Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

e on a was very uncomfortable and I crashed too many times while trying too many things. I made myself who I am by the way I've leamed from other riders. I've learned from Kenny, but from riding with him, not listening to him. As far as getting information, I take as much as 1 can, but I use only what I can. Especially in 1987. I went from third to second in the championship because I wouldn't listen to him (Roberts). I think a team should be run like Mr. (Giacomo) Agostini's (Team Marlboro Yamaha). He does a wonderful job as faras giving those guys an opportunity to prove themselves. He hires Eddie Lawson or whoever and he relies on them to do their job - that's what he's hired them for. He doesn't go out and say, "Well, I better go out and test that bike because the tire situation here is crappy." I can't imagine Agostini doing that. He takes credit for putting the team together, Kel (Carruthers) takes credit for holding the mechanics together and holding the bikes together, and the rider should take credit for whatever the hell he is doing. That's the way raCing should be. When you look at that team it's Team Roberts. Who are the riders? You wouldn't know unless you already knew. When you looked at Marlboro last year who did you think of? You thought of Agostini, but who did you think of Agostini as? Somebody sitting in the back row, whereas the riders were shining - and that's the way it should be. The publicity should go to the riders. I'm not trying to pick on Kenny ... I don't want to get involved in it (being a team manager) right now because I don't have the experience. I have the experience in racing and that's what I want to do for quile some time. This off-season has seen many changes. What do you think Freddie Spencer's chances are in 1989? Freddie has the mOSl natural talent I've ever seen. I think thal almost anybody will agree with that. He's got even more natural talent than Kenny (Roberts) had. Freddie might nOl have known a lot of the time what he was actually doing when he was beating Kenny, bUl like Kenny has said, lie (Roberts) had several years of experience and knew what not to do. Freddie had no experience and all he wanted to do was get to the checkered flag first. You take those little extra risks when you're younger. Freddie's now what, 27 (years old)? I know how much harder it is at 29 then it was at 19 to prepare yourself. Mentally and so on, it's going to take a lot and that's got to be done yet. I hope he's going to be fit - but that's not the whole part of it. It's here - it's in the head. How do you see the anticipated Lawson vs. Gardner battle? Wen, I thought we were in good shape. I did a 27.7 (a 1:27.7-minute lap time) in Brazil, Gardner did a 27.5 and Eddie did a 26.3. I con tribu te that to Eddie being a very· smart rider. He knows what he wants to to do as far as setting things up. Wayne (Gardner) is just a hard charger. He rides more by the seat of his pants - as opposed to trying to set things up. I'm not sure he has that sort of talent. He has a lot of talent - raw talent - we've all seen him (Gardner) hang on and gas it. He's done a lot of handstands - a lot more than I'd care to see, but he's a good rider. I think Kevin (Schwantz) will be a real dark horse because we don't know how his bike will be. Niall Machenzie will be another dark horse. I can't believe how he can lean a bike over and get away with it. I think the Yamaha will suit Niall a hell of a lot more than the Honda. When he gets confidence in his team, his new colors and in himself - he lost a lot of confidence last year from crashing and being under a lot of pressure. He should have won a Grand Prix by now. Look at Laguna Seca. He was flat-out flying. I wish he didn't have a brake problem because I think he would have given Eddie a fit. Eddie's really good, Wayne's (Gardner) really good, Kevin's really good - all of us can win on a given day. I think it's going to be the most exciting season. I'm thinking of I feel that I've been a World Champion without a number one plate. I've beaten Kenny (Roberts) in the World Championship, I've beaten Eddie (Lawson), I've beaten Wayne (Gardner) - just about everybody since 1980. I'm not looking at it that if I don't win it I'm a failure because I'm nowhere near a failure. You are arguably the most outgoing personality in Grand Prix racing. Is that something you've worked on? I was a very shy person, believe it or not, when I was young. I never wanted to speak to anybody. Jim (Doyle - Mamola's manager) used to tell me that part of racing was being able to talk to the press and gelling kno~n. I just wanted to race. I didn't understand that side of my profession. Now I understand it fully and what it can do for the sport that I love, for the people that I care about in the sport - it's been a great thing for me. Have you ever been approached by Cagiva to do any racing in the U.S. besides the GP, say at Daytona? I signed to do Grand Prix racing. stopping racing just to start a ational Enquirer in the paddock. Do you consider Wayne Rainey a threat to win the World Championship? That's difficult to say. For one thing because of the tire situation. I believe if he was on Michelins or if Peter Ingley was still with Dunlop, he'd have a greater chance. I think Wayne has the ability - and he has also shown the ability, like I found in 1987, to tum Mr. Roberts off. You've been second in the 500cc World Championship four times. That's something nobody else has done. How important is it for you to win the World Championship? Coming from where I started and where I am now, I consider myself one of the best riders that's ridden a motorcycle. It's very hard for someone to talok about themselves, as far as bragging goes, but I do consider myself one of the best. I don't think someone that wins a World Championship can consider himself the best rider : only one of the best. There are a handful of riders that can do it and there're starting to be more because of the equipment getting better. . Daytona is to me, well, WERA racing is bigger than Daytona. WERA racing is growing bigger and bigger as opposed to what the AMA is doing. (Marco) Lucchinelli asked me to the 24 Hours of Le Mans - I just said, "Yeah, see you there." I was a backup rider for Kenny's team for the Suzuka Eight-Hour one year I'm not that interested in endurance racing. Have you ever raced a four-stroke? Yes, I have. I raced one at Mallory Park in England. When I raced for Herron Suzuki it was in my contract to do it - and I could have easily beaten (Graeme) Crosby and all those guys. But I wanted to finish fourth or fifth so I could say, "I hate this thing." That's the serious truth. I was racing Crosby and I just backed off. . Rumor circulated at the end of the 1988 season that you might leave Cagiva, despite having a contract through the end of 1989. Was that true? . I was offered a job from Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki for 1989. I tolli Cagiva that I wouldn't leave them because I didn't think my job was finished. No one can say it was because of the money, because Honda offered me more money. I was free to go this year - that's how good the two brothers (Castiglioni - the owners of Cagiva) are. A member of a Honda team came up to me and said, "Look, we want you for our team next year and we can get factory bikes and so on. What will it take?" I told them I was obligated to stay with Cagiva, but first I wanted to make sure things were right. Claudio (Castiglioni) said, "Look, if you want to go you can go." But then 1 got the third place (at the Belgian GP) and things started clicking. I feel that I was hired to do something.and I'm going to stick with it. It was a great opportunity for me to go somewhere else, but it's not the money - it's the competition of it. I wouldn't do -it for nothing, sure - it's my job and I'm not afraid to admit that - but I feel I get paid for what I'm worth. I've made a lot of sacrifices. I took money cuts from • Honda to go to Yamaha, but I did it because I believed in what we were doing with the new team (Team Lucky Strike Roberts). I want to make these two brothers proud. All the other guys on the track are just as happy to see it (the Cagiva) go as I am. We've seen it get it's first points and everybody was going, "Yeah!" I mean everybody was cheering it on. And now they're still 'rooting for it - including the Japanese manufacturers. Your car and watch collection is well known. The cars include a 1967 Mustang, a 1968 Cougar, a 1934 Ford Coupe, a 1976 Porsche 930 Turbo, a 1956 Porsche Speedster, a 300cE Mercedes, a 560SL Mercedes and now a Ferrari Testerossa. Many have said you spend money frivolously. What do you say to those people? 1£ 1 crashed tomorrow in an airplane and I'd saved every cent, what the hell would I have? 1 look at it strangely sometimes. Why are we here? What are we doing? And so on. I have the same ideals as when I started. When I bought my first Porsche it was something I could not afford. But it was something I set my eyes on and I set a goal of having it. I think that's what everybody should do in their lives. I went through a stage in high school of, "Why does Randy have this and why does Randy have that?" I think if everybody had the opportunity to purchase things ~o make them happy, they would. I enjoy driving my $.2000 Mustang as much as I enjoy driving Jim's (Doyle) Lambourghini. They are just toys for me. I don't look at it like I lost something. You can't take it with you. It's not like I'm just throwing money out - I help people too! My attitude towards people hasn't changed. I wish there was no hunger in thewodd and I wish everybody could go buy what they wanted. If you have something, people say you're spoiled. I've spoiled myself my parents were a great influence on me and I thank them very much for everything they've given me. They've given me a chance. Everybody deserves a chance to make it and I think that's what the United States is all about. •

• Cover