Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ • ~ ROAD RACE World Championship_Ro_ad_R_ac_eS_eri_es:_R_ouD_d_ll I John Kocinski (4) leads Wayne Raineu (1), Eddie Lawson (7) and Wayne Gardner (5) at the start of the British 500cc GP. Emotional Gardner wins British GP By Henny Ray Abrams DONINGTON PARK, ENGLAND, AUG. 2 othmans Kanemoto Honda's Wayne Gardner made his final appearance in the British Grand Prix a memorable one, beating Marlboro Roperts Yamaha's Wayne Rainey before 50,000 overzealous fans at Donington Park in the British Midlands. , Gardner, who earlier in the race weekend announced he was retiring from Grand Prix racing at the end of the year, took the lead on the 12th lap and pulled away to a slight lead which Rainey was able to close up to .855of-a-second at the end of the 30-1ap, 75-mile race. In winning his first GP in nearly two years - his last victory came in his home Grand Prix at Phillip Island in September of 1990, the Australian former World Champion averaged 94.455 mph in completing the race in 47 minutes, 38.373 seconds. And the emotion of winning before his adopted countrymen left him weeping afterwards. "The British gave me a big chance and I wanted to pay them back," said Gardner, who lived in Lincolnshire for several years before seeking the tax shelter of Monaco. "What a way to end a career." But it also incited the crowd to flood the track at the end of the race when the bikes stopped in the first turn. Gardner was quickly hustled into a waiting van, but, after resting for a minute, on his bike, Rainey was knocked down on his way to the van, bruising his knee and nearly doing ligament damage. He was taken by ambulance to the medical center, treated and released, though he was forced to miss the podium ceremonies. Early on the race was an exciting four-way fight with Gardner, Rainey, and Lucky Strike Suzuki's Kevin Schwantz each leading at one point with Cagiva's Eddie Lawson up as R 6 high as second. Ducados Yamaha's Juan Garriga, who'd been given one of the new Yamaha "droner" motors for the race, joined the fray and it was a five-rider clash until mid-race when things started to change. First, Lawson began to fade when the new rear 16-inch Dunlop he was using began to go off. He would finish fourth. Then on the 25th lap, Marlboro Roberts Yamaha's John Kocinski blew a hole in his engine when his primary', gear broke on the front straightaway. He coasted almost to the second turn, leaving a trail of oil in his wake. Lucky Strike Suzuki's Doug Chandler, about II seconds back at the time, came into the first turn, Redgate Corner, and immediately lost the front end. No oil flag was displayed and on the next lap Gardner nearly crashed, sliding sideways for two feet, and second-placed Schwantz did crash, as did British hopeful .Carl Fogarty, then in sixth. Schwantz'ran back across the track and pleaded with the corner worker to display the oil flag, taking it out of his hand and waving it himself, a move the other riders applauded. "It was a miracle I didn't go down," Gardner said. "I looked around to see what the problem was and saw Schwantz crash. Then the next lap he was there with the oil flag. I really appreciated that." Unfortunately, the race organizers didn't and threatened to fine Schwantz for making them look bad on television. A meeting was held and the Texan was asked to make an apology on television, but the BBC, who broadcasted the races live, chose not to cut into the sidecar race. Though Schwantz had agreed to do it, there was some doubt whether he actually would have. So, in the end, it was Gardner beating Rainey, Garriga, in his first ever 500cc podium in third, and Lawson, who finished fourth ahead of Valvoline Racing's Peter Goddard in a career best. Briton Terry Rymer, riding for the injured Simon Buckmas~er; was sixth in his GP debut. With World Championship leader Mick Doohan still bed-ridden from injuries suffered at Assen, Rainey was able to close the gap in the points chase significantly. With two races to be run - Brazil and South Africa, Rainey trails Doohan, 108-130, with Doohan still a question mark for Brazil. With his spill, Schwantz was eliminated from the title chase and holds third with 87, 15 better than his teammate Chandler. The championship drama in the 250cc class ended at Donington, with World Champion Luca Cadalora of the Rothmans Honda team successfully defending his title with a fourthplace finish. The race victory went to Telkor Valesi Racing's Pier-Francesco Chili, who took over on the sixth of 28 laps and was never seriously challenged. His margin of victory over runner-up Loris Reggiani of the Unlimited Jeans Aprilia squad was 1.881 seconds, although that was somewhat deceiving. Most of the race it was plus-three, with Chili slowing at the end. It was Chili's third win of the season. Third went to HB Honda's Doriano Romboni, who was making his first podium appearance courtesy of the Honda factory. They'd lent him an NSR250 works machine for the race and he put it to good use, though he was nearly beaten by Cadalora. Romboni's previous best was a sixth place finish. With 177 points, Cadalora comes out of the U.K. with an insurmountable 45-point lead over Reggiani. With 132 points, Reggiani has a firm grasp on second in the championship; Chili is third with 107. . The inevitability of Cadalora's championship took some of the life out of the party, as did the fact that he's currently at odds with Honda about his future. He's stated that he'd like to race a SOO next year, but Honda isn't wining to give him the machinery. Still, it was a good day for team owner Erv Kanemoto who, besides winning his sixth World Championship as a crew chief, made a podium appearance with SOOcc winner Gardner. Marlboro Team Pileri's Fausto Gresini heated up the 12Scc World Championship considerably by taking his first win and closing to within two points of the championship leader, Alessandro Gramigni of the Aprilia Unlimited Jeans team. The 31-year-old Honda-mounted Gresini led most of the race and beat his 23-year-old fellow Italian by 3.279 seconds. Japan's Noboru Ueda rode the second Marlboro Team Pileri Honda to third. With two rounds remaining, Gramigni has 108 points to Gresini's 106 with the former championship leader, Zwafink Racing's Ralf Waldmann, seventh today after slowing to avoid a falling rider, third with 104. The Sidecar GP was a dull affair, Team Hollywood Sidecar's Rolf Biland piloting the LCR-Krauser rig to a fourth consecutive win. , The Swiss driver, with longtime partner Kurt Waltisperg, beat Padgett's Racing Team's Darren Dixon and Andy Hetherington by 20.S26 seconds at the end of the 26-lap, 65mile, race. World Champions Steve Webster and Gavin Simmons were third, another few seconds back. Webster still leads the championship, 92-83, over Biland with two races remaining. 500cc GP Warm temperatures and a stiff breeze moved the clouds rapidly, the sun often - poking through, as the 500s took to the track for the 30-1ap feature. Kocinski read the.lights best, but by the end of the first lap was back to fifth behind Rainey, Lawson, Schwantz and Gardner, with those four quickly making a break from' the pack. Gardner moved past Lawson into a right-hand bend, Lawson getting him on the brakes into the Melbourne Hairpin near the end of the fourth lap. By the sixth lap Gardner was up on Rainey, passing him in the esses at the end of the back straightaway as Ducados Yamaha's Garriga moved Y.P to join the fray. . Behind the leaders came British hopeful Carl Fogarty, already in front of Kocinski who was struggling with with a lack of front end grip. Lucky Strike Suzuki's Doug Chandler was eighth, struggling with his Suzuki running wide in the corners as Yamaha Motor France/Banco's Niall Mackenzie used his new "droner" motor to make a run at him. Budweiser Racing's Randy Mamola filled out the top 10. The order of the top three began changing in earnest on the ninth lap, Schwantz went by Rainey on the brakes in the Melbourne Hairpin, then slipped under Gardner in the quick, downhill Craner Curves on the 10th lap. The lOth would be Mamola's last lap, a high-side crash out of the Melbourne Hairpin endin~his day and cracking a bone in the top of. his right hand, as well as a toe on his left foot. "It was 'like Rainey's in Hockenheim," Mamola said of his spill. "I was off instantly. We think something broke on the bike."

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