Racewatch
RACEWATCH
Franco Uncini leads 500cc RR World Championship; Cooley and Lawson trade victories at Elkhart; Donnie Hansen is 250cc MX Champion
COOLEY LAWSON TRADE WINS AT ROAD AMERICA
Wes Cooley rode his Yoshimura Suzuki four-stroke Formula One bike to a 100-yard victory over Kawasaki’s Eddie Lawson and his KR.500 two-stroke at the Road America (Elkhart Lake) Formula One AMA National. Nipping on Lawson’s rear tire at the finish line was Nick Richichi with the GS Performance Yamaha TZ750.
Quickly overcoming a second row start, Cooley had the lead of the 72-mile race before the field came around to finish the first lap. Lawson had his GP machine latched firmly in tow and the two front runners began a pass and repass match that had the crowd on their feet the entire race. Lawson’s lightweight two-stroke could out-brake Cooley going into Road America’s tight corners, but the superior horsepower of the big four-stroke showed itself as they accelerated on to the straights again, allowing Cooley to retake the lead. Only on the last two laps when his Kawasaki's engine began to run off song was Lawson forced to slow' and let Cooley pull out his slight margin of victory.
Steve Wise was Team Honda’s highest finisher in fourth position, riding an in-line four production style Superbike. Teammate Roberto Pietri was too sore to make the race after a crash in his qualifying race earlier, while Mike Baldwin was forced to retire the exotic Honda FWS V-4 fourstroke on the opening lap with a broken transmission after having qualified fastest.
The national was marred by a number of serious accidents, the worst of which saw Bruce Hammer crash into a guard rail and suffer a broken neck.
The Superbike race at Road America was held in the rain, but that didn't stop
Eddie Lawson from dominating. Lawson started 33rd on the grid for the final race, after a heat-race crash. Lawson beat Wes Cooley to claim his third straight win of the series, w hile Wayne Rainev was third.
Roberto Pietri and Mike Baldwin rounded out the top five, while Harry Klinzniann on his Raceerafters Kawasaki was the top non-factory rider, in sixth.
Jim Gianatsis
ONE FOR HONDA, 31 FOR SPRINGSTEEN
Back when Mike Kidd was talking about Team Honda’s plans for 1982, the reigning AMA national champion allowed that the team hadn't looked good in 1981. And they still had work to do, he said, so the first part of ’82 was in doubt. But, he predicted, look out in July.
Kidd was a bit pessimistic. And the news was made by a man not even on the Honda team when Kidd spoke. But on June 5, 1982, on the always-elusive Louisville half mile, Scott Pearson made the Honda NS750 a winner.
Double surprise here. Half miles are always tricky. They're too short for drafting, usually slippery so traction counts for more than power, and the winner generally is the man who makes the right move at the right time.
Scott Pearson made several right moves. He's a fast rider who lacked money for a fast program; he was leading the Ascot TT this year until his Yamaha Twin, the old version, failed. So when Honda decided the team needed another experienced man for the dirt program, Pearson listened, then signed.
At Louisville he looked good in the heats, got a terrific start, and won. Luck? Not completely. His time set a new record for the event, by more than 16 sec.
But it was a surprising race, for example Jay Springsteen and Rickv Graham were seventh and ninth, having not gotten good starts or moved right at the right time.
The next time out, though, at the Delaware State Fairgrounds half mile. Spring-
er couldn't do anything wrong. He was the fastest qualifier, won the fastest heat going away and led all 20 laps of the main event. It was his 31st AMA national win and, he whooped in the winner’s circle, “still counting.”
Scries leader Ricky Graham was second, Terry Poovy was third. Team Yamaha is having engine trouble, Honda riders Kidd and Pearson didn’t make the main event, so Delaware was all Harley-Davidson. (There are bound to be mixed feelings about that. H-D boss Dick O'Brien was controlled in his congratulations to Honda ^t Louisville, but he'll never get his improved bikes olT the drawing board onto the track unless the competition is consistently, uh, competitive.) >
UNCINI LEADS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Franco Uncini rode his Gallina-sponsored works Suzuki RG500 to two wins and a third to take over the 500ee road racing World Championship points lead :?rom three-time champion Kenny Roberts. At Jarama, Spain, Uncini was third behind Roberts and Barry Sheene after early-leader Freddie Spencer’s bike broke. Graeme Crosby was fourth and reigning World Champion Marco Lucchinelli fifth. A week later, in Italy, Uncini beat Spencer Und Crosby, with Roberts—complaining of tire problems- fourth. Lucchinelli was again fifth. And as in Spain, Randy Mamola failed to finish with mechanical problems. At Assen, Holland, a sudden rainstorm seven laps into the final event brought down leader Roberts, Spencer -:wd Crosby and race officials stopped the event, scored the first six laps as one heat of a two-heat race, and restarted the event. The final overall finish gave Uncini the win with 2-1 finishes, followed by Roberts (1-3), Sheene (3-4), Crosby (6-2) and Mamola (7-6). Sheene failed to finish in Italy due to engine problems.
Points standings after six of 12 Grands Prix were led by Uncini with 63, Roberts with 60, Sheene with 46, Crosby with 34 and Spencer with 22.
continued on page 80
HANSEN AND SCHULTZ WIN AT ATLANTA
Honda’s Donnie Hansen and Darrell Shultz won national motocrosses on the rough, red-clay course of Road Atlanta. Hansen won both motos in the 250 cc class, and Shultz went 1-2 to win the 500cc class after first-moto victory Danny Chandler crashed in moto two. Yamaha’s Rick Johnson left the event with a 20-point 250cc championship lead despite finish 4-11 with problems. Suzuki’s Kent Howerton collided with Yamaha’s Jeff Hicks while running third in moto two and broke his left leg, giving up the 500cc points lead to Schultz.
Tom Mueller
CUNNINGHAM LEADS NATIONAL ENDURO SERIES
As the American Motorcyclist Association's 1982 National Enduro series reached the midpoint, Husky rider Terry Cunningham led the rest of the AA riders. Cunningham won overall honors at two of three California nationals, the Fool’s Gold Run and the Buckhorn National. Combined with his win in the season opener in Georgia, that gave him a total of 128 points, 13 more than teammate Mike Melton, who won the Rattlesnake enduro in California.
Cunningham finished a close second in series points to eight-times champion Richard Burleson last season.
While Husqvarna continues to dominate, Kawasaki’s Jack Penton, Fritz Kadlec and Drew Smith have made a strong showing also. Smith and Kadlec traded the lead in the early part of the season until Cunningham’s wins in California.
Brian
Ann Palormo
HANSEN CLAIMS 250CC MX TITLE
yr amaha's Broc Clover racked up a 2-1 to top the 250cc class and Honda's Darrell Shultz ran 1-2 in the 500cc class for overall honors in the 250/500cc Na tional Championship MX Series at Colo rado's Tech Track, but the story of the day centered around Yamaha's Rick Johnson, the 250cc points leader going into the round, and Honda's Donnie Hansen, who took second overall and edged Johnson for the 250cc title-by three points.
Hansen holeshot the first 250cc moto with teammate Kenny Keylon and Johnson in tow. Johnson had a 20 point lead going into the race, but seemed intent on all the glory as he blasted over the top of Keylon off a jump. The move was costly; Johnson destroyed his bike's front wheel when he landed and had to pit for a lap and a half. Hansen won, after a heavy dice with Glover, who took second. Suzuki's Warren Reid was third followed by Keylon. Johnson finished 23rd.
Glover blasted the start in moto two and took his lead all the way to the finish, lead ing by 20 seconds at the flag. Hansen started second, and didn't put up much of a fight when Johnson came by near the 10minute mark. It was the final race of the series and all Donnie needed to grab the crown was a safe finish. Hansen repassed Johnson later in the race, but Johnson re turned the favor for an eventual second. Hansen took third, and along with it a sto
rybook performance and the 250cc title.
Shultz led the first 500cc moto but teammate Chuck Sun passed him early in the race. Shultz retook the lead, and then had to repel the charges of Suzuki's Alan King. King got close but Shultz finished first. King was second, and Yamaha's Mike Bell passed Sun for a tight third, holding off Sun by inches through the last turn.
Bell took control of moto two but Shultz pounded past to once again lead. Then Sun got out front and traded the lead with Shultz. Sun won after Shultz ran out of steam during the final lap. Bell was third, King fourth.
Tom Mueller
Final Championship Points 1. Donnie Hansen 300 2. Rick Johnson 297 3. Broc Glover 294 4. Warren Reid 252 5. Kenny Keylon 248
