Race Watch
RACE WATCH
World and National Motocross Wraps It Up For the Year, Superbikes and Winston Pro Head For the Wire, And You Can Win Another Of Our Contests
FREDDIE AND MIKE'S HONDA SHOW AT ELKHART
Freddie and Mike Spencer, the non-related Honda teammates, dominated the Formula One race at Elkhart Lake, finishing one-two on RS1000s. Wes Cooley led the race off the line with Freddie right behind, but retired with an engine oil leak. That left Freddie out front until Mike caught and passed him to lead briefly. Freddie won. The race was Mike’s first Formula One race.
Thadd Wolff was third on an RG500 supplied to Escargot by U.S. Suzuki, after a race-long dual with privateer Bruce Hammer on the Kal-Gard Yamaha. Wolff lost Hammer in a group of slower, erratic lapped riders in the last few laps, securing third.
Eddie Lawson won the Superbike race after early—and decisive—leader Freddie Spencer crashed within two laps of the finish due to a sticking throttle. Mike Spencer was second and Wes Cooley, who suffered a blown engine in the heat races and so started last, third. Privateer Harry Klinzmann (Racecrafters Kawasaki) finished a strong fourth on the same lap, in front of Yoshimura’s Suzuki-contracted Gennady Luibimsky.
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RICHRICHICHI, LAWSON WIN AT LOUDON
"I race one club race here a year and I they say I’m a Loudon specialist,”
said rising privateer star Nick Richichi in disbelief after beating Dale Singleton to win the Loudon National. Richichi’s win was significant. Last year Singleton returned infrequently from a mediocre Grand Prix season in Europe and won every time he entered an AMA race. This year Singleton’s GP season was no more impressive, but when he returned he was beaten soundly by privateer Richichi.
And almost beaten by Richard Chambers, another TZ750-mounted privateer, as well. It took Singleton most of the race to dispatch Chambers, and he didn’t do so by much. The finish was Chambers’ first trip to victory circle, and Richichi’s first National win.
Wes Cooley had led off the start on the ‘Yoshimura Suzuki, but crashed after 13 laps with Richichi behind.
Eddie Lawson won the Superbike race in pouring rain, taking the lead when Freddie Spencer crashed after running off the track to avoid a lapped rider. Wes Cooley finished second. Spencer picked it up to finish third, but was briefly relegated to fourth by hard-charging David Emde on the San Jose BMW, who had started 42nd. At the flag, however, Emde was fourth, ahead of Team Honda pilots Mike Spencer, and Roberto Pietri and self-sponsored Californian Jon Woo on a Kawasaki.
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ALDANA AND BALDWIN WIN AT SUZUKA
ave Aldana and Mike Baldwin won the Suzuka Eight Hours World Championship Endurance Race in Suzuka City, Japan on a Honda France RSI000, finishing three laps ahead of the works Suzuki team of Pierre Samin/ Jacques Luc and the works Kawasaki team of Raymond Roche/J. Laffont.
Baldwin qualified the bike fifth fastest at 2 min. 18.01 sec. Fast qualifier was Wayne Gardner (Moriwaki Kawasaki, partner John Pace) with the record time of 2:14.76. Second fastest qualifier was Graeme Crosby (Yoshimura Suzuki, partner Wes Cooley) at 2:15.75, with Ron Haslam (Honda Britain RSI000, partner Joey Dunlop) third fastest at 2:17.42. Fourth fastest qualifier was Roger Marshall (Moriwaki Kawasaki, partner Marty Lunde) at 2:1 8.01.
Things happened fast after the start, with Marshall falling on the second lap and eliminating his team. Aldana and Crosby battled for the lead at three hours, with Crosby slightly ahead when the Yoshimura Suzuki broke its crankshaft. At 3 hours, 40 min., Gardner was moving up to challenge for the lead, but crashed in the same corner where Marshall had fallen. That left Aldana, turning about 1 sec. a lap faster than Baldwin, out in front and secure.
It was an important victory for Aldana and Baldwin, riding a Honda on a Hondaowned racetrack in front of a massive crowd. Suzuka has become Japan’s most important race and draws officials from all four major manufacturers to spectate. To do well at Suzuka is to greatly enhance your chances of a fat factory contract the following year.
ANOTHER CONTEST
It’s time for another Racewatch contest.
Note the two photos of Kenny Roberts, marked Photo A and Photo B. These photos were taken by Don IVlorley at a racetrack early this year. Roberts won two of the last three professional races held at this racetrack. For the first part of the contest, name the racetrack. For the second part of the contest, tell what Roberts is doing. The first reader with the correct answer to the first question wins the original print of Photo A, autographed by Roberts. The first reader to correctly answer the second question wins Photo B, autographed by Roberts. In both cases, the names of the winners will be published in an upcoming issue. Send your answers to Racewatch Contest II, Cycle World, 1499 Monrovia Ave., Newport Beach, Calif. 92663.
MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS TO MALHERBE, GLOVER AND BARNETT
On the international scene, Team Honda’s Andre Malherbe of Belgium wrapped up his second consecutive 500cc World Championship when the 1981 series went down to the final event at Ettelbruck, Luxembourg. Malherbe finished third overall for the day with 2-9 moto placings behind winner Hakan Carlqvist of Team Yamaha with 1-2 moto finishes, and Honda teammate Graham Noyce with a 3-4 score. The final 500cc World Championship points tally was a close one with Malherbe edging Noyce by six points, 213 to 207. Only the week before in Belgium, former 1979 title holder Noyce had a seemingly secure grasp on the series lead, but a crash in the second moto put the Englishman out of the running and allowed Malherbe to pick up enough points to finish a conservative third in Luxembourg and claim the crown. American Grand Prix contender Brad Lackey of> Team Suzuki failed to score points either moto and finished up the series in sixth place (99 points) behind Yamaha’s Carlqvist (201) and his teammate Andre Vromans (154), and Suzuki’s Jean-Jacques Bruno (152).
Back in America two national motocross championships were decided even before the final race. A few weeks earlier Suzuki’s Kent Howerton had already closed out the 250cc title chase by reclaiming his title for the second year in a row. Now it was Mark Barnett’s turn to do the same as his RA 125-81 Suzuki swept both motos of the combined 125/500cc Nationals at Washougal, Washington. With a record of having won every moto thus far in the series, Barnett clinched his second consecutive 125cc National Championship with one race still to be run. He now has two titles to his credit having won the 1981 Supercross Series Championship as well.
The 500cc National Championship title for 1981 was decided early at Washougal, too. Former three-time 125cc National Champion Broc Glover of Team Yamaha made a switch to the Open class this past season and proved to everyone he could ride any size bike into the winner’s circle. Honda’s Chuck Sun, the former class champion had to content himself with second place in this year’s standings and one race win earlier in the series as Glover clinched the title at Washougal with 1-1 moto placings. —Jim Gianatsis
CUNNINGHAM WINS MICHIGAN NATIONAL ENDURO
Terry Cunningham tucked away another national enduro win for Husqvarna as he slashed his way through the woods to a two point Michigan National Enduro victory over teammate Mike Melton. Fritz Kadlec, on a factory CanAm, slipped into third place to prevent a clean sweep of the top three spots by Husqvarna. Reigning champion Dick Burleson was fourth. Melton, Kadlec, and Burleson tied with scores of 25, and only a few seconds on the two tie-breaker checks separated the three.
This was the sixth overall win for Husqvarna in the seven events run so far in 1981.
Dick Burleson is leading the championship points, with Melton just nine points back. Melton leads Burleson in national wins, three to two.
—Bill Moss
HUDSON WINS UNADILLA 250cc USGP
Britain’s Neil Hudson used a 2-2 score to take the overall win in the 250cc World Championship Grand Prix round ar Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New York. He was never far from the front of the pack on his factory Yamaha and grabbed another 24 points to move closer to current 250cc World Champion and points leader Georges Jobe.
For the past two years the battle for the win at Unadilla has been between Suzuki teammates Jobe and Kent Howerton. This year both riders failed to appear, both suffering from injuries sustained in practice crashes.
European competitors abounded in the pits, readying themselves for a day on, America’s premiere motocross course. Fans—16,000 strong—covered the hills surrounding the natural-terrain course which is in the New York countryside.
American Honda riders Donnie Hansen and Steve Wise were moto winners. In the first round it was Hansen’s turn after a late race change-up. Moto-X Fox’s Jo Jo Keller>
wowed the crowd on his production Suzuki, leading the first part of the race until a bent rear brake lever put him out. Yamaha’s Bob Hannah and Wise moved" up to dice for the point position, Hannah finally pulling away and settling into a lead. Three laps from the finish Hannah and Wise went down a choppy uphill and Hansen cruised past to win.
Hudson broke clear of Dutch rider Kees van der Ven’s works, single-rear-shock' KTM and the pair locked into the 2-3 slots with Wise holding fourth. Germany’s Rolf Dieffenbach kept in front of Yamah^ Pro Support rider Kris Bigelow for fifth. Moto-X Fox’s David Bailey, Heinz. Kinigadner of Austria, LOP’s Steve Martin and Soren Mortensen of Denmark# rounded out the top 10, point-paying positions.
Hannah had re-entered the moto but crashed a second time and called it quits. American GP contender Mike Guerra fel^ victim to a sticking throttle and crashed out of contention in Gravity Cavity, Un, adill’s downhill/uphill bowl.
In moto two Benny Wilken of Holland« put his single-rear shock works Maico into the lead, but eventually DNF. Wise and Hannah once again picked up the battle for the lead, but Hannah fell off the pac^ and pulled out due to a hand injury he sustained in his first moto crash.
A light rain made the course slick and Bailey and Guerra went down. Hudson systematically moved from fifth to second and plugged in behind Wise. Van der Ven came up from 11th to third, and Relief maintained the leader’s pace for fourth. Martin stuffed through some final tight turns and passed British works Yamaha rider Dave Watson for fifth. Kinigadner, Ross Pederson of Canada, Jean Claude Laquaye of Belgium and Finland’s Erik Sundstrom trailed.
With two rounds remaining in Russia and Holland it is Jobe over Hudson, 221 to 192, followed by van der Ven at 129 and Dieffenbach at 81. Kinigadner is fifth at* 72, and Laquaye moved ahead of Guerra for sixth, 64 to 63, after Guerra failed to score GP points at Unadilla.
—Tom Mueller/Cycle News East
