam, Yatsushiro, Sarron and Mamola. Pier Francesco Chili was 10th ahead of Schwantz and Baldwin, who'd gotten off the line well before having to back off ' to avoid running into Sarron. • Kenny Irons was just behind Baldwin, but he crashed exiting turn one on the second lap with only slight abrasions to the rear of his thigh. Gardner got by Lawson on the third lap and immediately opened up a 20-yard advantage. Haslam was third ahead of McElnea and Mackenzie with Chili working his way up to sixth ahead of Sarron on the same lap. A lap later and Gardner did an unofficial 1:51.38 which was faster than all but the top three in qualifying. "I tried to slow the pace down and save the tire," Lawson explained. "I could outbrake him, but he could out-accelerate me. The tire went away about the third lap, but it was consistent and it stayed that way." "I passed him on the third lap," Gardner said. "It was easier than I thought. I thought he would try and make a break from me and nothing happened. Then I got by and started pulling away." The order in the'top five changed next on tlie sixth lap when McElnea crashed while running third ahead of the ~nseparableduo of Haslam and Mackenzie. "I was getting so frustrated because Ron was holding me up," McElnea said. "His bike was so much bloody quicker than mine. I passed him in the second tum on the inside. We'd made the suspension real hard to compensate for It goiug off. It squatted, slippeq and spat me off the high-side. I knew that I had four or five laps to try to get with Eddie. It w~)Uld have been an easy The Sensational DUCATIPASO CALIFORNIA t4 1 ......... DIRT UNLIMITED ArIzou ARIZONA 53 16 17 7011 Nortt.> 271h Avenue Phoenix. AZ 85021 (602)8e4-1437 T_ 8 11 o '19 "'15' 4 2 IlENAISSAJIC£ IIOTORCYCLES,.NUi s-d-v 12 5844 Eut TUC8Oft.AZli&712 (602)747-2847 3 4 1 . 13 C........ ............ 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