Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(Top) Roberts leads Graeme C rosby, Jack Middelburg, S pencer and Marc Fontan (9). (A bove right) Barry Sheene and Spencer indulge in a bit of pre-race jan-ken-po. (Above left) Runner-up .Sheene and other victory podium occ upants try to avoid Spencer's celebration. " We changed the fra m e on Fr anco's bike," said Robert o G a ll in a, the driving force of T ea m Gall ina . Roberts was experim enting with n ew barrels on th e V-fo u r to bring it u p to par with the other ma ch ine ry, bu t they were no bett er and no worse. The clouds were doing the ir part to hold off the ra in and the ri ders did their part with twi stin g the throttles to beat it. " J u m p in ' J ack" jumped o u t front on the bike th a t Ra ndy Ma m ola ran at Da yto na . Roberts, Sh eene, Crosby, Sp en cer, a nd Fo n tan foll owed closel y wi th Ma m ola a nd last year's winner Ma rco LucchineIIi no t far behind. First Crosby, then Robert s to o k over the lead wi th Spencer inching h is way to the front and U n ci n i m aking his bid. At the 1/4 mark Ro bert s had moved out fron t much like he had last year, wi th Spencer reelin g him in a nd Crosby holding off Sh eene and Midde lburg in a bunch in th ird. A few laps later and th e kid got the " King" with Spencer passing Ro berts who was moving in the wrong d irectio n . "It was a bad tire aga in . Worse th an last year. The Micheli n s seemed to be stayin g on th e right line, " the Du n lop -shod Roberts noted. Spencer cro ssed the halfway fla gs an d wi th it p u t his n a m e in th e books with a ne w lap record of 2:36.94 on the tenth of 20 laps for an average of just over 100 mph. It wa s 2.2 seconds faste r th an anyone had gone in qualifyi n g. " I tho ught things would come to ge th er for us at this rac e," Spencer 's mec ha n ic a n d mentor Er v Ka n erno to said. "We ha d a plan to fo ll o w this year a nd I knew th at Fr eddie liked this track and thought h e could win it." Win n in g was what h e was do in g with the fig hting being relega ted to the seco nd p lace p osit ion. It was U n ci ni -Sheene for seco nd, Cro sbyRoberts for Iourth. . a n d Fo n ta n Ma m ola-Lucchine lli for sixth. Middelburg slowed wi th m ech a n ica l ills a nd id led into the pits on the 12th la p. A lap later and " Croz" wa s out wi th a seizu re, lea ving a few vaca n cies in the top five. Spen cer had a seven second cushion on Unc in i who was fig hting Sh eene a nd his bike at the same ti m e. " We had man y p ro blem s today . The fro nt tire was co m ing o ff the rim late in th e race, we had to cha nge fra m es, and it was vibrating," Unc in i said. " T rn more co nce rned with the poi nts ra ce and it wo n ' t be easy." Sheene got by a nd held off Uncini fo r second with Roberts doing the sa m e to fell ow Cali forn ia n Mamola for fo urt h. Actua lly , Ma m ola was more concerned wi th Wo rld Cham p io n Lu cch inelli tha n Ro bert s. "M y bik e was vibra ti ng like last week ," Mam ol a explai ne d. " I could stay with them in braki ng , but it would cha tte r on accelerat io n and step o u t. I had to ride wi th my hand o pen on th e grips beca use o f th e vibration . When Marco caught me th e vib ration went a way a n d I stayed a hea d of him ." " I thoug h t it wo u ld rain ," Sh eene sa id, " Bu t I'm happ y wit h th e results. I'd be happier if I won . I'm pl eased for Freddie. H e's a su pe r blok e." Altho u g h hi s m ar g in o f vic to ry wa s o n ly fo ur seconds it was decei ving since he bac ked off at th e end. "The tenth lap was th e fastest , th en I was run n in g 2:37' s a n d 38' s an d I ba cked off to 2:39. T oday was the first time th at I reall y felt lik e I wa s riding the 500 well ," sa id Spencer. , Spencer even ea rne d th e respect of veteran ra ce wa tche rs wi th his stunning p erfor m ance. Roberto Gallina, a past rac er himself a n d a man th a t has had many cha m pi o ns in hi s stable said, " He was very fast. Some riders turn on the gas, but ba ck off and look up in the fast co rners. He just stayed tucked in with th e throttle on." "He's so sm oo th. H e makes it look effortless," Schlach ter said after witnes sing hi s fri end 's ach ievem en t. An d Freddie was p leas ed too. The wi n gave Honda its first GP victory sin ce the late 60's a nd put Spencer in the record books as the youngest 500 G P winner ey ~ r. .An d for the eighth ti me in eig h t year s in Belgium th ere 's .been a new face on th e top step of th e podium. Bu t few p eople th ink he 'll . be too anxious to step down anytim e soon. Results 125cc; 1. RIcardo Torme (San); 2. Eugenio lazza r in i (Gar ); 3 . Pier Pao lo Bianch i (San); 4 . Hans Mueller . (M BA); 5. A ngel Nieto (Gar); 6. A ugust A u ing er (M BA); 7. Jean-Claude Sell i n i (M BA ); 8 . Ugo Vig netta (San); 9 . Gerhard Waibel (MBA); 10 . . W illy Perez (M BA ). 125cc POINT STA NDINGS: 1. Nieto (8 1); 2. Lazzari n i (3 9); 3. (TIE) Mueller /Bian ch i (3 7); 5. Tor mo (3 6 ); 6. A ldrovand i (34 ); 7 . Sel in i (2 9); B. Vign etll (2 6); 9. Au inger (25); 10 . (TIE)W ickstrom /Pa lazzese (21 ). 2 5Occ: 1. A nto n Mang (Kaw); 2. Graeme McGre· gor (W ad); 3. Did ie r De Radigues (Che); 4 . Rolan d Freymond (M BA ); 5. Paolo Ferr ett i (M BA); 6. .Jean Lou is Tournadre (Yam); 7. Martin Wimmer (Yam ); 8. Don ny Robin son (Yam); 9. Jea n M ichel Ma tt io li .(Yam); 10 . An dre Gouin (Yam). 250cc POIN T STA NDINGS; 1. Mang (5 5); 2. Tournadre (54) ; 3. Frey mond (31 ); 4 . Sayle (23 ); 5. Guignabode t (1 8); 6 . McG regor (17 ); 7. Lavado (15); B. (TIEl Balde/N ieto (12); 10. (TIE) W immer /De Radigues (10 ). 500cc; 1. Fredd ie Spe ncer (Hon); 2. Barr y Sheene (Yam); 3. Franco Unc in i (Suz); 4 . Kenny Robert s (Yam) ; 5. Ran dy Ma mo l a (Suz); 6. M. Lucch ine lli (Hon ); 7. Boet van Dulmen (Yam); 8 . Kork Ball ing t on (Kaw ); 9. Mitchel Frutschi (San) ; 10. M arc Font an (Yam). 500c POINT STANDINGS ; 1. Unc in i (7 3 ); 2. Rob erts (68); 3 . Sh een e (58); 4 . SPen cer (37) ; 5 . Crosby (34); 6. Lucchinelli (23 ); 7. Katayama (1 9); 8 . (TIEl Ball ington /Frut schi (1 7); 10. M amol a (1 6). SI DECAR S: 1. B i land / Wa lt i sperg (Yam); 2 . St reue r / Schn ied ers (Yam); 3. Tayl or /Johan sson (Yam); 4. Schwaerzel / Huber (Yam); 5. Abbot! Sm it h (Yam ); 6. Stenhau sen /Hahn (Yam) ; 7. St robeck / · Demli ng (Yam) ; 8 . M onnin/Kal au ch (Yam); 9. Bi ngha m /Bingha m (Yam ); 10. Barker/ Brushwood (Yam ). SID ECA R POINT STA NDINGS: 1. Biland/ Wa lt is· pe rg (4 5 ); 2. Sch w aer zel /.Hu ber (2 8); 3. M ic he l/ Bu rkart (24); 4 . Tayl or / J ohansson (23); 5. St re uer / Sch nieders (18); 6. Th omas/Frese (10 ). 17

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