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Eddie Lawson History......in detail
Eddie Lawson
Tribute
Introduction
- Eddie Lawson was one of the greatest motorcycle
racers of modern times, claiming four 500cc world
titles and 31 Grand Prix victories while racing
for three different manufacturers. At the start
of his 500cc career he lined up as Kenny Roberts
team-mate and in his final season was racing with
Alex Barros and future world champion Alex Criville.
- In the nine years between, he beat the likes of
Spencer, Sheene, Gardner, Rainey, Schwantz, Doohan,
Mamola, Sarron, Roche, Magee and Haslam, showing
the cool head and consistent speed that would earn
him his Steady Eddie nickname.
- Having won four world titles, he turned his back
on the mighty Japanese manufacturers to join Italian
underdog's Cagiva, giving them their first GP victory
in his very final year of Grand Prix competition.
After retiring from the Grand Prix circuit, Lawson
came out of retirement to win the Daytona 200 for
a second time, before turning his attention to four
wheels culminating in an entry in the 1996 IndyCar
championship.
The Early Years
- Eddie was born into a motorcycle-orientated family
on March 11, 1958, in the appropriately named Upland
hills on the outskirts of Los Angeles, California.
He was just 7 years old when he first threw his
leg over a 80cc minibike and soon after joined many
of the young throttle junkies growing up in the
area, whose natural outlet was through frantic ultra-competitive
racing on the hastily made local dirt tracks.
- Crucially for Eddie, he didn't just ride dirt
bikes and benefited from early road racing experience
something that fellow LA rider Wayne Rainey didn't
sample until much later in his career and by combining
the two disciplines the full-time transition to
tarmac would prove much easier.
Dirt tracking
- Despite dabbling in road racing, it was dirt tracks
that were Eddie's priority and he rose steadily
through the club racing ranks reaching the heady
heights of AMA Expert status, at the age of 19,
in early 1978. However, as Rainey two years his
younger - would later find, the Grand National scene
was a tough place for guys in their late teens no
matter how talented.
Road Racing
- Spurred on by his success, Lawson finally made
the full-time switch to Road Racing in 1980, having
clinched a deal to ride a Kawasaki in both the AMA
Superbike and AMA 250cc GP championships. Any fears
Eddie might have had about making the switch soon
evaporated when his diverse two-wheeled talent saw
him win on both the 1000cc four-stroke and 250cc
two-stroke even taking the championship first time
out in the latter, and narrowly missing out on SBK
honours.
- 1980 also saw Lawson introduced to a rival he
would race not only for the domestic championships
but later the World 500cc Crown Fast Freddie Spencer.
Spencer was already a factory Honda star by 1980
and the face off between Honda and Kawasaki / Spencer
and Lawson was the story of the 81 season, and crucially
it was Lawson who triumphed both in the 250s and
SBK series.
- Eddie successfully defended his Superbike crown
in 1982, again with Kawasaki, this time teamed with
a young Wayne Rainey, brought on board on Eddie's
instruction. Although he didn't win a race, Rainey
spent an eye-opening year studying his friend Lawson's
already meticulous approach to racing something
both would keep for the rest of their careers. Meanwhile,
Spencer had moved to the 500cc World Championship
with Honda achieving instant success - he finished
third overall, won the Belgian GP and was top Honda.
- Spencer's success highlighted the AMA series as
a proving ground for future GP stars and paved the
way for Lawson's - and later Rainey's move to the
premier class.
Difficult Grand Prix debut
- As a reward for his performances in the American
championships, Lawson made his 250cc GP debut as
a wild card in three rounds of the 1981 championship,
again riding a Kawasaki. However, any thoughts of
instant stardom were soon dismissed by three DNF's
on the uncompetitive machine, but for the ever observing
Eddie the experience was all useful not least coming
to terms with racing outside America for the first
time.
- By 1983, and now with two AMA SBK's championships
to his credit, Lawson followed Spencer into 500cc
GP's. This time the world took notice.
1983 - Team-mate to the King
- For 83 Eddie had reluctantly broken his Kawasaki
links to accept a once-in-a-lifetime offer to partner
King Kenny Roberts, on a factory Marlboro Yamaha,
in was the triple world champions last season of
racing.
- Roberts was clearly the team leader, and it was
Lawson's old rival Fast Freddie who looked like
being his main rival on the Erv Kanemoto tuned factory
NS500 triple. That prediction soon became a reality
when Spencer won the first three races in a row,
while the home-sick Eddie was finding life as Roberts
team-mate a tough undertaking: He well and truly
in the shadow of a legend and an American one at
that.
- Nevertheless, Lawson emerged from his debut season
amongst the world's best a credible fourth - behind
Spencer, Roberts and Mamola with his best result
a second behind his team-mate at the Salzburgring
in Austria. Although the year hadn't lived up to
his own high expectations, he'd scored points in
all but one race showing the speed and consistency
that would later earn him the Steady Eddie nickname
he would keep throughout his career.
1984 - On top of the World.
- For his second season in 500 GP's, and with Roberts
now retired, Eddie found himself inheriting the
top Yamaha mantel and was the Japanese marques only
real hope of taking on Honda's new NSR500 a machine
that took motorcycle technology to a new level,
but would suffer early teething problems.
- Favourite for the 84 crown was undoubtedly reigning
champ Spencer, having beaten Roberts at the age
of just 21 on the old NS, he now looked even stronger
on HRC's new V4 a suspicion confirmed when he shot
to an early pole in the season opening South African
Grand Prix. However, disaster struck soon after
when his rear wheel broke, injuring Spencer and
forcing him to watch from the pits as Lawson took
his first ever Grand Prix victory.
- Despite Eddie's landmark win, the Status Quo looked
to be restored next time out at Misano when Spencer
took the NSR's first victory, ahead of Eddie, in
what was then called the Nation's GP. After this
high, Spencer's season hit another low when he broke
his foot at Donington Park's Transatlantic Trophy
crucially ruling him out of the following Spanish
Grand Prix. Lawson again typically capitalised on
his opponent's mistake to not only claim victory
in Jerez, but follow that up by beating the returned
Freddie in Austria.
- But Spencer was made of strong stuff and bounced
back from this blow to take three in a row at Germany,
France and Yugoslavia. Regardless of his rivals
success, Steady Eddie was doing just that and clocking
good points at every outing, so that when Assen
arrived [round 8 of 12] the points standings were
89 72 in Lawson's favour.
- A third for Lawson behind the Hondas of Mamola
and Roche at the legendary Dutch TT combined with
a mechanical DNF for Spencer meant that a first
world title was now firmly within his grasp. In
desperation, and triggered by the Mamola / Roche's
success on the old NS, Spencer returned to the much
better understood machine for the Belgian Grand
Prix at the daunting Spa circuit. The move proved
inspired and a victory for Freddie together with
a fourth for Lawson set up a potentially thrilling
three-race battle for the world crown.
- But it would all come to nothing when Spencer
eliminated himself by crashing badly in front of
his home fans at a non-championship Laguna Seca
race, which forced him to sit out the rest of the
season. Despite the persistent efforts of Mamola
and Roche to retain Honda's crown, Lawson ensured
his first title with a 2nd, 1st and 4th, respectively,
in the final three GP's to take him a massive 31
points clear of new nearest rival Mamola, whose
title charge was blunted by his late signing.
- Although undoubtedly a deserving Champion, some
felt Lawson's crown had come partly through the
self destruction of his competition, indeed Spencer
had won more races [5 to 4] but Lawson was only
in his second year of GP racing, and had showed
incredibly maturity, at the age of 24, to keep his
head.
1985 - Fast Freddie's home run
- As defending World Champion, Eddie now had a target
on his back and was the man to beat. Again riding
for Marlboro Yamaha, Lawson had been hoping to benefit
from off season developments on his V4, which he
needed to match Spencer's revamped NSR, a machine
redesigned and even more fearsome than it had been
in it's debut season. The only potential weakness
in the HRC camp was Spencer's shock decision to
ride double duty in 85 taking on the epic task of
campaigning both the 250 and 500cc classes, and
with it the doubled risk of injury.
- Despite winning the season opener, Eddie looked
to be up against it when Freddie's NSR took three
wins and three seconds from the first six races
to hold a 81-74 advantage heading in to Assen, but
again the Dutch track proved unlucky for Spencer
when he DNF'd. Unfortunately for Lawson he did likewise
and in the process lost his last real chance of
catching his countryman who won four of the next
five rounds to take the title by 8 points from the
ever-determined Eddie.
1986 - Freddie slips, Eddie soars
- In an incredibly tragic twist, Spencer's victory
at the penultimate round of the 85 season, the Swedish
Grand Prix, would be his last ever. In what was
then a mystery the 24 year old who had seemed almost
unmatchable the year before, returned a shadow of
his former self in 1986.
- Only later would it be disclosed that Freddie
was suffering from Carpel Tunnel syndrome a condition
that caused him to lose feeling in his right arm
and so render him helpless on the NSR. With Spencer
effectively sidelined, the 86 battle became a straight
fight between Honda NSR mounted Wayne Gardner now
HRC's #1 rider following Spencer's sudden decline
and Lawson's Agostini run Marlboro Yamaha.
- Gardner rewarded Honda's faith in him by winning
the season opener in Jarama, ahead of Lawson, but
then four wins in row by the American put him firmly
in charge of the title chase. Lawson's only hiccup
in an otherwise dominating season was a DNF at Assen,
which Gardner capitalised on by taking victory,
but Eddie's end of season run included three wins
from five races to give him a total of seven victories,
and a 22 point title winning margin over the Rothman's
rider for his second world crown.
1987 - Aussie attack
- Having taken his first 500cc GP victories and
been Lawson's nearest rival in 86 Gardner approached
the 1987 season with renewed confidence and determination
to become Australia's first premier class champion,
and had the might of HRC fully behind him to do
just that. Double world champ Eddie was still Yamaha's
number one star and was joined on the tuning fork
machines by Mamola and Mike Baldwin.
- Although the year began with three different winners;
Mamola, Gardner and Lawson [from Japan, Spain and
Germany respectively], the year would be a major
disappointment for Eddie and Yamaha who just couldn't
live with the pace of the Gardner/NSR combination,
who went on to win another six rounds on their way
to the 87 crown. While it was painful enough to
lose to a Honda, Lawson wasn't even top Yamaha with
Mamola piping him by just 1 point at the end of
the 15 round series, despite Lawson winning five
races to Mamola's three.
1988 - Enter the challengers
- Lawson kept faith with Yamaha for 1988, while
new boy's Rainey and Kevin Magee joined Yamaha Team
Roberts in Lucky Strike Colours, with fellow Rookie
Kevin Schwantz campaigning a Pepsi liveried Suzuki.
In the Honda camp, Gardner was joined by Niall MacKenzie
and Pier-Francesco Chili to set up what looked like
being another Yamaha vs. Honda / Lawson vs. Gardner
battle, with the unpredictable newcomers thrown
in spice up the action.
- That was the theory anyway, but then Schwantz
shocked by winning on his GP debut at Suzuka, before
the old order was re-established with Lawson winning
his home round at Laguna Seca. Then Magee won in
Jarama to open his GP account, before Eddie notched
up two in a row at Portugal and Italy, before Schwantz
won round six in German almost three-quarters through
a headline grabbing season and reigning champ Gardner
was yet to win a race, although he was still in
overall title contention.
- Gardner's slim hopes wouldn't last much longer
though, and looked to have evaporated entirely when
he crashed out of the Austrian GP scene of Lawson's
fourth victory of the year but the tough Aussie
came back with a vengeance at Assen, finally breaking
his 88 duck and starting a three race win streak.
So, with five rounds to go, it was 165 145 in Lawson's
favour and, despite injuring himself in a Yugoslavia
practice crash, Eddie extended his points lead by
seven with a fortunate victory in France when Gardner's
NSR suffered late race mechanical failure.
- A recovered Lawson then proved his class by claiming
a further two victories (to Gardner's one) to end
the year 30 points clear and a triple world champion.
Now Eddie had really joined the GP greats. Of note
was that Lawson's long time friend Rainey had joined
Schwantz and Magee by also taking his first 500cc
GP victory in 88, at round 12 (Donington Park).
1989 - Lawson vs. Rainey; Part I
- It came as something of a surprise when Eddie
announced that after five years and three world
titles with Yamaha, he would be leaving to join
arch-rivals Honda for the 1989 season. Perhaps Lawson
had been convinced by the NSR's ever increasing
performance, or maybe he simply wanted a change
of scenery. Whatever the reason, and regardless
of HRC's pedigree, the move to a semi-works team
looked risky but legendary Honda tuner Erv Kanemoto
would join him.
- 1989 would be the year that Rainey, who'd always
been a step behind Lawson, finally caught up with
his hometown friend and emerged to lead the assault
against Lawson and his world championship, as Yamaha's
top rider. In contrast to Eddie's previous rivals,
Rainey rode with a similar philosophy; he was frighteningly
fast - but not reckless, outwardly calm but fiercely
determined, eager to win but aware of the wider
picture.
- As such, Lawson found himself facing an adversary
who would race him at his own game and while others
would shine occasionally throughout the year, the
title was only ever between the two LA boys. But
at the season opener in Suzuka, it was neither of
the former dirt track stars who triumphed, with
Schwantz defeating Rainey after a bitter race-long
battle, while Eddie completed the podium on his
Honda debut.
- Rainey would take the points lead next time out
at the new Phillip Island event - but he didn't
win the race. Instead home hero Gardner rose to
the occasion and became an instant Aussie legend
by clawing victory from the American after a fantastic
fight. Lawson managed just fifth in Australia and
when Rainey won the following US GP, from Schwantz,
Eddie must have been beginning to question his Honda
move. Fellow HRC riders Chili, Doohan and Gardner
[who broke his leg at Laguna] were also struggling
with the NSR's aggressive handling.
- But all the time Kanemoto was working tirelessly
to tame the beast and slowly but surely the pair
shaped the NSR into a more rider friendly machine
while maintaining the machine's horsepower advantage
turning it into a genuine title contender once again.
The breakthrough for Eddie and Erv finally came
next time out at Jerez [pictured], when Lawson claimed
his first Honda victory and in the process shaped
the championship firmly into the much-anticipated
Lawson vs. Rainey showdown.
- Italy, round 5 of 15, was won by Chili but only
after all other riders refused to race while Rainey
and Schwantz shared honours with two wins each at
the following four rounds, so that by the ninth
GP of the year at Assen Rainey led Lawson by 143
points to 127. But the unique Dutch circuit would
again be a watershed, and this time it marked the
end of Rainey's race winning run.
- Although Rainey held a 15-point lead with six
rounds to go, that didn't tell the true story as
Eddie and his NSR were now working in harmony and
having been true to his name and steady in the face
of Rainey's early season run, he was now in a position
to take the fight to the Yamaha star at every remaining
round.
- Rainey, in only his second year of GP competition,
lacked Lawson's experience and was clearly frustrated
as he watched Eddie win two out the next three rounds
[and finish second in the other] to head to round
12, Sweden, just 6.5 points [only half points had
been awarded at Spa] behind, for what would be the
pivotal race of the year.
- Eddie was now firmly in his stride, riding faultlessly
and with a potential 60 points available from the
final three rounds it didn't take a Math's genius
to work out that all he had to do was continue his
post-Assen form and a fourth title would comfortably
be his.
- Realising this, Rainey made what would be one
of his few major mistakes in GP racing. With the
pair well clear of the rest of the field and dicing
for victory, Rainey overstretched himself in the
closing stages and fell handing Lawson a crucial
13.5 points lead and a massive psychological advantage.
- Eddie wasn't about to lose the point's lead now
and two seconds behind Schwantz in the final two
rounds assured him of World Championship number
four and a place alongside Mike Hailwood and John
Surtee's in the record books. As a reflection of
Lawson/Kanemoto's supreme efforts in their one and
only year together, the next highest finishing Honda
was that of Chili just sixth in the standings at
the end of the season behind three Yamahas and Schwantz's
Suzuki.
- Few rider's in the modern era have won World Championship's
in their first year with a new team and manufacturer,
let alone a semi-works outfit, and the triumph on
a machine that factory riders Gardner and Doohan
struggled to control was arguably Eddie's finest
hour.
1990 - Lawson vs. Rainey: Part II
- For the 1990 season, Lawson made another unpredicted
move, this time back to Yamaha more specifically
to Team Roberts to be non-other than Rainey's team-mate.
Such a switch speaks volumes about Lawson's personality;
to join a team built around his main rival could
be described as brave, foolish or both. Perhaps
if Honda had been keener to keep him, or if his
title rival had been anyone other than Rainey he
wouldn't have joined, but the respect between the
two was such that Rainey never attempted to block
the move and so Kenny Roberts found himself with
a true motorcycle dream team.
- But having been on top of the world in 1989, the
records show that Lawson would win just one more
Grand Prix before his retirement from GP racing
at the end of 1992 and it wouldn't be with Team
Roberts. Returning mentally stronger and more determined
than ever to land his first world crown, Rainey
fired a warning shot by winning the season opening
Japanese Grand Prix. Then at Laguna Seca Lawson
experienced something he'd manage to avoid for so
many years a big crash and injury.
- It will come as no surprise to hear that the accident
wasn't Eddie's fault instead his brakes failed at
high speed and he was forced to bail of his Marlboro
coloured YZR V4, breaking his foot against the barriers.
Although genuinely sad at the incident, Rainey wasn't
going to let such an opportunity slip Lawson was
ruled out of the next five rounds, having lost out
on a potential 100 points by the time he made his
comeback at Assen.
- By the time Lawson returned, Rainey had an incredible
four victories and three seconds to his credit from
the first seven races as he took 500cc racing to
a new level just as Eddie had before him. Sitting
131 points behind his team-mate before the start
of the Dutch TT, Lawson must have known his cause
was lost. His only chance was if he could dominate
the remaining seven rounds, combined with DNF's
for Rainey and that just wasn't going to happen.
- Instead Rainey took another three victories to
claim the first of three world titles, beating Schwantz
by a massive 67 points. By the time the season ended
in Australia, Lawson had nevertheless notched up
six podium finishes in the final eight races after
his comeback indeed out of those eight rounds Rainey
scored just 6 points more than Lawson, but with
half the year effectively written off, Eddie was
left just seventh in the season end standings.
- While he'd been winless in GP's, 1990 wasn't a
completely fruitless season as Lawson still managed
to claim his one and only Suzuka Eight Hours victory,
with Yamaha favourite Tadahiko Taira.
1991 - New challenge at Cagiva
- 1990 would mark the end of Lawson's career as
a World Championship contender although that seemed
to be more down to another of Eddie's team changes
than a reflection of the now 33 year olds potential.
In yet another shock decision he again switched
both team and manufacturer by signing for Cagiva
- a team who had yet to take a 500cc Grand Prix
victory despite over a decade of trying.
- Surely someone as level headed as Lawson must
have known that he wouldn't be able to beat Rainey,
Schwantz and the fast emerging Doohan - not to mention
the mighty Japanese manufacturers but then maybe
that was the point; Eddie had been World Champion
four times and after being Rainey's team-mate the
previous year could well have decided that he didn't
need to prove himself any more.
- By 1991 he'd beaten the likes of Spencer, Sheene,
Gardner, Rainey Schwantz, Doohan, Mamola, Sarron,
Roche, Magee and Haslam on the way to his four world
titles did he really need to do it all again. Instead,
by moving to Cagiva he was also moving the goal
posts - the challenge was now to make the Italian
team a front running outfit - they'd never even
had a rider finish in the championship top-ten before,
despite employing the likes of Randy Mamola - and
just maybe Lawson could give them a long overdue
victory.
- For this new challenge, Lawson was teamed with
young Brazilian Alex Barros and the pair were soon
working admirably as they steadily made the stylish
Cagiva into something approaching competitive to
the shock of most of the GP paddock.
- The elusive first race victory never came, but
by the end of the year he'd dragged the team that
had contemplated GP retirement the year before up
to an incredible sixth in the World Championship
behind Rainey, Doohan, Schwantz, Kocinski and Gardner
achieving two podium finishes [at Italy and France]
and regularly mixing it with the might of the Japanese
teams along the way.
- By the end of the year Eddie had proved he'd lost
none of his determination and earned the respect
of riders and fans alike for his gutsy rides as
an underdog.
1992 - One last win
- 1992 would be Lawson's last season of World Championship
racing, but Eddie certainly wasn't going to fade
away and while he would stand on the podium just
once in the reduced 13 round series, it would be
from the top step as he took Cagiva's first GP victory,
at the Hungarian GP. The win was Lawson's 31st in
Grand Prix racing, an amazing tally that at the
time put him third in the all time 500cc win list.
- Hungary aside, the season ended with Lawson just
ninth in the points in a year dominated by the revolutionary
Big Bang' Honda NSR, although it was Rainey who
finally took the title after staging a remarkable
comeback and taking full advantage of Doohan's horrendous
Assen injuries.
- Aside from his Hungary triumph, one of the most
enduring images of Lawson in 92 was of the single
minded Eddie riding along during practice for the
Brazilian Grand Prix at Sau Paulo, having decided
to venture out despite every other rider claiming
the circuit was too dangerous.
1993 to 1996 - Daytona 200 then IndyCar
- After leaving the GP scene, Lawson made two one-off
motorcycle returns, both at the AMA SBK season opening
Daytona 200 - claiming his second Daytona victory
in 1993 [he also won in 1986] and a took a third
place on his final appearance in 94.
- Eddie then moved on to yet another challenge,
this time outside motorcycle racing, by pursuing
a career in American single-seater racing, rising
swiftly through the ranks to reach the pinnacle
of the IndyCar series, in 1996, with the underfunded
Mercedes powered Galles Racing team.
- Lawson scored points in 4 of the 11 rounds, with
a best finish of sixth a feat he achieved twice,
at locations as diverse as the US 500 [held on the
daunting 2.5mile Michigan Super Speedway] and then
again on the Detroit road circuit, racing against
the likes of Al Unser Jr., Michael Andretti, Gil
de Ferran, Jimmy Vasser, Alex Zanardi and Emerson
Fittipaldi.
- However, when funding for the Galles team dried
up at the end of the year, Eddie decided to retire
from motorsport completely, at the age of 40. Lawson
life has now gone full circle and he can often be
found racing his old friend Rainey once again, but
now it's purely for fun and instead of the merciless
500cc two-strokes, it's high performance Kart's
that are under Steady Eddie's command.
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