Legends of MotoGP (Part 3)
Wayne Rainey
Wayne Rainey, perhaps one of the most tragic stories from the pages of MotoGP history. He was born in Downey, California on October 23rd, 1960. He was feared by his competitors because of his smooth and calculated racing
style. Rainey began his career racing in the United States of America in the American Grand National Championship (dirt track races). Seeing his success in these races, Kawasaki hired him to race in the 1982 AMA Superbike Championship alongside Eddie Lawson.
He continued to race for Kawasaki, earning the 1983 Championship. In 1984, he switched teams to the recently formed Kenny Rodger Honda team, in the 250cc class. He experienced a bad season with his new team and went back to United States of America to join
the American Honda team for one year. In 1987, Wayne Rainey formed an epic rivalry with Kevin Schwantz. This rivalry was so fierce, that there were times where the two would compete with each other, even though they would be placed in the same team! With his
return to Europe, Rainey joined the Team Roberts Yamaha team in the 500cc division. His rival, Schwantz followed Rainey to Europe and joined Team Suzuki. During his run in the 1988 season, Rainey managed to win the 8 hour long endurance race in Japan. Tragedy
struck in 1993, when Rainey suffered from a major crash, which ended his rising career. He injured his spine and is now paralysed from the waist down. Even though he is a paraplegic, Rainey keeps in touch with the motor world by racing in specially designed
handicap karts.
Kevin Schwantz
Kevin Schwantz made popular for his rivalry with Wayne Rainey. Kevin Schwantz was born on June 19th 1964 in Houston, Texas. His parents owned a small motorcycle shop in Houston. Coming from a family with motorcycle racing
history, Schwantz started learning how to ride a motorcycle when he was only four years old! In his teenage years, he went professional by taking part in motocross races. He had to quit because of a crash in 1983. He got offered a position as a test rider
from the Yoshimaru Suzuki Superbike Team. They liked him so much that they signed him on fulltime. In 1985, he won the AMA Superbike nationals and came second to Eddie Lawson in the 1986 Daytona 200. The year 1987 was an epic year for MotoGP fans. The fierce
rivalry between Kevin Schwantz and Wayne Rainey was destined to begin. They would compete with each other and push each other to the next level. It was until 1988, that Kevin Schwantz won his very first and unfortunately last Daytona 200. Schwantz took the
lead in the rivalry when Rainey broke his spine in an accident. In 1993, Schwantz won his only 500cc World Championship. He decided to quit while he was ahead and retired the same season.
Jarno Saarinen
Jarno Saarinen is another tragic case from the pages of MotoGP history. He was born in Turku Finland, on May 20th, 1973. He was already a Finnish Grand Prix Road Racer. He was also the only Finn to win a road racing
world championship. He also won the Finnish Ice Track Racing Championship. Saarinen studied Mechanical Engineering, which helped him modify his bikes so that he could get the most out of them. Saarinen began his career in the MotoGP in 1970 when he was only
25 years old. He won his first Grand Prix in Czechoslovakia in the 350cc division. Seeing his increasing progress, Yamaha signed him on their team in 1972. The 1973 season started off with a bang for Saarinen. He was the first European to win the American
Daytona 200. He got his first win in the 500cc race, then the premier class race. Alas, this happy success was not last. During a race, Renzo Pasolini, a fellow racer, fell in front of Saarinen. Unable to avoid Pasolini, Saarinen crashed on top of his fellow
athlete, and caused a 14 bike pile up. When the rescue teams arrived, Saarinen and Pasolini were already dead. Their deaths unified the many manufacturers into rallying for better and safer race conditions.
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