Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

The main question in 500cc practice was: "How would the machinery stand up to the heat?" The rider could punch more holes in their leathers; for the bikes and especially the tires it seemed even the best solution would only be stop-gap. Team Roberts had been testing at Jarama a 'week before, mainly tires, though in the end Mamola chose his Misano-winning tire for the race. , Mike Baldwin was also on trial. Mter 18 weeks convalescence following his G.erman GP practice crash, he came to Spain still unable to make a fist with his right hand, and with a very stiff wrist, saying: <''I'm lucky the Yamaha has a quick action throttle." Using a lot of elbow, he was going remarkably fast. Mamola was in front from first practice session to last, with times well down from last year. The Californian became the first to get round the bumpy, twisty track in less than one minute, 28 seconds in the third session as Gardner, in dogged pursuit of the pole,·kept upping the pace. At his gritty best, the Australian gave a stirring demonstration of his problems, fighting the sliding, wheelspinning NSR. As at Misano, the Hondas, perversely, had a superfluosity of power over tire adhesion. Defiant in adversity, Gardner did everything humanly possible to get on the pole position, and in the closing minutes actually crashed. "1 wanted to be fastest, and section times showed the lap should have been in the mid to low 27s, but then I never finished -it. Over the hill I was balked and I was trying to make up time again when I lost the front wheel.' I was braking, and I went straight do'wn," said Gardner. "Stupid, because I knew the front tire was old." He .was unhurt, but he knew that Mamola had a better tire in a ra'ce that, in the blazing heat, would be even' more punishing on the tires than it would be on the riders. Lawson gave a typical sleeper performance, circulating steadily faster with pinsharp lines to place third on the grid. "We were going a second quicker than last year, but it's going to be hard to keep going fast for 37 laps (76.10 miles)," said the defending World Champion. But he could enjoy the irony of Honda's horsepower bind, at a track where their more nimble steering and blinding mid-range acceleration should have paid big dividends. Sarron was fourth fastest, and then in his second front row position in two European GPs was Magee. The Suzuka winner, riding a mongrel Team Roberts bike in .red and white Team Yamaha colors sans Lucky Strike logos, was sliding the back wheel of the Yamaha as though he'd been riding GP two-strokes for years. He said the major difficulty was adjusting to a works 500's braking power. "It feels like I'm going to crash." He never looked as though he would. In blazing heat, a brilliant 500cc race perfectly delineated the three major characters of the season. Lawson was crisp and rode fast and safe; Gardner was gri nil y determined, and kept trying even while nursing an ailing machine; Mamola was brilliant, but £Jawed by overenthusiasm. _ It started with Mamola leading, Lawson tucked in behind, then Sarron, soon passed by Gardner as he set the fastest lap second time around. As Magee set about improving his ninth place with great vigor, Mamola appeared to be in control, until they started lapping some very slow traffic after only seven laps. One of Randy Mamola finished second to move closer to points lea~er Wayne Gardner. who finished fourth. these completely [Iummoxed Mamola, and he dropped to third, almost three seconds behind Gardner. Steadily, Mamola closed the gap, a matter of a few tenths here and there. After seven laps o£ it, he was on Gardner's tail, then drove past him onto the straight, setting his best lap as he set off to catch Lawson. It was a fine spectacle, with Lawson riding smoothly just fast enough to keep his fellowCalifornian at bay... truly Steady Eddie under the most remorseless pressure. _ The first disturbance came when they lapped Haslam. Lawson: HI had • to let oH my brakes a: bit to get by him at the end of the straight, but it gave me real breathing space." When Mamola got by the figuratively and literally wide El£ 4 ridden by Haslam, who when not on the Elf was walking with crutches due to a chipped bone in his ankle suffered at Misano,he was 2.6 seconds down and in danger of losing touch. Mamola had expected to be favored by a bener tire, but instead Lawson's sustained sprint had taken its toll. "My engine was running hot, so the only way I could make up time was braking," said Mamola. "At the end of the straight, I left it too late and I ran straight on - heading for Madrid. 1 lost nine seconds." And Lawson's grateful comment: "When Randy ran off, I could slow the pace." Behind them, Magee had piled past McElnea at the first attempt, then Sarron on lap 14, then caught the slowing Gardner by lap 26. Two laps later - just before Mamola ran off, Magee was past - the Australian White Hope blest by a chance to eclipse the reigning Aussie superstar so early in his career. "1 think he was having a 'Iot of tire trouble," Magee was gracious enough to say. "I got by quite easily." Haslam obliged by slowing Gardner and gave Magee a cushion. When Mamola ran straight, it put Magee into second, but now the race moved into a third stage~ best called the Second Coming of Mamola. He rejoined Gardner, whose engine was now starting to sound very £Iuffy at high revs, and charged after Magee. With three laps left, he was almost two seconds down, but he made the most of it upin the next lap, and took over second on the last la p, finishing 9.3 seconds behind winner Lawson. Magee wisely let the raging Californian by. During the race, Gardner set a new Jarama lap record of 1:27.995, 83.92 mph, breaking Spencer's old record of 1:28.99/ 83.26 set in 1985. There had been action all the way down the field from the start. Baldwin had ridden through to ninth, but was having to brake early after nine laps of it, which caused Tadahiko Taira to run into his back wheel and then crash, breaking ribs as he fell awkwardly. Baldwi~ retired at the end of the lap. Niall Mackenzie had also been· cutting a swath, and. by quarter distance he had Rob McElnea and sixth place in his sights. McElnea proved hard to pass, until Mackenzie took him on the straight on lap 23. "Then Niall ran wide at the hairpin, and 1 took the inside line. 1 was concentrating on getting a good exit, and Niall must have been looking up the hill too, because he ran into me," said McElnea. McElnea crashed unhurt, Mackenzie survived to finish sixth behind Sarron. Mamola closed the gap on Gardner to 17 points, and the championship could still go to the last o£ the two remaining races (Brazil and Argentina), while Lawson is only three points behind Mamola. Gardner still.has work to do. • Results 500: 1. Eddie Lawson (Vam); 2. Randy Ma_ (Vam); 3. Kevin Magee (Vam); 4. Wayne ~ (Hon); 5. Christian Sarron (Vam); 6. Niall Madulnzie (Hon); 7. Pier Francesco Chili (Hon~ B. S. V _ i r o (Hon); 9. Ron Haslam (Elf): 10. Gustav Ran- (Hon~ 500 POINT STANDINGS: 1. Gardner (l53t 2. Mamola (136); 3. Lawson (13(,); 4. Haslam (71~ 5. Mackenzie (54); 6. Taira (49); 7. Sarron (46t B. Chili (43); 9. MeElnee (391; 10. Burnen (25). 250: 1. Anton Mang (Hon); 2. Juan Garriga (Vam); 3. Manin Wimmer (Vam); 4. Patriclt !goa (Vam); 5. Sito Pons (Hon); 6. Jean-FTancois Balde (RlX); 7. Reinhold Roth (Honl; B. Dominique Sarron (Hon); 9. Luca Cadalora (Vam); 10. ManfredHerweh (Hon). 250 POINT STANDINGS: 1. Mang (132); 2. RClIh (95~ 3. Pons (Bl); 4. Sarron (70); 5. R"'''' (65k 6. Wimmer (61 ); 7. cardus (54); 8. (TIE) Cedalora/ Cornu (501; 10. Lavado (38). 125: 1. Paolo Casoli (MBA); 2. Domenice Brigaglia (M8A); 3. L. Pietroniro (MBA); 4. M. Leitner (MBA); 5. E. Gianola (Hon). 125 POINT STANDINGS; 1. Gresini (1501; 2. casanova (B8); 3. Casoli (61); 4. Brigaglia (58); 5. Gianola (45). 80: 1. Jorge Maninez (Dar); 2. Manuel _ o s (Der~ 3. Garard Waibel (Kra); 4. Hubert Abold (!(rat 5. Stephan Doerflinger (Kra~ 80 POINT STANDINGS; 1. Maninez (l29t 2. Herreros (86); 3. Waibel 182): 4. Doerflinger (7S~ 5. MeConnachie 153). 15

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