Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

"I thouglit this morning that I would go again and better my time," Sarron said. " But my team stopped me. My bike was not at its best ; th e carbu retio n was too rich. I know I can improve. If 1 can have a free lap with-th e bike jett ed down, sure I can go faster." Sitting next to Sarro n on th e gr id for th e seco nd co nsecutive race wa s G ardner a nd th e Roth rnans H onda. G ardn er a dva nced into th e 59 s during th e third sessio n of p ra ctice, turning a 1:59.68 lap; nearly a full secon d down on Sarron, Gardner was back on the fra m e he used to win. the Belg ian GP,later say ing it sui ted th is circu it better th an th e modified frame he used in win n ing th e Yugoslavian G P a week ago. Sitting in th e m iddle o f row one was Lawson, sti ll no t 100 percent fit , bu t feel in g stronger by the da y. Law son, h adn ' t bro ke n the twomin ute m a rk a n d h eld thi rd a t 2:00,06. " I think I ca n go twos the whol e ra ce, but if th ey go into th e 59s or Sarron (71. Gardner (1 I. Lawson (31. and Schwantz begin their epic battle; Ra iney (171 begins to lose touch. 58s I ca n' t stay with them, " Lawson said a fter qualifying had co ncl uded . "It's too hard'forme to flick the bike - ilar to wh at he used in hi s fou rt h pl ace effo rt o f a week ago, a five-inch hard en ou g h to go that fast. But I don't see it going 59s. If it ,g oes in rear rim to cha n ge th e profil e of th e th e twos, I shou ld be oka y." Pirelli tire. H e a lso wo uld mak e a Law son 's injury had forced him d eci sion o n Sunda y m orn in g to adopt a new , unfamilia r upri ght whe the r to use th e sa me co mpou nd riding style. " I look like Chri sti an rear he us ed in Yugo or wh ether to (Sarron), but I'm not do ing hi s times go wi th a brand new co mpou n d. a nd th at 's the o n ly prob lem ." ''I'll be sa fe ei ther way," he added. Fourth quickest was Magee. T he " Bu t one will be more comfortab le Aus tra lia n ' member of Team L uck y to go th at pace than th e other." Strike Rob ert s was feeling th e effects Ma mola a lso vowed to help h is of two p ra ct ice cras hes, one tha t saw frie nd Lawson in any way possible him nearl y destroy hi s favo rite bik e, in h is quest fo r th e title. Mos t and the o ther slammi ng h is elbow couldn't figure how this could be to the ground, 'ca using p ain a nd done, but th e th ou ght was there. swe lli ng. H is best lap h ad co me in T he second row wou ld co nsist of the very first ti med session on Friday, Chi li and the HB H o nda (2:00.33), Rainey on the o ther L ucky Strike a 2:00.26. The Lucky Strike squad Yamaha (2:00.44), N ia ll Mackenzie had tested earlier in the season at Paul Ri ca rd, so Magee possessed and his HB Ho nda (2:00.62) and th e track kn o wled ge ot her first-ti mers seco nd Marl bo ro Yamaha with de didn 't. Radigu es at th e helm (2:00.73). Wh en things ha d ca lmed, Magee Rainey ' ca me in fro m the fina l De Rad igues. Ch ili. Magee and Ro n Haslam g ive c hase to a 'dist a nt Randy exp la ined hi s two practice mi sh aps. sessio n displea sed with th e way Mamola; Mamola fin ished s ixt h. the others seventh t hrou gh 10th. "T he fir st o ne I just banged it (his things were go in g. "We tri ed differ right elbo w), " h e said. " I hit the ent front tir es a nd different sus pe nbumps (enterin g th e double rightsion sett ings in th e fin al sessio n," By th e th ird lap, th e battle up front so n 's Marlboro Yam aha ( 184 .6 1 hand Droite du Beausset ) a nd lost th e Rainey said . "We h ad a few o ther was a four-wa y figh t betw een Sa rron, mph ) as th e ' quickest ; G ardner 's front. The elbo w only swelled abo u t litt le probl em s th at 1 ca n ' t talk a bo ut Ga rd ne r, Schwantz a n d Ra in ey. Rothmans H onda ( 183.77) foll o wed ; a quarter of a n in ch . The second one th at were en ou gh to not make m e Lawson , meanwhi le, had fought up Rain ey's Lu cky St rike Yam ah a was just before the apex of the rightwant to ride anymore. Qualifying is to fifth and was ga in ing on th e gro u p turned a 179.34 while Mamola 's rea lly j us t practi ce; it 's just to fig ure hander in th e ch ica ne; th e back sp u n in .Iront of him. Ca giva clocked a 176.43; Sch wantz' around a nd sp it m e over the bars. th e bike out. If I get a good start a nd Sch wa ntz a n d G ardner h ad a lready Suzu ki was clocked a t just ,173.82 I put th at one down to in experi en ce. stay in th e draft, we'll be a lrigh t. I mph. _ m et a bruptly in a corner , resulting I felt th e tir e wasn 't very good; th ey got th ree good sessio ns in an d th e in two co m p letely different versions T he bi g questi on prior to th e GP get hot here and th en it cooled down last one was n' t reall y a sessio n. " . of th e same m ish a p. was , si m p ly, would Sarron be ab le The Lucky Strike Dunlops, like a nd wouldn 't co me back in again to leave the o thers beh ind? Schwantz: " He dr ifted o u t wide to a fter th at. " Cagi va 's Pirellis, were n ot 011 th e " 1 don ' t kn ow if 1 will try and go th e curb a n d I went under him. Then sa me level wi th th e es ta b lis hed After qualifying, Magee sa t in his or if I will wa it," Sa rron said before he j us t slam med me . I got o n the motorhome, elbow elevated, iced and Mi ch elin rubber used by the o ther addi ng, " I want to sa ve m y tires fo r brak es an d he went by shaki ng h is to p teams, as Rainey ex p la ined. hooked up to a TENS unit, sending th e en d of th e race. I wo n' t do lik e head , tryi ng to say it was -rny faul t. electrica l cu rrent for h igh nerve " I've been wa tch ing the videos a n d Yu go slavia - I will try an d p ass in 1 ca ugh t up an d shook my fi nger a t sens itivity. . .a ll I ca n say is I hope th eir ti~s go the fin al la ps." him; it was by no means m y fault." o ff." . " P u t it this way," he said whe n T he o thers d idn 't seem to th in k G ardner: " I don ' t kn ow w ha t h e as ked abou t th e swe lling. " Whe n 1 . Mackenzie was relativel y h appy . th e incons is ten t Fren ch m an co u ld was doing. He ca me under a nd ran put it into m y lea thers , there's no with his spot on th e seco nd row a fter mai ntain a 58 pace. into me: He waved and apologized usin g u p h is a llotme nt o f Mi ch el in room left in th e elbow a rea." The Mamola: " If h e ca n do th ose tim es so I guess it's a lrig h t." calm Au ssie th en added, " It 'll be ti res by th e third sessio n and n ot he shou ld.j ust go." By this time, Mackenz ie was o ut a lright. " h avin g th e op p ort u ni ty to im prove Rainey: "If h e does 58s, I'W be of th e race. A vic tim o f a broken big in the fin al outin g. Filling o u t th e front row was lapped." end bearing. " It's the first time it's "T h e last two sessio ns were spent Mamola and th e Pirell i-clad Cagiva. h a ppen ed o n th e fo ur-cy lin de r," 500cc race In th e last two races a nd this qualtr yin g differ ent g ear bo xes a n d Mackenzi e said . T h is was th e seco n d things," the fri endly Scot said. " 1 T he 58-seco n d mark wa s n ever ifying a tte m p t, Mamo la had ta ken tim e in two week s th a t th e Scot was the Cagiva from laughing-stock to reach ed in the GP, but wh at did think tomorrow shou ld be o kay . o u t o f the GP ea r ly becau se of cont en der, a nd th e Italian V-four sa t Times are not th at important. " ma teri alize was the fin est race o f th e m ech anical failure. o n th e front ro w for th e first time Back on row three after qualifying season, by far, a nd possibl y one o f On the fourth go-around, Yatsu- in th e co m pany's rel atively short 10th was Sch wantz. ''I' m just crui th e greates t in hi story. , shiro crashed in th e fast right-hander Sch wa ntz an d Mackenzi e led th e history of 500cc GP racing. sin'," th e T exan said . " I trie d to go before th e left that lead s o n to the "1 can do twos co m fo rtab ly," field a t th e changing of th e light, fa st in the last. session, but the tires Mistra l Straight. Igoa co u ldn' t find were sp in n in g and sliding around charging down th e front stra igh t Mamola sa id aft er posting a 2:00.28 . a way around th e debris, a n d h e also " If the pace is 59s I' ll be in trouble.. too much. I'll try and get a good sta rt into a fast left-right 'co m bin a tion went down . T he ' J apanese' Honda I think in th e beginning I' ll only be an d sta y in th eir draft, but if th e pace before a no the r straight a n d a leftright ch ica ne . At th e en d of lap one, . - rider su ffere d a broken hip a n d ab le to do 2:01 because of th e weight is too fast I'll knock it back. " wo u ld later be transported ba ck to of th e fu ll tank. I have to get a good . Schwantz wa s on top, leading th e Patrick Igoa, H aslam , Rob McEI J apan ; Igoa su ffered a co ncussion fr eight tr ain o f Sarro n, Rain ey, nea a nd Shunji Yatsushiro rounded . start to pick up their draft. ,I don't an d a dis loca ted index finger. Magee, G ardner , de Radigues, Mackout -the third row. Am eri can Mike need it to do 2:0I s, but it would be Ra in ey's Dunlops were abo u t to nice. It 's th e least those guys ca n do Baldwin wo u ld start from ro w four. enzie, L aws on , Ch ili , Malcolm go o ff. H e turned hi s fastest lap o f Campbell , Haslam, McElnea a nd for me." Spee d traps set up at th e en d of th e race on lap four, a 2:00.27 , a nd Yatsu sh iro.: th e Mistral Straight clocked LawMamola would use a setu p srrn - - 'f-j ~ ~ 11

• Cover