Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(A bo v e) T op U,S, scorer Mam ola leads Ha sl am t h ro ug h a scenic Brands Hatch corner. (Right) "Rocket Ron " topped all sc orers. e ~ C(") 00 , O"l ........ l!") , C'J ;;>- C\l ~ j o h nso n - t u n ed Ka w a sa k i . S om e frant ic work bv j ohn son a n d Ke n Funkhouser. al ong w ith h elp froin Baldwin 's m ech ani cs, got th e bik e readv for the fir st ra ce, bUI Cool ev ' wa s forced to rid e wit h out a fairi n g. On the tra ck , t h e unfa ired bi ke co m - bi ne d with Cooley's b illowi ng l im e g ree n rainsuit made fo r a uniqu e sight. '" look ed lik e a g ree n Mi chelin m an , " t h e ev er r h eerf u l C o o ley quipped . . R o ber ts led the dozen ra cers o ff t h e lint' wi th H a slam . Mar shall , M am o la, S hee ne a nd L aw so n fly i ng in t he rai n be hi nd h i m , Th e ra i n and standin g water on the tra ck mad e the Da yto n a Ya rnah a s a bu rd en to ride whil e th e n im ble G P bi kes of H a sla m a nd Ma m ol a ha ndl ed the wet better. Ma rsh a ll, r u n n ing th i rd, h ad trad ed hi s two -st rok e trip le in o n h is Fo rm u la One RSIOOOR four-cy li nder fo ur- stro ke. " T h e 500 was n ew to me a t Ou lton Pa r k a nd ' tho ug ht the h ea vie r four- stro ke wou ld be better i n t he ra i n. " 32-year-old Marsh all expla i ned. T he Yanks wer e h urt in g as th e Brit s sho wed th eir ra in expe rience a n d Coo ley a n d Alda na cruised we ll behind th e field. O n ly R o bert s, M arn - a la a n d L a w son wer e i n rea' scori ng posi tion s a n d th e y h ad to m ake the most o f it, but m ore m isfortune st ruck wh en Marn ol a ' s fa cesh ield fo g ged up, dropp ing him from th e front. " We sw i tc he d from N av a to AGV th is year because th e Nava wa s fogging fa ce shi elds , " M am o la ' s m an a g e r Do yle ex p la i ned , " but thi s o ne d id th e sa m e th ing, " H a sl am wa s berserking i t i n front , flail ing h is legs th rough th e co rn ers and ridin g li ke it wa s hi s la st ra ce. Coming ou t o f th e first ge a r esses, the 21 26 -year-o ld N o itingha m rider wo u ld L awson . " It was easie r th a n th e firs t o ne," Mam o la n ot ed , but th e America n team was d own 79-69 after the fir st day 's ra ci n g. S netterton Wi th th e clos ing of Ma ll o r y P a rk, th is ba sicall y fla t track in No rw ic h ' wa s c hosen as th e seco n d venue fo r th e Mat ch R aces. Followi ng th e ope n - ing round, a ma d das h ' was mad e down the m o torwa y for th e 250 mi le trip to Norfolk. For mos t, in cludi ng th e l ux u rio us team bu s ca rrying h alf o f th e Am eri can team , it was a four-h ou r dri ve , but Mam ol a m a na ged to pil ot hi s rented Merced es across th e E ng lish cou ntry- side in o n ly th ree h ours. Lawson, who h ad bee n g ree ted to the is la nd by th e E nglis h m o tor i n g press wi t h th e bann er h ead lin es " T he Man Wh o S tol e Sh een e's j ob," a lo ng wit h R oberts a nd M arn ol a ' s m an a ger j im Do yle, were the passe ngers o n the jou rney and Lawson. at lea st, was a ffected. . " We wer e goi ng 130 dow n the motorway a nd h e had the front w hee ls of th at th in g h op ping i n th o se ro u n d- a bo u rs. We a ve ra g ed 85 mph . H ey, that wa s sca ry," the n ewest m ember o f the Co nt i ne n t a l C ir c us said . Marnola sh ru gg ed i t off w ith a freck le- fa ced grin . A typica l grey, ra i ny British m orn - ing greeted th e ride rs wh o weren't ent h u sed a bout lea rnin g a n ew tr a ck i n th erain . Sw e lli ng o f h is fo ot ove rn ig h t ca u sed Bal dw i n to go to a h o spital in th e m orning for X vra ys . H e wou ld ride for a lap in both ra ces wi th his feel covered wit h p las tic bags, bu t stopped by th e fin ish lin e 10 push across for p o in ts. Co ol ey fell i n th e final practice sessi o n . serio us ly. d a rnin g h is ,Steve . I • too soft and i t sta r ted 10 go a wa y a t th e e nd. " Ma rn ol a h ad j US I the opposi re p ro b- lem . " I pi cked a li re soft er th an h is a n d it was to o hard . Mv forearm s welt' p umpin g up a n d myIo cr ' s a littl e so re from t he bumps. , to ld Kennv th at n ext tim e he co u ld race wit h 'H a s la m and h e sa id , " wa s worki ng hac k there , doing m y job: . I' m n ot evrn th in king of winning th e 20.000 pou nds ( a p p ro x i m a t e l v , 3 1,000 ) in go ld co i n s for winni ng a ll six ra ces si nc e th is is a l earn t h i n g ." Between ra ces th e mechani cs readi ed rh e bik es with Ih e Yam ah a crew lea rn - in g fro m Lawson that a littl e w h eel- base ca n go a lo n g way. " Lle u g rh e ned th e whee lbase a nd it ma de a II the di He ren ce i n th e wo rl d ," said Lawson . '" to ld Ke n n v a bo u t it , but h e said it was 100 mu~h tr oubl e fo r th e m ech ani cs." " He mus t be retiri ng," tuner Kel Car rut hers joked . " T h a I'S rhe [irs: lim e h e ' s eve r wo r r ied abou t th e mec ha ni cs." For t he second race, t h e weat h er hel d a nd th e sma llis h crowd of 10.000 saw the Bri ts li n e up with thr ee on the fro n t ro w and t h e Am ericans IWO. O nc e again it was Has lam OUI fro nt wi rh Marn ol a . Sa lle , R obe rt s, Hc u w en, Mar sh all a n d L aw son fol - lo w in g. On th e th i rd la p , Mam ol a reeled H a sl am in a nd gal pas t o n th e fourt h . R o ber ts h ad cleared Mars ha ll agai n and Lawso n was a stead y fifth . Bal d w in was bac k i n the fra y with a banda g ed f oot , bUI a flat li re pU I h i m o u t o f·th e race ea rly . At th e h a lfw a y p oint . th e lea d du o wa s n in e seco n ds clea r o f Roberts who in turn h ad th ree o n Marsh all a n d H eu wen wi th L a w son closi ng a nd S hee ne well back. Coo ley ca me aro un d w i th mu d o n hi s lime green lea th er s, a vic tim o f a n o ff - roa d e xc u rsio n i n Casca des Co rner. '" lo st th e fro nt e n d in th e sa me place Eddie d id a nd ' saved i t, bu t w he n ' got o ff the tr ack' hi t thi s bi g p u dd le a n d went down," said Cool e y. The e n d of the ra ce w a s a n insta n t replay o f the first with Mam ola h old- ing off a nd h ol d i n g up Haslam , R o ber ts a com fortable third ahead o f _Marshall . then ba ck to H euwen and bump ," sa id Baldwin , '" may h a ve want ed 10 be i n fi rs t p la ce o n the first lap a nd wi n the wh ol e ra ce fro m the sta r t. As soo n as , fell ' kn ew' was hun an d bro ke three toes o n m y left foo t." " K en n y told me t h ar Ba ld w i n almos t g ot m e and if he'd have h it me I' d h a ve run i nto H a sl a m ," sa id Ma rno la . T he A me rica n c ha nces w er e di m med eve n fu nh er o n th e n ext lap w he n teamst er Edd ie L a wson o ve r- coo ked it going into C a scades Corner an d ran o ff the tr a ck o nto th e escape ro ad. " Brai n fad e," sa id La wson . '" backs hi fte d o ne too man y a n d go t it si deways a nd ca me very cl o se to cra sh in g ." Law son rejoi ned th e fracas i n la st p lace while o ut front Mamo la h ad cleare d Hasla m with R o ber ts closing o n Marsh all as W ood, Cooley a n d Shee ne battled fo r fifth . At th e ba ck o f the p ack , Alda n a was cruising for poi nts, but far from racin g spe ed , " We were g o ing to bring th e Vesco Yamaha TZ750 o ver, but it worked o u t a bo u t th e sa me to borrow thi s bik e. It wa sn ' t goi ng real we ll so , ke pt ma ki n g sugges tio ns to th e m e- cha nics a n d it 's ge tt ing a littl e bett e r eac h tim e," said Aldan a , Soon a fte r, R oberts pi ck ed o ff Mar sh all , but wa s 150 yard s behind the Mam ol a /H a slam d uel a n d co nt ent to stay th er e. \\' o od wa s a co m fo rta ble fifth with Huew en , Coolev a n d Shee ne sti ll un decided over who'shou ld ta ke si xt h. ' 'I' m su ll so re in the shou lde rs and th at ' s wh ere' n oti ce th e bum p s ," sa id Coo ley. '" had acce le ra tio n o n Ba rr y co m ing off so me o f th e s lo wer co rne rs, but' thi n k hi s b i ke hand les better. " As the race wore down , Ma m ol a cu t a 1::31 .9 l Ihh lap 10 establis h h im self in fro nt , know ing tha t Ro bert s wouldn 't be u p to cha lle nge H a sl am for seco n d . T he orde r rema in ed th e sa m e w i t h M arn ol a h old in g o ff Ha sl a m , R o berts pu lli ng a big gap o n Ma rsh al l. Wo od and H eu wen saf e ly in fifth a nd sixt h, a nd Cooky gttti ng the bett e r of S hee ne for seve n th . '" closed i t a littl e a t rh e e n d, bUI' wa s more co ncerned with the p oi nt s," ___ sa id H a slarn .."! pic ked a ti re th at .wa s

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