Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Sito Pons (3) leads the 250cc start, followed by Dominique Sarron, Jacques Cornu (9) , Juan Garriga (1 1 ), Loris Reggianni (6) and Reinhold Roth (2 ). . "The tire didn't work," Rainey said . " They worked good on that bike (the four-stroke) , so we had some flown in. You 've got .to try everything you can. I think we have as good a tire as anyone else here." Rainey would use the upsidedown Ohlins in the GP as they provided a cure for the chattering problem that has plagued the south. ern Ca lifornian all season. "There's no chattering problem here, " Rainey said . "There are little bumps in the middle of the turns, so everyone has a little movement. Last session they chattered, but we think they were sticking because the setup was the same." Following Rainey came Lawson, a victim of being in the.wrong place at the wrong time in the final session, crashing to avoid being hit by Patrick Igoa on the second Gauloises Yamaha. The pair went into turn two with Lawson going slower on the outside and -Igoa in a hurry on the inside. Lawson picked the Yamaha up to avoid being hit, and took to the grass along with Igoa. Lawson then locked up the front wheel to prevent slamming into the hay ba les. The resulting crash po pped Lawson's left shoulder out of its socket momentarily. Igoa , meanwhi le, came to a stop, ran over to check on Lawson and then proceeded on in the final session. Lawson was treated with an Electronic Galvanic Stimulator b y trainer Dean Miller, and was in obvious pain. "I don't need this," Lawson said while sprawled out in his motorhome sofa, wires running from his shoulder to the EGS box. An ice pack also graced the area. Lawson had turned a 1:30.952 'in the third session, using a Marlboro Yamaha fitted with an additional radiator under the seat. With extremely hot weather the norm at this Grand Pri x on the Yugoslavian coast, a nd the next at Paul Ricard in the south of France, the Yamahas of Lawson and his teammate de Radigues were equipped with the extra cooling devices . The Lucky Strike Yamahas of Rain ey and Magee also featured additional radiators, with theirs located in the nose p ieces of the fairings. Both teams claimed cooler running temperatures with the extra radiator. Mamola on the rejuvenated Cagiva was next, in sixth, after turning in a I:31.098 in the opening session. The la test Cagiva featured new exhaust pipes, cylinders that were grou nd differently and reworked crankshafts. Mamola also borrowed a five-inch rear rim from Lucky Strike and would use it in the G P. In practice, Mamola was lig hting up the rear Pirelli, and later admitted that two laps was the best he could hope for out of the Italian rear tire. "The five-inch rear tire actually makes it easier to steer," he said. "We have a littl e more grip but we're still lacking. We'll use the five inch. The bike has a lot more torque and top end now, but our step from Spa to here blew the tire situation out of the league. We've made so much progress in one race , it keeps my spirit up. The payback is coming." Magee turned in a lap of I:3 l.l 63 in the third session, p utting him on row two along with Mamola, de Rad ig u es and Chili. Austra lian Magee is still recovering from the concussion he suffered two weeks . before at th e Belgian GP, and complain ed that co ncen tra tin g was difficult. " I feel more co mfortable in rights than lefts, so this place would really suit me if it went the other way ," said Magee, who turned 26 on Saturday. "The Ohlins are working better here. It doesn 't cure the chattering problem, but it moves it. I'm still having troubl e staying focused on something. My focu s wanders. That was the first time I've been conked out and hopefully the last." Magee was asked whether the new tires that came in from Japan would be the hot ticket. . 'It doesn't look like it," he said. "I just wish it was even the ticket." Following de Radigues and Chili was Shunji Yatsushiro, on the second Ro th mans Honda, rounding out the top 10. The fourth American in th e field, Mike Baldwin, qualified 22nd on his three-cylinder Honda while continuing his role as the black-leather-clad antagonist in the filming of the movie " Am erican Built. " Ro b McElnea, the lone Pepsi Suzuki representative in the absence of Schwantz, qualified I I th after trying new exhaust pipes for the first time In a test session at Donington . Park. "My bike just won 't rev," the big Brit said. "I think it's close to the Honda and Yamahas down low, but then it just dies " 500cc Race At close to 4:00 p.m. , the green light flashed , starting the 500cc Grand Prix and endin g the first decade ' of racing at the Rijeka Grubnik circuit. It was the faststarting Rainey leading the 36-riderstrong field into the fast right-hand kink that sends the riders into a second-gear left-hander, the corner that a ll but eliminated any chances Lawson had of winning here . Following Rainey was Gardner with Mackenzie, Magee, Chili, Mamola, Lawson and Haslam following in procession ' into the right-hand turn three. The question of Lawson 's conditio n was answered at the end of the first lap as he slipped down the leaderboard into 10th place, soon, however, to be passed by his team ma te de Radigues and then Yatsushiro. R ainey's run at the front lasted two-and-a-half laps before Gardner shot past, bringing Sarron with him a lap later. Rainey settled into third place on the fourth lap with Magee charging after him. Mamola was on the move, coming from seventh on lap one to fifth on lap four. Mackenzie was out on the third go-around, a victim of a seizure after also seizing earl.ier iri the morning warmup seSSIOn. Ga rdner had just over a second on Sarron at the start of lap five, but the Frenchman was getting in a flow and pulling clear of Rainey. Iro nically, Lawson, at this point, was II th and doing battle with none other than Igoa. "I think he was so bum med out he didn't want to pass me, " Lawson wo uld say later. " But I didn' t know it was him because I never looked back." At the end of seven laps, Sarron was pressing Gardner, looking safe and appearing content to sit behind the Honda, 3.74 seconds up on th e Rainey/ Magee duel. Mamola , mean while, had the Lucky Strike boys in view and was putting on a charge. .Beh ind him came a scrapping group that was led by de Radigues with Chili, Haslam and Yatsushiro following. McElnea was alone and gaining on .the foursome whi le Lawson cruised around ahead of Igoa. Mamola went from two seconds behind Magee on la p nine to brea thing down his neck on lap IS, the halfway mark. Marnola 's location o n the track was obv ious; he was where the crowd noise was focused. The battle up front raged on ; with Gardner still leading Sarron, but only just. With Gardner sliding the more powerfu l H onda on the exits and Sarron looking as if he was on rails, a betting man may have gone with Sarron, This was not to be, however, as Gardner "turned up the wick " with six laps to go, turning lap times in the I:30s after spending the majority of the race clocking 31s, and pulling away. " I rode a safe race, " Sarron explained lat er. "I was riding easy and I realized it would be difficult to pass Wayne beca use I could see that he was not at his limit. Because 15

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