Forty years ago, America’s Eddie Lawson surprised many grand prix insiders and fans by winning the world 500 championship in his second season. Yamaha had last won the premier-class riders’ title with Kenny Roberts in 1980 and no Dunlop rider had taken the 500 crown since Giacomo Agostini in 1975.
Freddie Spencer was the hot tip to retain the title in 1984. Roberts had retired, Honda now had a V4 machine and Michelin had pioneered radial rear motorcycle tyres. Dunlop’s racing tyres were still cross-ply.
It did not pan out that way; not even close. Take a bow US journalist John Ulrich, who predicted not just that Lawson would win but why, saying Honda would falter once maybe twice and ‘Steady Eddie’ would be right there. ‘Steady’ was a misnomer, by the way. He progressed in one year from the guy Europeans reckoned was unworthy of the number-two seat in the Agostini-owned works Yamaha team to world champion.
The truth was, Lawson already knew how to stitch a title season together. In 1980-82 with Kawasaki he won two American 250 championships and two – very nearly three – American Superbike crowns. He finished at every GP start in 1983. His crew chief that year, Queenslander David Cullen, reckoned Lawson simply lived to win races.
Cullen reflected on the 1983 season for this story.
“Eddie was told it should be a learning year (but) by the end of the year he was beating Randy Mamola on the Suzuki to finish third in races. It took him a while to adjust
