1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
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This article recaps the 1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season.
Contents |
[edit] Season summary
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. 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, Alex Criville won the 125 crown on a JJ Cobas. Derbi rider Manuel Herreros had the honor of winning the final 80cc championship as the class would be discontinued after 1989.
[edit] 1989 500 cc Season review
| Round | Race | Location | Winning rider | Winning team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Japanese Grand Prix |
Suzuka |  Kevin Schwantz |
Suzuki | Report |
| 2 |  Australian Grand Prix |
Phillip Island | Wayne Gardner |
Honda | Report |
| 3 | United States Grand Prix |
Laguna Seca | Wayne Rainey |
Yamaha | Report |
| 4 |  Spanish Grand Prix |
Jerez | Eddie Lawson |
Honda | Report |
| 5 |  Nations Grand Prix |
Misano |  Christian Sarron |
Yamaha | Report |
| 6 |  West German Grand Prix |
Hockenheimring | Wayne Rainey |
Yamaha | Report |
| 7 |  Austrian Grand Prix |
Salzburgring | Kevin Schwantz |
Suzuki | Report |
| 8 |  Yugoslavian Grand Prix |
Rijeka | Kevin Schwantz |
Suzuki | Report |
| 9 |  Dutch TT |
Assen | Wayne Rainey |
Yamaha | Report |
| 10 |  Belgian Grand Prix |
Spa | Eddie Lawson |
Honda | Report |
| 11 | French Grand Prix |
Le Mans | Eddie Lawson |
Honda | Report |
| 12 |  British Grand Prix |
Donington | Kevin Schwantz |
Suzuki | Report |
| 13 |  Swedish Grand Prix |
Anderstorp | Eddie Lawson |
Honda | Report |
| 14 |  Czechoslovakian Grand Prix |
Brno | Kevin Schwantz |
Suzuki | Report |
| 15 |  Brazilian Grand Prix |
Goiania | Kevin Schwantz |
Suzuki | Report |
[edit] 1989 500 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings
| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points[1] | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Lawson |
1 | United States | Rothmans-Honda | 228 | 4 |
| 2 | Wayne Rainey |
3 | United States | Lucky Strike-Yamaha | 210.5 | 3 |
| 3 | Christian Sarron |
4 | France | Gauloises-Yamaha | 165.5 | 0 |
| 4 | Kevin Schwantz |
34 | United States | Pepsi-Suzuki | 162.5 | 6 |
| 5 | Kevin Magee |
5 | Australia | Lucky Strike-Yamaha | 138.5 | 0 |
| 6 | Pier-Francesco Chili |
9 | Italy | HB-Honda | 122 | 1 |
| 7 | Niall Mackenzie |
5 | United Kingdom | Marlboro-Yamaha | 103 | 0 |
| 8 | Ron Haslam |
8 | United Kingdom | Pepsi-Suzuki | 86 | 0 |
| 9 | Michael Doohan |
27 | Australia | Rothmans-Honda | 81 | 0 |
| 10 | Wayne Gardner |
2 | Australia | Rothmans-Honda | 67 | 1 |
- ^ The points for the Belgian round are halved because of too many re-starts.
[edit] 1989 250 cc Season Review
| Round | Race | Location | Winning rider | Winning team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese Grand Prix |
Suzuka | John Kocinski |
Yamaha | Report |
| 2 | Australian Grand Prix |
Phillip Island | Sito Pons |
Honda | Report |
| 3 | United States Grand Prix |
Laguna Seca | John Kocinski |
Yamaha | Report |
| 4 | Spanish Grand Prix |
Jerez | Luca Cadalora |
Yamaha | Report |
| 5 | Nations Grand Prix |
Misano | Sito Pons |
Honda | Report |
| 6 | West German Grand Prix |
Hockenheimring | Sito Pons |
Honda | Report |
| 7 | Austrian Grand Prix |
Salzburgring | Sito Pons |
Honda | Report |
| 8 | Yugoslavian Grand Prix |
Rijeka | Sito Pons |
Honda | Report |
| 9 | Dutch TT |
Assen | Reinhold Roth |
Honda | Report |
| 10 | Belgian Grand Prix |
Spa |  Jacques Cornu |
Honda | Report |
| 11 | French Grand Prix |
Le Mans | Carlos Cardús |
Honda | Report |
| 12 | British Grand Prix |
Donington | Sito Pons |
Honda | Report |
| 13 | Swedish Grand Prix |
Anderstorp | Sito Pons |
Honda | Report |
| 14 | Czechoslovakian Grand Prix |
Brno | Reinhold Roth |
Honda | Report |
| 15 | Brazilian Grand Prix |
Goiania | Luca Cadalora |
Yamaha | Report |
[edit] 1989 250 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings
| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sito Pons |
1 | Spain | Honda | 262 | 7 |
| 2 | Reinhold Roth |
5 | West Germany | Honda | 190 | 2 |
| 3 | Jacques Cornu |
3 | Switzerland | Honda | 187 | 1 |
| 4 | Carlos Cardús |
9 | Spain | Honda | 162 | 1 |
| 5 | Luca Cadalora |
6 | Italy | Yamaha | 127 | 2 |
| 6 | Masahiro Shimizu |
10 | Japan | Honda | 116 | 0 |
| 7 | Jean-Philippe Ruggia |
7 | France | Yamaha | 110 | 0 |
| 8 | Juan Garriga |
2 | Spain | Yamaha | 98 | 0 |
| 9 | Helmut Bradl |
West Germany | Honda | 88 | 0 | |
| 10 | Martin Wimmer |
West Germany | Aprilia | 62 | 0 |
[edit] 1989 125 cc Season Review
| Round | Race | Location | Winning rider | Winning team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese Grand Prix |
Suzuka | Ezio Gianola |
Honda | Report |
| 2 | Australian Grand Prix |
Phillip Island | Alex Criville |
JJ Cobas | Report |
| 3 | Spanish Grand Prix |
Jerez | Alex Criville |
JJ Cobas | Report |
| 4 | Nations Grand Prix |
Misano | Ezio Gianola |
Honda | Report |
| 5 | West German Grand Prix |
Hockenheimring | Alex Criville |
JJ Cobas | Report |
| 6 | Austrian Grand Prix |
Salzburgring | Hans Spaan |
Honda | Report |
| 7 | Dutch TT |
Assen | Hans Spaan |
Honda | Report |
| 8 | Belgian Grand Prix |
Spa | Hans Spaan |
Honda | Report |
| 9 | French Grand Prix |
Le Mans | Jorge Martinez |
Derbi | Report |
| 10 | British Grand Prix |
Donington | Hans Spaan |
Honda | Report |
| 11 | Swedish Grand Prix |
Anderstorp | Alex Criville |
JJ Cobas | Report |
| 12 | Czechoslovakian Grand Prix |
Brno | Alex Criville |
JJ Cobas | Report |
[edit] 1989 125 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings
| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Criville |
Spain | JJ Cobas | 166 | 5 | |
| 2 | Hans Spaan |
3 | Netherlands | Honda | 152 | 4 |
| 3 | Ezio Gianola |
2 | Italy | Honda | 138 | 2 |
| 4 | Hisashi Unemoto |
Japan | Honda | 104 | 0 | |
| 5 | Fausto Gresini |
Italy | Aprilia | 102 | 0 | |
| 6 | Koji Takada |
Japan | Honda | 99 | 0 | |
| 7 | Stefan Prein |
8 | West Germany | Honda | 92 | 0 |
| 8 | Julian Miralles |
4 | Spain | Derbi | 90 | 0 |
| 9 | Jorge Martinez |
1 | Spain | Derbi | 72 | 0 |
| 10 | Allan Scott |
United States | Honda | 54 | 0 |
[edit] 1989 80 cc Season Review
| Round | Race | Location | Winning Rider | Winning team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish Grand Prix |
Jerez | Herri Torrontegui |
Krauser | Report |
| 2 | Nations Grand Prix |
Misano | Jorge Martinez |
Derbi | Report |
| 3 | West German Grand Prix |
Hockenheimring | Peter Öttl |
Krauser | Report |
| 4 | Yugoslavian Grand Prix |
Rijeka | Peter Öttl |
Krauser | Report |
| 5 | Dutch TT |
Assen | Peter Öttl |
Krauser | Report |
| 6 | Czechoslovakian Grand Prix |
Brno | Herri Torrontegui |
Krauser | Report |
[edit] 1989 80 cc Roadracing World Championship final standings
| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Points | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manuel Herreros |
4 | Spain | Derbi | 92 | 0 |
| 2 | Stefan Dörflinger |
3 | Switzerland | Krauser | 80 | 0 |
| 3 | Peter Öttl |
5 | West Germany | Krauser | 75 | 3 |
| 4 | Herri Torrontegui |
Spain | Krauser | 75 | 2 | |
| 5 | Gabriele Gnani |
10 | Italy | Gnani | 45 | 0 |
| 6 | Paolo Priori |
Italy | Krauser | 41 | 0 | |
| 7 |  Bogdan Nikolov |
6 | Bulgaria | Krauser | 40 | 0 |
| 8 | Jorge Martinez |
Spain | Derbi | 35 | 1 | |
| 9 | Jaime Mariano |
Spain | Casal | 33 | 0 | |
| 10 | Jorg Seel |
West Germany | Seel | 32 | 0 |
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