5th Place ... Niall Mackenzie

5TH Place ... Niall Mackenzie

As smooth as Scotland's best 12-year-old blends

WITH CURRENT CHAMPION Eddie Lawson and returning champion Freddie Spencer getting all the pre-season attention, it went al-

most without notice that Scotsman Niall Mackenzie made a switch, as well. He jumped from the HB Honda team to become Spencer's teammate at Marlboro Yamaha.

Although the season has barely begun, Mackenzie is already benefitting from Spencer’s experience. “The whole team is coming together quite nicely,” he says, “and having Freddie around helps smooth things out.” One thing that both Mackenzie and Spencer have to spend more time on is getting used to the Yamahas. “We’re trying to ride them like Hondas,” says Mackenzie, “but they are completely different.”

Spencer agrees: “The Yamahas are GP bikes, but they have a much smoother powerband than the Hondas. They are like nothing I’ve ever ridden.”

Mackenzie, often times spectacular, was engaged throughout the entire race in a fight for fifth place with Christian Sarron. “This track makes you work all the time,” he said, as he toweled off his wet hair after the race. “But I finished in fifth, had a good ride and had a whole lot of fun.”

Camron E. Bussard