Lawson’s Superbiker Win Is Surprisingly Easy

CARLSBAD —  Eddie Lawson was one of the leading contenders in the 1984 Superbikers Motorcycle race, but as it turned out, he never even made it to the track. Mechanical problems forced both him to the sidelines, and Kent Howerton went on to win.

However, there was no stopping Lawson Sunday afternoon at the Carlsbad Raceway. Lawson emerged as the 1985 Superbiker champion with a surprisingly easy win in the main event.

Lawson finished with a time of 21:46.21, 5.6 seconds ahead of Howerton. Wayne Rainey was third, Jeff Ward, who was ahead of Lawson until they reached the dirt portion of the fourth lap, finished fourth, and Ricky Graham was fifth.

It was Lawson’s second Superbiker title, and unlike last year, there were no difficulties with his bike.

“My Yamaha was flawless,” said Lawson of Upland. “It was the best bike today, no doubt about that. We spend a lot of time, money and effort to try and win this thing. To do it is fantastic.”

Lawson didn’t get off to a great start in the final, though his lead over Ward was as much as 10.9 seconds at one point. It appeared that Ward, winner in the motocross heat, would win after the first couple of laps. Then Lawson got some help from the track.

“We drifted up on a hill and he (Ward) went low,” Lawson said. “He hit a hole or a rut--that was my break. Once I got a clear path, it was easier for me to ride. I felt more comfortable when I picked up the pace. It’s more comfortable when I have a clear trail. You don’t get rocks and mud thrown in your face.”

Of the 12 finalists, only three (Bubba Shobert, Chris Carr and Steve Eklund) were dirt riders. Although Lawson’s specialty is road racing, he fared better on the dirt than any of his competitors.

“They were showing me up on the pavement,” Lawson said. “I caught up with them on the dirt. But I was in trouble after the big somersault--I almost crashed. You can’t do everything perfect.”

Lawson won the road race heat, which gave him an automatic berth in the final. In that race, he trailed Rainey until the beginning of the sixth lap before he overtook him for good. Rainey settled for second place.

Whereas Lawson sat out last year’s race, two El Cajon natives, Broc Glover and Rick Johnson, were idle Sunday. Glover has a broken wrist and Johnson’s bike, in the words of one race official, “blew up” Saturday.

“Obviously, they would have been real tough had they been there,” Lawson said. “It would have been nice to have them racing.”

It was certainly a nice racing day for Lawson. Not only did he win convincingly, but his motorcycle cooperated with him. What was Lawson thinking as he entered the final lap, with the other rider far behind?

“I said to myself, ‘OK dummy, don’t fall off.’ ”