Lawson Wins Superbike Race At Talledega

LAWSON WINS SUPERBIKE RACE AT TALLEDEGA

Eddie Lawson, of Ontario, California won the Talledega Superbike Production race, drafting and passing leader David Aldana just before the finish line.

The race marked Aldana’s first ride with Team Kawasaki after riding for the Yoshimura/Suzuki team at Daytona and in the Trans-Atlantic Match Races. Aldana was unhappy with what he viewed as the unresponsiveness of Yoshimura mechanics to his suggestions on machine setup. A money dispute complicated matters. While Aldana was paid to ride at Daytona, he was offered Yoshimura Suzukis for the rest of the season on a bike-supplied-only basis, with no salary. Aldana’s deal with Kawasaki is not much better than the Yoshimura arrangement but Aldana, as a professional rider, felt he had to make the point that he should be paid to ride.

Off the start, Lawson and Aldana battled with Team Honda’s Freddie Spencer and Wes Cooley on the Yoshimura/Vetter Suzuki. After four laps of back-and-forth

racing, Spencer pitted with a destroyed rear tire and Cooley fell back into a distant third with an ignition problem.

Aldana led the closing laps of the race, just ahead of Lawson. Lawson slipstreamed past for the win.

Goodyear representatives later released a statement that Spencer’s tire problems were caused by using a softer-than-recommended rubber compound slick for the Talledega track.

Ron Pierce’s fourth-place finish put him into first in the Superbike Championship point standings.

The Talledega race did not include a Formula One event, but a 250cc Expert race was held. Craig Morris won.

SUPERBIKE RESULTS