1985 NSR500 in Racing
text＝KIYOKAZU IMAI
translation：SHINTARO URASHIMA
Spencer Unrivaled, Winning 7 Out of 11 Races
The Feat of Winning Both the GP500 and GP250 Titles
Freddie Spencer on NV0B at the 1985 Swedish GP. (Photo/Shigeo Kibiki)
The man in the center of the photo holding a clipboard with four stopwatches is Erv Kanemoto, the master coach who led Freddie Spencer to the top. The man with the beard on the right is Jeremy Burgess, who later helped Wayne Gardner and Michael Doohan become world champions. The man with sunglasses in the foreground is George Vukmanovich, who later served as crew chief for Cagiva and other teams. The success of Spencer + NV0B in 1985 was supported by the most talented staff in the Grand Prix world. (Photo/Jiro Ishida)
Following the previous year, HRC made Freddie Spencer the only one to ride the latest GP500 works racer in the 1985 World Grand Prix. Spencer was 23 years old during the 1985 season and was so outstanding that the other top-level riders in the premier class looked pale. Their desired results would be enough as long as this genius rode well, so it was not unreasonable for HRC to think they should focus on him.
The first race for the second-generation NSR500, NV0B, was the Formula 1 class race at Daytona Bike Week, where the final race was held on March 8. The aim was to have the ace rider swing an actual race before the World Grand Prix, which started the week after, to identify any problems.
The NV0B appeared at Daytona Bike Week in the tricolor livery exclusive to the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) Road Racing Championship. Spencer won the Formula 1 class with this machine, the Formula 2 class with the RS250RW [NV1A], and the 200-mile main race with the VF750F Interceptor [RC15] Superbike. (Photo/Shigeo Kibiki)
The 200-mile race, the main event of Daytona Bike Week, has been contested using Superbikes since 1985, so there were few competitors in the Formula 1 class. Thanks to this, Spencer easily took pole position in the qualifier, even though it was his first time riding an NV0B. His best time beat the runner-up by more than four seconds. He also won the final race.
Although the first race was 100 miles (about 160 km), a longer distance than the World Grand Prix, the NV0B did not experience severe problems except a crack on the exhaust pipe of the leftmost cylinder, number 1. On the 18th lap of the 29-lap race, Spencer had to slow down due to the damaged chamber, and his lead, which had once been 24 seconds, was compressed to 4.7 seconds at the finish.
Despite suffering a broken chamber, Spencer continued to race in the 100-mile Formula 1 race at Daytona. The heat from the exhaust gas leaking from the crack caused the resin of the under-cowl to burn black and melt. Although he also suffered a drop in power, he finished the race and won. (Photo/Shigeo Kibiki)
