Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

hard just a lap later. Not only th at , but because th e track is so lon g and has an altit ude change of over 330 feet, the weather was different in several sections of the track. La wson not iced that the " racetrack seemed to change fro m the prac tice to the race. It was sli pperier In a lo t of th e corners." O n lap seven , Sarron was now permanent co m pa ny for Gardner with Lawson alm ost 17seconds back, but IS a head of th e constantl y charging de Radigu es, Schwantz, Rainey trio with Mam ola on th eir ta il. It was th en that La wso n ma de a decision. "There was no sensi ble reason for me to go faster," Lawso n reaso ned. " I wasn 't ca tchi ng th em (Ga rdner and Sarron ) and th ey (de Radigues, Schwan tz, Rain ey) weren 't catching me. I have it in the back of my m ind tha t I can 't fall off." Behind th e front runners, Chili was struggling with hi s ra in tires on the drying track a nd would settle for eighth, " At the end it was impossible dr ivin g," the Ita lia n said . " I had man y big slides." A f.w p laces back another HB H onda , Nia ll Ma cke n zi e's, was sliding around to no good advantag e. " I was tryin g to get the po wer on too ear ly a nd nearl y fell off," he said. Cu rio usly his fastest lap was his . last as he began to cope wi th the dry track. " I haven 't had a race this yea r that I didn 't wish was lo nger." On th e ninth lap, Mamola passed three riders a t once, dri ving aro u nd them on th e outside coming onto the old circuit on a fast right-hander. H e was 19 seconds beh ind Lawson with eight laps to go , knocking three seconds off o n the 10th lap. H e took off another two seconds on lap' II and four more on 12 to close within 12 seconds with four laps to go. Meanw hile , Sa~TOn continued his pursuit of Gardner out front, preferri ng to sit back and wait. ~' O n ce or twice I cou ld have passed h im when he was slowed by o th er riders, but that was not in my plan," Sarron said la ter. " H e cou ld see where I could pass him so I waited for the last lap. Bu t wh en y ou follo w someo ne it's harder to co ncentrate. I was losing tim e because I was too close and th e spray from his rear tire was slowing me." Gardner knew Sarron was back there - alt hough he never saw him - and p icked up .th e pace. on lap II , hi s fastest of th e race. Sarron, ho wever, kep t pace a nd turned in th e race's fastest la p time of two minu tes, 40.78 seconds for an average speed of 96.59 m ph o n th e same go -aro und. " I saw h im comi ng, " Gardner said. " I was wai ting for him to overta ke me. I knew I could pi ck up the pace la ter. I did so me fast la ps and still didn 't get away. I was bra king a little deeper. I had a few slides but that's just finding the limit. " It all seemed too good for Sarron. Sitting ba ck waiting to make hi s mov e in fro n t o f hi s sp o nsors , Ga uloises Blondes, wh o were span . soring th e ra ce, anticipation grew for som e resolut io n to th e conflict. It cam e o n th e 13th la p . Sarron, perilo usl y close to th e painted white line edging the tra ck on th e left entrance to a righ t-ha nd corner, ins tantly lost th e fro nt end, sliding into th e dirt. " I m ust have to uched," the di stra ugh t Sarron said after returning to the paddock. "I was so easy behind Wayne, taking it easy, wa iting to th e last lap. When he ca ught th e slow gu ys, I caugh t the slo w g uys. I h ad two seconds a lap in hand. An yway, I made th e mistak e." . With Sarron 's fall, Gardner had an uncon tested path to the podium. TAY B FOAE YO BUY Come to Husqvarna Four-Stroke DEMO DA YS G aTdm G TOVt' EUROPEAN CYCLE SPECIALTIES 10301 Garden Greve Blvd. Garden Grove. CA 92643 (7141530-271 1 00 00 C rOll" City PHIL'S MOTORCYCLE SALES 0") ....... 420 Nort h Front Str eet Grayer City . CA 934 33 (80 5) 4Bl -0 83 0 La Ha bra LA HABRA SUZUKI CAGIVA 1200 Wes t Whin ier Blvd. La Habra. CA 9063 1 (213) 691 -3273 (7 14) 871 -5211 Santa A na UP-TITE HUSOVARNA 111 We st Dyer Road. Unit B Santa An a. CA 92707 (7 14) 540-2920 Y a" Nu ys SUZUKI OF VAN NUYS 161 41 Sher man Way Van Nuys. CA 9 1406 (81 8) 994· 2800 • • BLACKHAWK FARMS Beloit, Illinois July 30 & 31 JULY 30 AMA/CCS Riders School + Practice & Heat Races Schoo l Registration 9AM - Ride rs Registration 7AM School & Race Info: (4 14) 871-5682 5pm -9pm Centra l Time JULY 31 AMA/CCS Midwestern Championship Sprint Races Sunday's Races Start 12:00 Noon TICKET PIU-C.ES $15.00 Weekend $.10.00 Su nday Only YAMAHA DUN.£OP .. Cycle ~ews every week! The latest on-two wheels! 25

• Cover