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/126981
many r iders, Gardner included, likened it to Suzuka where he's had : considerable success. Like so many times thi s year he came awa y with the pole position with a lap of 2:07.58, averaging 94.587 mph in the third of four practice sessions. "It's an unusual circuit because there are a lot of 1800 corners and yo u have to be carefu l to feed in the th rottle. I was running th ird gear for most of th e circu it th en I cha nged the o ther bik e's gearbo x so I co uld see second gear a nd it didn' t cha nge the tim es," the World Ch ampionship leader said. In practice, you could clearly hea r tha t the Hon das were geared higher than th e Yam ahas , shi fti ng lat er a n d less frequ entl y. Of th e Yam ahas, th e fastest was ridden by T adahiko Taira wh o q ualified seco nd behind Gardner at 2:07.86. It was the first tim e he'd qualifi ed in front of teammate Lawson, third here, and he was quite pleased. H e agreed that the circu it ' was like Suzuki and also Yamaha's track' a t Sugo. Lawson continued to be plagued by the carburetion problems that h a ve hampered him all season. Although his 2:08.36 (94.012 mph ) would put him in the middle of the front row, he was unhappy with th e . performance. " We' ve been having a lot of carb problems and that fru strates me and affects my attitude o n th e track. All year -ir's been th e same problem : It hesitates real bad o n th e bottom. Then you open it up a nd th e power com es o n real hard," he said. Of the tra ck La wson sa id , " It's rea lly stra nge becau se of the wa y th e corners tighten up. It doesn 't sui t my riding style. You have to use a lot of front wh eel. It's a lot like th e tracks in Japan and it su its Taira's riding style." Fourth-fastest a t 2:08.51 was Freddie Spencer, still learn ing his wa y back after his extended absence. " The lastpractice was the best one. We narrowed the tire choice down to where th e tire I raced in Sweden I tried here and I wou ldn't have raced it in Sweden. The biggest adjustment for me is that my bike always steered quicker than thi s one. The q uickest we can ma ke this thing steer is not as q uick as myoid bikes, " which, Spencer continued, makes it hard to chan ge directions. H e admitted, however, that it was easier to ride and gear because the powerband is better. Fill ing out the front row in fifth place was Gauloises Blondes Yamaha 's Christian Sarron with a time of 2:08.76. Sarron, who'd suffered two co ncussions in crashes at the pr evious Grand Prix in Sweden, was riding carefully having been warned by doctors of the consequences of ba nging his head again. Takin~ a cautious approach and qualifymg fifth pl eased th e Frenchman. " T o be in fifth place when I feel I am going slowly is very good," he said. The second row was Rob McElnea, Niall McKenzi e, Cagiva's Ra ymond Roche, and on the outside, Marnola, w ho wa s fighting front en gi n e problems. Gardner was reluctant to predict the outcome of the race , but he did have' a few observation s. "Eddie and Freddie will be up there. Taira, I don 'tknow how long he' ll last in the race. I followed him a couple of tim es and he's a little wild. I think it will go down to the last few laps," the 27-year-old Australian said. As th e race began under sun ny skies and a moderate breeze, Gardner sped into the lead never to be headed. By the third lap, his fastest at 2:08.20 (94.123 mph), his lead was already SANCTIONED 29th. ANNUAL 20-LAP HALF-MILE SPECTACULAR 'Featuring the CAMEL CHALLENGE -- SAT. SEPT. 26 __~ 8PM WIUDW TREE INN 1111 • • _ _ .. _ , • •8001 M8· TREE c Il M€,{. CHALLENGE Six rldet1, fl. . laps tor 517,500. 510.00010 the winner. • ."" II ' : '?t1. cao '.=;,oS SHOBERT * R. JONES * GRAHAM Reserved Adult SI 7.00 Reserved Child (12 & Under) .. S 8.50 SI5 .00 Gen. Admission Adult. Gen. Admission Child (9· 12) S 7.50 ea. ea. ea. ea. GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS ON SALE AT ASCOT ON RACE DAY ONLY (All children 8 and under adm itted free to general adm ission only.) ENCLOSED IS MY CHECK FOR Please enclosea self addressed stamped envelope along wit h check or money orde r payable to - AGAJANIAN ENTERPRISES P. O. Box 98 , Gardena, calil. 90248 Phone ' Name' City '-- --'_ -'Address, ~Stat"_e _ J.Zip, -{:( CHANDLER RESERVED TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE AT TICKET MAIL ORDER FORM SATURDA SEPT 26 , 198 7 Y, . * CARR _ TICKSf~:n=~ M A MAYCOMP T ANY. MUSICPLUS ANDSPORTMART. TICKETMASTERCHARGE (213) 480-3232 or (714) 740· 2000 AGAJANIAN ENTERPRISES HOBART STREET BOX OFFICE 17832 HOBART GARDENA, CALIF. 90248 , (213) 321 -5323 or (213) 323 -5056 (ONE BLOCK EAST OF WESTERN)