Topride gives title to Lawson

Press, 12 August 1986, Page 26

Topride gives title to Lawson

NZPA-Reuter Anderstorp The American, Eddie Lawson, secured his second world 500 cu.cm, motor-cycling Grand Prix title in riding his Yamaha to victory in the Swedish event yesterday. Lawson’s triumph by 16 seconds over the Australian Honda rider, Wayne Gardner, second in the standings, gave him an unassailable lead in the over-all table with 124 points. Gardner has 105. Lawson also won the 1984 title here.

Except for the Dutch event, where he fell on a sharp bend and did not finish, the Californian, aged 28, has been the outstanding racer this year. In the absence of 1985 champion, Freddie Spencer, the American Honda rider, Lawson won six races and, except for the Dutch, was never outside the top three. He was third at the start yesterday, but took the lead from Gardner on the sixth lap and held it throughout. Gardner, who won the

British Motor-cycle Grand Prix at Silverstone last weekend, eventually had to fight off the challenge from Lawson’s compatriot, Mike Baldwin, who finished third on his Yamaha. The Briton, Robert McElnea was a close fourth.

Lawson set a lap record for the circuit of Imin 36.595ec, an average speed of 150.3 km/h. Earlier, Fausto Gresini, of Italy, rode his Garelli to victory in the 125 cu.cm, race to narrow the gap to his second-placed compatriot, Luca Cadalora, also on a Garelli, by three points. Cadalora, who clocked the fastest lap of the race at 1:45.01 for a speed of 138.2 km/h, leads the championship standings with 98 points, against 89 for Gresini. The 250 cu.cm. title went to Venezuela’s Carlos Lavado who secured the title here as he also did in 1983. The Yamaha rider, aged 30, fought off Spain’s Honda rider, Site Pons, to wiif by nearly 4s.