European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 21, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday january 21, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 25 racing Roundup Lawson faces Tough Cycle opposition today lets Start Wilh motorcycle for change and take a look at the coming grand prix season in the Soock division a division dominated by american riders for several Yean now. For 1987, the world championship Soock Competition has Bee increased to 15 races from Lam year s 11, Cycle racing becoming Ever More popular and drawing huge crowds at of events. Beginning at the lop the Marlboro Yamaha factory team s Star rider Eddie Lawson of Upland Calif will return to defend his world Crown and to win third one but he will face some Lough opposition along the Way. Foremen among his opponents appears to be the australian Wayne Gardner who was recently named no. 1 rider Tor the rothmans Honda lean. Gardner replace Lou Tianan fast Freddie Spencer who won three world crowns for Honda Soock crowns in1983 and 198, plus the 250cc world title also in 85. Supporting Gardner on the Honda factory team nil be the japanese rider Shunji Yatsushiro. The Young englishman Roger Burnett will also have Honda supported ride on a separate team managed by Honda of Britain s Barry Symmons. Commenting on his new Job As no. T rider Withro Lahmani Honda Gardner said in 1986 1 was supposed to be no. 2 in the team and learn the rope sin Freddie Spencer s tracks. Instead Freddie got an injury right at the Start of the season and 1 was thrown in at the deep end. I Learned a lot on a Bike really Jef up for someone else. This year it s All up Tome. The new Honda Bike looks great and 1 now know what it takes so Lawson look out while Lawsons toughest opponent will probably be Gardner As noted that role will also be played by Louisiana s Spencer if he recovers full from his tendonitis injuries tendonitis of the right  forcing Spencer to withdraw from action Las year Early in the season. He has undergone surgery to Correct the condition and according to a . Freddie is now under rehabilitation and has done training on Honda vfr730 andnsr500 bikes at Willow Springs and Daytona and also in Japan turning it tap times consistent with Bis Best times of past  if Spencer s  heals properly then it s obvious that he will be Lawson s major worry. The main  of Spencer s testing has been to Check the condition of his  and while his Lap speeds Haven t been affected it will take a grand prix race to see How Well his  holds up for the distance and these races can be grueling indeed. Spencer will also be testing late this month i Australia and he plans to late part in All world championship grand Prii races on a Honda but he probably will not be Riding for rothmans Honda As m past years the rothmans spokesman said. That team is All set and definitely will be led by the australian Gardner. Also returning for the 1987 Competition will be the Yamaha supported Lucky strike Kenny Roberts learn which proved surprisingly competitive in its debut last season Wilh californians Randy Mamola and Mike Baldwin again Riding for Roberts. Team Leader Roberts is a three Lime world Champion in the 500cc division and is considered by Many to be the greatest american rider of All time Mamola won one grand prix last year the Bel Gian round and finished third in the world championship standings while his teammate Baldwin placed fourth. Gardner run Crup to Lawson won three Opi and Lawson won the other seven. The Yamaha factory meanwhile had an extremely Good year in 1986, with world championships in both the 500 and 2socc classes As Well As in  1987. It will again be Yamaha is. Honda where the top Soock dais is concerned. So it should prove an exciting Campaign especially if Spencer recovers and Gardner gains the Confidence he seeds. Lawson has gone on record assaying he would like nothing better than a third world Crown and hell be going All out to get it. Mostof the action is in Europe so if you re a Cycle fan plan on hitting the Road when you can. Camping i available at All circuits and unlike grand prut Auto racing the Cycle scene is Slit a fairly inexpensive one. The i 5-race grand prix Calendar is As follows Suzuka Japan March 29 Jerez de la Frontera Spain april 26 Hocke Nchim Germany May 17monza, Italy May 24 Salzburg Austria june 7 Rijeka Yugoslavia june 14 Assen Holland june27-28 spa Franco champs Belgium july 5 be mans France july 19 Donington Park England aug. 2 ande Storp Sweden aug. 9 Brno Czecho Slovakia aug. 23 Misano Italy san marinoaug.30 Jarama Spain portuguese round sept. 13 Rio de Janeiro Brazil sept. 27.Well have All of the motorcycle race listings plus Motocross and trials when we publish the  Calendar next month. While Lancia of Italy appears headed for a Triumph in the Monte Carlo rally with two cars out in front at Tot report Peugeot of France continues on its Wuy to Victory in the Paris Dakar Rall with sex world Champion Ari Vatanen of Finland still leading aboard his Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 with Only one Day to go. Vatanen still has a More than two hour Lead Over Renchan Patrick Zaniroli Range Rover despite losing an hour on one stage after crashing. Vansten Peugeot somersault a Over a Sand Dune last weekend during a special Speed stage but Peugeot team mechanics quickly repaired the ear and Alanen was on his Way finishing the stage and still retaining mislead. The 7,600-mile rally which started on new year Day ends on thursday and if Vatanen stays out of trouble be has the Paris Dakar won. Running thirds Bis Peugeot teammate Shekhar Mehta of Kenya also in a Peugeot 205 Turbo 16.the Peugeot Are last year s group b super cars which helped the French pm win the 1986 world rally  modified the cars for participation in the desert  in the motorcycle division As the rally Nean its end is Hubert Auriol on a Caliva. The Frenchman enjoying a one hour Lead Over his coun Tryman Cyril Neveu who had led the rally aboard his Honda until last weekend. Third is Eddy Ortoli of Italy on a Honda. Belgian rider Gaston Rahier twice the Winner of the Paris Dakar Marathon is fourth on a Bow. Moving to Auto racing Goodyear has released its annual report on track attendance and during the 1 986 season formula one grand Pri Auto racing enjoyed the highest per race motor sports attendance in the world. Goodyear lists the average grand prix race attendance last year at 1 18,500, up slightly from the 117,937 in 1985. Total formula one attendance was listed at 1,896,000, also up slightly from the 1985 total of More then the1,887,000. Sixteen grand prix races were held last year Wil three staged in North America the United slates Canada and Mexico. Within the United states itself attendance at Auto racing events in 15 major series in North America increased by More than a million spectators in 1986over the previous War the Goodyear release said with total increase lifted at 1,086,000 spectators Orup 15 percent. Total attendance at 253 events was 8,346,000 in 1986, up from 7,260,000 for the Sam number of events in 1985. The Overall average event attendance jumped from. 28,696 to 32,988. The figures reported were compiled from official sanctioning body statistics and reports tiled by Goodyear racing division Field managers. Stuttgart Auto show the i sch International Stuttgart racing and sports car show Cut 87 opens saturday at the Kjile Berg Park Fairgrounds and runs through feb. I. Sponsored bythe adar Wuerttemberg the show s daily hours Are from 9 . To 6 p.m., including saturdays and Sun Days formula one racing cars from last season will be featured including world Champion Alain Frost s Mclaren Tao porsche Nigel manse s Williams Honda Gerhard Berger s Bunemon Bow and Jac ques la file s Ligier Renault. Old timers new production cars drag racing cars land Speed record machines Novelty ears and motor cycles also will be displayed along with boats an sports equipment. It s a big production and always a Good one. Of special interest to american drag racing fan during the nine Day event will be the Mercedes 500 Sec funny car owned by Rico Anthes a member of the German american Hanau Auto racing association Hara. Anthes one of the top drag racing Drivers in Europe purchased the car Date last year in los Angeles and he plans to race it throughout Europe this season. Another event this one on saturday an sunday takes place in Eindhoven the Netherlands where Many of Europe s top motorcycle ice riders will gather to compete in one of the qualifying rounds for the ice Speedway world  Sun Bui transmission failure zaps Saby Kankkunen snares rally Lead Monte Carlo Monaco a Fin land s Juha Kankkunen. Driving a Lan Cia took Over the Lead tuesday in the55th Monte Carlo rally after Frenchman Bruno Saby leading at the Start of the Day was forced to drop out when his Lancia s transmission broke Down. Kankkunen pushed Massimo Biasion also in a Lancia into second place two seconds ahead of the italian who had taken Over Saby j top spot. The three have held the top three places in varying order since the rally started three Days ago West Germany s Walter Rohri in Anaudi-200 Quattro look third place after tuesday s six special stages. Rohrl is a four time Winner of the rally. Saby was forced to abandon the rally200 meters into tuesday s second stage with transmission problems. Biasion Plancia also had some mechanical difficulties but mechanics successfully changed his Gearbox in 39 minutes. It was in the second stage a dry Road that the Mancias which have led since the first timed stages sunday suffered their first defeat tuesday. Sweden s Kalle Grundel won the stage in a two wheel drive Ford Sierra. Two wheel drives have been at a decided disadvantage in the rally which takes Drivers through Slick or snowy Al Pine Roods. The International automobile federation announced tuesday the creation of a special award carrying a $50,000 prize for the two wheel Dave rally car winning the most Points in this year s world rally championship. Tuesday s stages a total of 131 kilo me ters 81.4 Miles ending in Cap France took the Drivers through a varied course of Snow ice wet and dry roads and fog. The Winter Aulo classic which began saturday Wilh a drive to Grenoble from live european Points ends thursday with five special stages by the top 100 competitors in the Hills of Monaco. Of the 160 autos starting the rally 128remained tuesday night. Zurbriggen tops Adel Boden of Adel Boden Switzerland apr Pirmin Zurbriggen lashed Back from a disappointing weekend to win a world cup giant slalom race tuesday heading a 1-2 Swiss sweep and further widening his Overall Lead. Zurbriggen 23, posted his 2 4th world cup win in seven seasons on the circuit with a two run total of 2 minutes 33.82seconds. Runner up on the Kuom Bergli course was teammate Joel Gaspor sat urday s Wyngen slalom Winner who trailed by just 0.61  Veteran Ingemar sic Mark was third with a time of2 34.71.rudolf Nierlich. A 20-year-old Austri an was fourth followed by countryman Hubert Strolz. The top american was Felix Mcgrann in 21st place