Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

clocked a I:42.38. "When 1 made the fastest lap in the morning session, 1 knew 1 could do better but I was hoping not," Sarron said after the final .session on Saturday. "Because when you ride to the limit you always take big risks. So in the afternoon 1 look to the other riders and when 1 saw that nobody was closing on my time I fell happy." Second quickest was Gardner and the NSR500 with a 1:42.97. "I had one bike with a good engine and one with a dud engine," Gardner said. "The one with the dud engine was the one that was handling good, so we'll switch motors for tomorrow. It was raining in the last corners on the lap 1 thought would be my fast one. With the good engine, I think the bike will be a competitive package." Next on the grid came Lawson with his 1:43.13. Allhough happier with the ever-improving Yamaha after a test session at Misailo in flaly, the World Champion simply stated, "I'm still riding like an old lady; I hate this place." HB Honda's Niall Mackenzie (1:43.14) and Suzuki's Schwantz (I :43.84) rounded out the front row. Schwantz, who crashed in the well dry session on Friday afternoon, said, "Yatsushiro got in my way on my hot lap. I tried the same tire on a wider rim, but it wasn't as good as 1 thought it would be. We changed It back and then the bike seemed a bit rich." Mamola was back in seventh with' his Team Lucky Strike Roberts teammate Richard Scott holding down 10th. "I started feeling good and got behind Eddie (Lawson), but it rained in the last three corners," MamQla, who was feelil)g the effeas of a head and earache, said. "I felt a lot better after the practice than ] did going into it." Scott was one of the few enjoying the Bugatti circuit. "It's good," he said. "It's a bit like a motocross track 'and you ride it like a motocross track. You wouldn't want to do it every week, but it's good for a change." England's Kenny Irons had the other V-four Suzuki on the second row in sixth spot with Raymond Roche on the Cagiva in eighth after Mamola. McElnea had the second Marlboro Yamaha in the ninth qualifying spot. The first non-V-four-cylinder machine was Chili's Honda NS500 sitting on t!:Je 12th spot on the grid. England's Ron Haslam was expected to race the new Elf4 at Le Mans, but he encountered front brake problems during practice. Due to timeconsuming practice on the E1f4, Haslam did only three laps on the standard NSR500 Honda, but opted to use it anyway. He will try again at Donington Park with UTe Elf4. ~ With rain falling as hard as it had all week, Mamola's domination staned immediately as the field . sprayed its way into the first turn and the newly-added first chicane. By the end of the first lap the Lucky Strike pilot led Gardner by 1.3 seconds. Lawson held third with Sarron and Chili holding the top five positions. Schwantz, meanwhile, was down in the first-gear, final corner and was trying to escape from the corner marshalls, "] had just passed Rob Mac (McEIneal -and I went in and it did a complete spin," Schwantz explained later. "The marshalls held me until everyone went by; they were trying to pull me backwards, but] had the front brake on. ] was hoping Eddie (Lawson) was there so he could have hit 'em." Schwantz, minus his .right footpeg, got back underway 36th in the 36-rider field. Kevin Schwantz finished ninth after crashing on the first lap and getting away 36th without a right footpeg. Randy Mamola (3) was the master in the rain at Le Mans; here he passes lapped rider Manfred Fische'r. The next to go was Lawson on lap two, in the corner after the downhill. "I guess I just gTabbed too much front brake and] lost the from," he said. "The water was really deep right there. I took a full-on body slam to the body. It (tbe track) was like an ice-skating rink." Richard Scott followed Lawson's example and crashed on the third lap. "I was going quite fast and grabbed too much front brake," the New Zealander said. "] just went straight off." Sarron, meanwhile, had moved in behind Mamola, but the Californian was pulling away quickly; leading by over 12 seconds after four laps. The difference in traction between Mamola and the Michelin-mounted men was like night. and day with Mamola accelerating hard Out of the corners without much problem. The Michelin-mounted four-cylinder bikes, meanwhile, were spinning in every gear down the from straight with riders shon-shifting in an effort to find traction. The exception was Chili and the NS500 three-cylinder; the tractability of the less-powerful machine was in evidence as he gained on and joined the Gardner/Sanon battle for second. Chili's Honda was also using a standard Michelin rain tire while the factory stars were using a new "trick" rear tire that featured different compound and tread design. The tire ended up bein~ not so trick; proving that Michelin IS still slightly behind in the rain tire wars. The order after five laps read: Mamola, Sarron, Chili, Yatsushiro, Mackenzie, Haslam, Irons, McElnea, Roger Burnett and Wolfgang Von MuraIt. Schwantz cro sed the finish line in 16th place. Mamola's. ride was flawless. The nonhern Californian led the Gardner/Chili/Sarron duel by 14 seconds after-eight of the 29 laps. He led the now Chili/Sarron battle by 19.5 seconds on the 16th lap, by 22 seconds on the.24th lap and crossed the finish line over 30 seconds ahead of Chili. Chili started getting the better of Sarron for good on the 17th lap and eventually pulled away to take second place by over II seconds. Gardner was having troubles with from wheel slides and decided fourth was better than a crash. "I wasn't going anywhere, so I gave up," the Australian said. "I went straight about· eight times and kept locking up the front." Gaidner had a charging Irons to contend with as the Englishman closed to within striking distance before going straight in a cQrner to 11

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