Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Up land all the time because I'm sick ' of Europe. it's just I get homesick." La wson reall y does enjoy a quieter life in sunny Ca lifornia. Bu t at least during his time in Europe, he's used hi s opport un ity to play at being tourist and experience some of the culture that Californians usu ally hav e to manufacture for thems elves. " I've seen a lot of things and I'd never trade that for an ything. I've learned thi ngs you never could from a book - not that I was a gr ea t student. anyway. ''I'd hate to hav e been a typical American and never venture outside their own state." Fo r a man so o bvio us ly to tall y involved in his racing, he's made tim e to develop some o utsid e interests. "Even politics. I'm interested , but talki ng about them in interviews is a good way to reall y p iss off a lot of people. " Bu t as far as politics in racing goes; . I'm a racer, not a race po liti can. It 's just gelli ng too co m p lica ted with IRT A, ROPA and all thes e o ther groups. Let's just go racing. . "That's sometimes the wa y racing is. I do n't hate it all. It' s just that I'm independent and hav e a few friends in the paddock. Bu t there rea lly are few go od pe ople here. Put them in a backstabbing situati on and they'd CUi you up in a second. given the chance." Part of the prob lem , of course, is the mo ney. As a spo rt boo ms in p rofessio na lism , the wedges of cash that the top p lay ers ca n demand sp ira ls u pw ards. Backst age b itchery often exceeds upfront camarade rie exh ibited by riders wh o are yearn in g to earn more of the folding stuff. And quiet-spoken Eddi e is o ne of the wea lth iest. ''I'm lucky to ha ve wh a t I'v e go t, to do wha t I lik e 10 do. But o n the o ther han d, I do n' t make eno ug h mon ey. Go lf and tennis pl ayers make o utrageous mon ey and they do n 't have to p ut the ir lives o n th e lin e for it. How can that be?" Yee-hah, Scor e point nu mb er two . " H ere," he spurts, th ro win g me hi s im macu la tely-pre pared. tai lo r-made helmet , "T a ke this and go ride my bike . P ut th e sam e times in that I do and then see if you (do n' t) think we'r e underpaid." Okay, I get the point. But in th e real world , more people are likel y to bu y J ohn McEnroe tennis shoes th an Lawson 's leathers. " I know , I know ." he smiles. " It's ju st that raci ng 's in my blood and I feel we do n 't get as good a deal as some sportsmen ." Racing blood comes fro m Lawso n 's father who used to race cars and took ou t a seco nd mortgage on the fami ly home to buy racing mot orcycles for hi s young son. "When I first started racing, I never imagined I'd be World Cham pion. I didn 't even know such a th ing existed. Now I've been th ere and done it. " I still have the dedi cation to win - racing is sti ll the most important thing in my life. But I hav e to look more tow ards the future." Lawson has al ready announced that he'll quit racing at the end of this season, wi n or lose. H e's spe nt this year perfecti ng th e factory Cagiva - with a lillie help from h is old backers Yamaha - and 1992 he's ai ming to be World Cha mpion aga in . "After that , wh o kn ow s? I may race cars, I may be a team man ager. Or I may d isappear ' altogether. I' ll just build a hous e near th e Colo rad o Ri ver and take off on my boat. Yeah , th at 's what I'll do . . . " Does that sound ' like a mad e-tomeasure racer talking? No way. J ose.a AlIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ROADRACING S u zuk i S p e c ia lis t s Comegrow with us RM 80. 125. 250 on ly 'Performance Engine Kits 'Motocross Suspension in 1992 - - -3 10-864-82 18 , GET IT o MOTORCVCLE SAFETY FOUNDATI ON • • W American Motorcyclist Association Professional Racing Division P.O, Box 6114 . Westerville. OH 43081·6114 (614) 891-2425 Want to go racing!? Check the Cycle News calendar section. 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TYPE Admission· Paddock Admission' Paddock Admission' Paddock Admission A dmission Admission GateO nly G Only ate PRICE $50.00 $40.00 $30.00 $35.00 $30.00 $20.00 $10 .00 $10.00 X X X X X X X X Tum11only Turn 11 only Turn 11onlv 3-Day Admission, Parking , Paddock, Reserved Grandstand, Hositality Turn 11 onlv N /C 8.00 10.00 $150.00 I : N . TOTAL O X X X X s CAMPING TYPE #O F NIGHTS Four nights Wed·Sat OF LAGUN A SE CA Res. 4-Night Camp Permit" (car/RV ormotorcycle) AMA N A T I O N A L R OAD RACIN G S E R IE S RegularC amping (car/RV pernight) Regular C amping (motorcvcleoer nieht) A PR I L 24,25,26, 1992 L A GUNA SECA R A C E WA Y M ONTEREY, CALIFORNIA PER NIGHT $150.00 total Admission ticl

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