Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

A crowd of 92.000 filled the Phillip Island facility for the first-ever Australian Grand Prix. The venue was popular for riders and fans alike. garm pivot down and moving the engine weight rearward. Mamola was also hoping to get different triple clamps in an effon to alLer the rrail in time for Laguna Seca. He also has hopes of a new chassis for the first European round in Spain. joining Shoben and Mamola on row three were the Pirelli-shod HE Honda of Italian' Pier-Francesco Chili (1:36.75), Pepsi Suzuki's Haslam and the third Rothmans Honda of Doohan. The Ausrralian rookie had lowsided his NSR500 in the first corner during the second session and would race with badly-abrased knuckles on his left hand. The fourth row would consist of Aussies Malcolm Campbell (88 NSR500); Dowson on a one-time Yamaha YZR500 GP ride; Dominique Sarron (EH Honda NSR500); and Marco Gentile on the Fior. Row five consisted of Alesandro Valesi on the former .Didier de Radigues 1988 Yamaha YZR500, and a host of privateers on old three-cylinder Hondas and an ancient TZ500. 500cc Grand Prix It wa Taira who led from the start of the 30-lap GP, but only briefly as Rainey shot past in the urstcorner. Schwant~'was third, but was soon diving under Taira and selling out after Rainey, who was already attempting to make a break. Gardner was next as they made their way around the Honda Corner for the first time, followed by Magee, Lawson, Doohan, Spencer and Mackenzie. Four corners later and SchwanlZ' day was over, the Suzuki highsiding under acceleration and spitting the Texan off. "I flicked it under Taira earlier and it (the rear tire) felt good. I'd checked it twice and thought it was good. ·It was stupid, stupid, stupid." Rainey had his head down, taking advantage of the melee going on behind him and the fact that the Dunlops stan to work quicker than the Mlchelins, opening up a twosecond lead at the end .of the first lap. Taira and Magee were arguing over second with Gardner and Doohan in tow, and then a shondistance back to Lawson and Spencer. Rainey continued to pull away while the others soned themselves out· behind him. On the fifth lap, Spencer rode around the outside of Lawson in the fast left-hander down the hill, beating'him to the Honda Corner. At this point Gardner was up to second with Magee and Doohan with him. Taira was back to fifth with Spencer now sixth. It was on the fifth lap that Chili .joined Schwantz and Campbell with early race crashes. The Italian was also credited with having the fastest lap of the race, a I :35.28 on lap three. .Many, however, thought this to be a time keeping error. A determined Gardner was chasing and catching Rainey. Al}d after 10 laps there was nothing between them. The stan of the II th lap saw Gardner take the lead for the first time, rushing up the inside in the fourth gear first corner. The two would continue to go back and forth for the rest of the race, but there was more challenge yet to come from those following. Sarron had now whittled his way through after a poor stan, and was pressuring Magee for third. And together they were gaining on the Gardner/Rainey duel. By now Spencer was clear of Lawson who in turn had a slight gap between himself and a battle made up of Taira, Haslam and a fading Doohan. Mackenzie was 10th. Shobert and Mamola, meanwhile, were together but well back in the pack with Mamola ramming into Rudroff in the Honda Corner. The West German took to the grass and returned cautiously only to' be hit again later in the same cort:Jer by Sarron. At the haHway mark in the 30-lap GP, Sarron was up with the leading duo. They would now run together the rest of the way, sometimes heading into tum one three abreast with the crowd in a frenzy. They were turning times in the high 35s, low 36s. Magee was still fourth and beginning to show signs that he could be gaining on the rrio out front. Spencer was a comfonable fifth and was keeping a close eye on the Lawson/ Taira squabble behind him. Haslam followed with Mackenzie now leading Doohan. Mamola was 11th, ahead of Dowson and Shobert. On the 18th lap, Magee too had joined in the srruggle for the lead. The Ausrralian would never lead the group but was having his best ride since he won the Spanish GP at jarama last year. A lap later and the four encountered Rudroff in the Honda Comer, resulting in Sarron running into the backmarker, but not losing much ground in the process. Spencer was on the move and started a bid to catch the leaders, later admitting that he had tired a lillIe at the halfway mark but was now getting a second wind. On the 22nd lap, however, his bid came to an end with a crash. As he srruggled to get the bike picked up and restiuted he was stopped by officials while the crowd chanted, "Let him go, let him go," throwing cans at the officials in the process. Finally, Spencer walked off and spent the rest of the race signing autographs. He had joined Shoben, who had gotten off in the same comer six laps earlier. "The practice crash was stupid, but that was stupider," Shoben would say later. Spencer later described his get-off. "It (the front end) was pushing bad' there. But that's where I was making up time on them. It tucked under and I got it back but it was too late. I saw I was catching them and I felt like I had a good chance. It (the crash) happened so late in the comer I wasn't expecting it. It's too bad I felt really good out there." Spencer's teammate Mackenzie would also crash on the 22nd lap in. the same place as Schwantz. "I think I lost the front and then it gripped agai n," the Scot said. On the 24th lap Mamola pulled out, his Cagiva suffering from an air lock in the radiator. The problem dia~nosed in japan as a pinched radiator hose was now upgraded to serious radiator problems. Meanwhile, nobody was giving an inch in the battle for the lead, and it appeared no one could make a break late in the race. Gardner, however, led the start of the last lap and held Rainey's threats at bay. Magee, meanwhile, tried a different line in the Southern Loop and lost time to the leading rrio on the final go-around. . "I wanted to go a bit higher to get a better drive, but I went a bit too high," Magee said later. "I had to let it go high and I didn't want to lose it. but I lost contact with them then. I'm happy with my personal performance_ " Gardner continued to hold the

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