CN
III ARCHIVES
BY SCOTT ROUSSEAU
E
ven if there had not been an
American on the podium,
April 10, 1988, would have gone
down as a good day in motor-
cycle-racing history because it
marked the first time that a World
Championship Grand Prix visited
the United States in more than
20 years.
But Marlboro Yamaha's Ed-
die Lawson and factory Honda
fill-in Jimmy Filice made the first
U.S. GP since 1965 oh so much
more. The two Californians not
only got on the podium on their
home soil, they owned it, legiti-
mizing America's return to the
world stage in front of 80,000
screaming fans at Laguna Seca
Raceway in Monterey, California.
P106
THE DREAM DAY: 1988
SECA U.S. GRAND PRIX
was still some 3.5 seconds
behind Mackenzie by lap six, and
he was having a tough time pass-
ing Rainey. Finally, on lap eight,
Lawson knifed underneath Rainey
on the exit of tum two.
Lawson was still 2.14 seconds
behind Mackenzie, who was
still leading Gardner, but Law-
son appeared to be picking up
the pace while the competition
slowed. Lawson was clocking
lap times in the low one-minute,
30-second range as he caught
up to Gardner, making a pass
on the Australian in turn two the
same way that he had overtaken
Rainey. With clear track ahead
of him, Lawson got down to the
business of cutting into the two-
second gap that Mackenzie still
held over him.
On lap 17, Lawson was breath-
ing down Mackenzie's neck, and
he made a pass for the lead in
the exact same spot that he'd
made his passes for second and
third, out-driving Mackenzie off
the exit of turn two. A footnote
is in order here: Lap 17 was also
the lap in which a young Italian
named Pier-Francesco Chili,
aboard a Honda, would crash
out of the race in turn 11.
Lawson immediately pulled
clear of Mackenzie, continuing
After qualifying second, just
0.252 of a second behind polesit-
ter and fellow American Wayne
Rainey, Lawson, who would later
say that the win was the biggest of
his career, got off to a bad start in
the 40-lap 500cc GP, his factory
YZR500 bogging off the start-
ing line. He was a disappointing
ninth as the field sorted out, while
Scotland's Niall Mackenzie found
himself in the lead, followed by
defending World 500cc Champion
Wayne Gardner of Australia. Kevin
Schwantz was the first American,
running third at the end of the
first lap. By the third lap, how-
ever, Lawson was inside the top
five, running fourth after following
Rainey past Schwantz. Lawson
