Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/142447
_. - - P icco with a 5-2.- "I started racing to win this for me. Now 1can live with myself," the new World Champion said. The 28-yearold Californian returned the 500cc crown to Suzuki after a five year absence and gave Suzuki their second world title of the yea r to go with th e 125c crown won by Eric Geboers. Lackey said the II year fight " had been worth it. But 1don't know what I'd be saying if I lost. " . He declined £0 announce his plans for next year , but soon after the race he was joined by top Suzuki officials in his motorhome. "If Suzuki would like to keep me I'd like to stay with them, " he said. The day's racing was marred by totally inadequate crowd control, in both the pi ts and on the track, and an incident which resulted from that. O n the first lap of the first moto a spectator hit Honda's Graham Noyce over the left hand with a stick, brea king a bone. Noyce rode for a few more laps, but pulled in when the pain became unbearable and was taken to the hospital wh ere a cast was fitted. The spectator's action was believed to be in retaliation for Noyce's aidingLackey 's championship surge by allowing him to pass during the Belgian GP at Namur a week earlier. Lackey also complained about debristhrowing in cidents, but wouldn't put the finger on anyone group of fans . Fast qualifier on the " An der Wark" circuit was England's Da ve Thorpe (Kaw) by more than a second over second qualifier Lackey, who had onl y a tenth of a second on Vromans. Patrick Fura put a production 1983 CR500 H usqvarna in fourth ahead of Carlqvist and Ireland's Lauren ce Spence. The only other American racing besid es Lackey was Gary Sernics, who qualified 12th. Tension and nervous laughter filled the pare ferme where the riders geared up for th e first rnoto. Lackey provided a moment of worry for his fans when he kicked furiously on the Stig Peterson tuned RN -82 Suzuki with no results. St ig calm ly walked over, tu rn ed the ga s on, and it fired up on th e first kick. The numbers were clear. With only a four point cushion Lackey couldn't afford to la y back and let Vromans win , so he went for the holeshot like the rest of the field. Noyce was out o f the gate first with Lackey, Picco, Carl qvist, Vromans and Yamaha's Neil Hudson following. "Carla" ass erted himself on the second lap and for the , rest of the moto it was a question of who would get second. First it was Noyce, but h e retired with his broke hand. Then on about the seventh lap it was Vromans second a head of Lackey with Hudso n, P icco a n d ' Thorpe up to join the fray . With lap ti mes hovering aro und the three minute p lus mark they hit th e halfway point of the 40-min ute p lus two lap moto on the eighth lap with the Champion of the World. Brad Lackey savors the moment after clinching the t itle with a second in Luxembourg. n umber plates readin g 3-4-6, Ca r lq vist , Vromans and Lackey. Thorpe was closing, then furt her back were World ChamR.lonshlR. Final Hudson , P icco , Spen ce and Semics. Alt hough Vromans recorded the fastest lap, Lackey was turning up the wick and cuttin g seconds off Vromans' lead. He knocked off 'six seconds between the tenth and 12th laps to close within striking distance. It was all part of his plan. . " I know that he gets tired at the end of the motes," said Lackey. " All year season. Lackey's 2-3 score gave By Henny Ray Abrams long I've been able to catch him at th e him 228 poin ts to the 217 scored end of the race and I'm confident th a t by Suzuki teammate Andre VroETTELBRUCK, L UXEMBO URG , AUG. 8 1 can ride a race like that. If Vromans mans who could only manage is in th e lead, the specta to rs leave me alone. Then when 1 pass him it's too a 3-6 for fourth overall. Al most overla te to p ick up anythi ng to throw." looked was th e do minatin g performCarlq vist breezed across the line a n ce put in by Yamaha 's Hakan with an eight second lea d. T im in g Carlqvist, wh o was untouchable wh ile hi s move perfectly, Lackey got p ast, carding double moto wi ns. Third on th e last lap with Vromans alm ost ove rall went to Yama ha 's Fra nco :::.:~. , ' 500cc MJC Series: round Carlqvist wins Luxembourg GP, Lackey lands title After an 11 year struggle, Suzuki's Brad Lackey became th e first American to win a motocross World Championship by p lacing 16 secon d overall in th e fin al 500cc G P of the J