The 1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 41st F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
Defending champion Eddie Lawson stunned most observers by switching from the Yamaha to Honda in the offseason then proceeded to win the championship, becoming the first man to win two consecutive 500cc championships on two different brands. On why he left Yamaha for Honda: "Giacomo Agostini, the Marlboro Yamaha team manager, started playing games, saying stuff like, 'I don't know if we can pay you the same as we did in 1988.' I'd just won my third title, so that was tough to hear. Also, I found out Ago was talking to Kevin Schwantz. I met with Erv and told him that I needed a change. When Marlboro discovered I was talking with Honda, they doubled their offer, but it was too late. I actually took a pay cut to ride the Honda." [1]
Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz continued to perform impressively while Freddie Spencer made a less than successful comeback attempt with the Marlboro Yamaha team. Australian Wayne Gardner was out for most of the season after breaking his leg at Laguna Seca but not before winning the inaugural Grand Prix in his home country. Another Australian made his Grand Prix debut for the Rothmans Honda team with Mick Doohan scoring a third-place finish at the Hockenheimring. The FIM awarded half points for the rain-drenched Belgian Grand Prix after organisers restarted the race three times contrary to FIM race regulations. The Nations Grand Prix at Misano was boycotted by most of the top riders for safety reasons.
Sito Pons won a second consecutive 250 championship for Honda while Spanish teenager, Àlex Crivillé won the 125 crown on a Rotax-powered JJ Cobas motorcycle designed by Antonio Cobas. Derbi rider Manuel Herreros had the honor of winning the final 80cc world championship as the class would be discontinued after 1989.
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1989: [2] [3]
Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit |
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1 | 26 March | Grand Prix of Japan | Suzuka Circuit |
2 | 9 April | Swan Premium Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit |
3 | 16 April | Dunlop USGP | Laguna Seca Raceway |
4 | 30 April | Marlboro Gran Premio de España de Motociclismo | Circuito Permanente de Jerez |
5 | 14 May | G.P. Delle Nazioni | Circuito Internazionale Santa Monica |
6 | 28 May | Großer Preis von Deutschland für Motorräder | Hockenheimring |
7 | 4 June | Großer Preis von Österreich | Salzburgring |
8 | 11 June | Yu Grand Prix | Automotodrom Rijeka |
9 | 24 June | Dutch TT | TT Circuit Assen |
10 | 2 July | Belgium Motorcycle Grand Prix | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps |
11 | 16 July | Grand Prix de France | Bugatti Circuit |
12 | 6 August | Shell British Motorcycle Grand Prix | Donington Park |
13 | 13 August | Swedish TT | Scandinavian Raceway |
14 | 27 August | Grand Prix CSSR-Brno | Brno Circuit |
15 | 17 September | Brazilian Grand Prix | Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia |
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Round | Date | Race | Location | 80cc winner | 125cc winner | 250cc winner | 500cc winner | Report |
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1 | 26 March | Japanese Grand Prix | Suzuka | Ezio Gianola | John Kocinski | Kevin Schwantz | Report | |
2 | 9 April | Australian Grand Prix | Phillip Island | Àlex Crivillé | Sito Pons | Wayne Gardner | Report | |
3 | 16 April | United States Grand Prix | Laguna Seca | John Kocinski | Wayne Rainey | Report | ||
4 | 30 April | Spanish Grand Prix | Jerez | Herri Torrontegui | Àlex Crivillé | Luca Cadalora | Eddie Lawson | Report |
5 | 14 May | Nations Grand Prix | Misano | Jorge Martínez | Ezio Gianola | Sito Pons | Pierfrancesco Chili | Report |
6 | 28 May | German Grand Prix | Hockenheim | Peter Öttl | Àlex Crivillé | Sito Pons | Wayne Rainey | Report |
7 | 4 June | Austrian Grand Prix | Salzburgring | Hans Spaan | Sito Pons | Kevin Schwantz | Report | |
8 | 11 June | Yugoslavian Grand Prix | Automotodrom Rijeka | Peter Öttl | Sito Pons | Kevin Schwantz | Report | |
9 | 24 June | Dutch TT | Assen | Peter Öttl | Hans Spaan | Reinhold Roth | Wayne Rainey | Report |
10 | 2 July | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa | Hans Spaan | Jacques Cornu | Eddie Lawson | Report | |
11 | 16 July | French Grand Prix | Le Mans | Jorge Martínez | Carlos Cardús | Eddie Lawson | Report | |
12 | 6 August | British Grand Prix | Donington | Hans Spaan | Sito Pons | Kevin Schwantz | Report | |
13 | 13 August | Swedish Grand Prix | Anderstorp | Àlex Crivillé | Sito Pons | Eddie Lawson | Report | |
14 | 27 August | Czechoslovakian Grand Prix | Brno | Herri Torrontegui | Àlex Crivillé | Reinhold Roth | Kevin Schwantz | Report |
15 | 17 September | Brazilian Grand Prix | Goiânia | Luca Cadalora | Kevin Schwantz | Report |
Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 20 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
250cc standings
125cc standings
80cc standings
Related Research ArticlesWayne Wesley Rainey is an American former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he won the 500cc World Championship three times and the Daytona 200 once. He was characterized by his smooth, calculating riding style, and for his intense rivalry with compatriot Kevin Schwantz, between 1987 and 1993. Giacomo Agostini is an Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Nicknamed Ago, he amassed 122 Grand Prix wins and 15 World Championship titles. Of these, 68 wins and 8 titles came in the 500 cc class, the rest in the 350 cc class. For these achievements obtained over the course of a career spanning 17 years, the AMA described him as "...perhaps the greatest Grand Prix rider of all time". In 2000, Agostini was inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame as a MotoGP Legend, while in 2010, he was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements. Kevin James Schwantz is an American former professional motorcycle road racer. He was the world champion of the 1993 FIM Road Racing World Championship. Eddie Ray Lawson is an American former professional motorcycle racer. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1983 to 1992. The 1998 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 50th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 33rd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 1985 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 37th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 1986 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 38th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 1987 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 39th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 1988 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 40th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 1990 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 42nd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 1991 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 43rd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 1992 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 44th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Honda secured the constructor's title in all three categories. The 1993 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 45th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 1994 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 46th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 1995 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 47th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 1988 French motorcycle Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 1988 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 22–24 July 1988 at the 5.81 km (3.61 mi) Paul Ricard Circuit. Daryl Glen Beattie is a former Grand Prix solo motorcycle road racer. The 1999 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 51st F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 2000 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 52nd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. References
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