None of this aerodynamic wing BS either. And those 500's were peaky as hell and very hard to ride. They had to be revved high up in the range to get power and they usually had very narrow powerbands. All the top riders back then, Rainey, Lawson, Schwantz, Gardner, Doohan, McGee, Saron etc ... they've all got the physical scars to prove just how tough those things were to master. Mick Doohan for his part can't walk right, hasn't done since his racing days. And Wayne Rainey as we know can't walk at all. As Kevin Schwantz once said ... traction control on a 500 was how fresh in the memory your last crash was and if it still hurt.
Racing has been epic in many years. Doohan, Rossi’s fights with various guys…Stoner drifting like a boss? Marc Marquez making impossible saves. People romanticise this era too much - and I loved it too!
@@Showmetheevidence- wait till they're all silent and electric. Then you too will romantise. Yearning for the glorious roar of an open Leo Vinci pipe.....😭😭😭
haha im unfortunately a little to young to have witnessed this era while it was going on but my dad feels the same way. he literally named me kevin with my second name after kevin schwantz who was also the reigning champ when i was born in 94. i can still remember watching back the old vhs tapes of my dad with these insane battles on them. great memories. on the other hand while i always loved these bikes the most im looking into buying a bike from that time but tbh im scared shitless of the 500cc two strokes :D
Questi sono gli eroi che domavano moto che erano dei mostri.... Chi ha seguito queste gare non potrà mai dimenticare le gesta di questi grandissimi campioni che a suo tempo hanno regalato emozioni e spettacolo ineguagliabili alle corse motociclistiche....... Mitic!
@Lou Bequest Verissimo e noi che le abbiamo vissuto possiamo raccontare che il tanto idolatrato, giustamente per carità, Dohann all'epoca prendeva paga da Schwantz Rainey Lawson e Gardner... Per dire chi erano questi tizi.
From about 1988 till 1994 was the best time for the bike fans. 2 strokes with the 500s and 6 plus world class riders which could win on any given day. Also the superbikes were just as good, brilliant times compared to what's on offer now
One of my fave final laps! Even though i was a Schwantz fan back in the day, it did get me welling up seeing vids of Rainey on his YZR at Goodwood the other day, legends the lot of them who threw a leg over those things!!!
This was the best era of racing. Tragic what happened to Rainey though. What is really awesome is that his wife remained with her husband and has stood by him to this day. Shae Rainey is by far Wayne’s greatest win in life.
You know you've picked the right girl, when something like this happens. Mind you.... it doesn't necessarily mean that it was the end of his love life. I know a young man who became a Quadriplegic at 21, but went on to meet a girl, get married and have a family. That was awesome, because he was a lovely young bloke. He obviously met the right girl, too.
Geez I miss Barry Sheen’s commentary, his knowledge and passion was second to none . He passed on some great insight to armchair fans like me at home .
I found Barry's 'commentary' irritating. Self-indulgent and mostly consisted of him making a prediction of what's going to happen next. Darryl was there to artificially generate excitement with his constant over the top vocalising. Annoying was that channel 9 dubbed this pair over the Julian Ryder and Keith Huewen commentary which was far more insightful and entertaining.
At 1:29 you see Kevin shift another time, down into first gear to reduce more speed. When he looks to Wayne at 1:32, it was because his bike was running in the rev limiter in first gear and not accelerating like he wanted to. He said "at the moment I thought Wayne would be just flying by round the outside!" Fantastic battle! My dad was at the race when I was one year old and always told me the story of the outbraking move and the erupting stadium in Hockenheim. Back then, there was no RU-vid, so I had to wait until around 2000/01 when I finally found a season review on VHS and was able to see that for the first time :)
I was 14 watching this live on tv, that part where they brake and go into the stadium section was beautiful! I've watched most of these races in the golden era, but i have to admit sometimes i need these videos on YT to help my memory a little bit.
I was there, sitting in the Motodrom, right around the corner to the start straight. It was amazing, you can see and hear, the people screaming - it was unbeleavable.
@@r.p.ausluzern3857 War richtig geil damals, es wurde ja auch auf einem riesen Display übertragen. Meine Freunde und ich konnten es nicht glauben. War sehr gut, man konnte das gesammte Rennen auf dem Display beoachten. Es grenzt für mich an Frevel, dass der Highspeed-Kurs vernichtet wurde!
@@1994clueHa, so trifft man sich wieder... Ich war Eingang Motodrom etwa auf der Höhe, wo beide nebeneinander waren. Unfassbar geil - die Aktion , aber auch was im Motodrom bis Ende Start/Ziel los war. Sind ja komplett alle ausgerastet...
I remember watching that race live, and thought there was absolutely NO WAY IN HELL that Kevin was gonna get that thing stopped at turned without loosing the front - this is exactly why we all LOVED watching him for so many years
@@bradleyellis7336 Kevin Schwantz is literally the guy who had a no f_cks given attitude in his riding style. He is an absolute fighter pilot. I love his total showmanship.
Indeed. The late 80s and early 90s 500cc GrandPrix were a unique moment in time for motorcycle racing, because the show was about watching who had the biggest balls and pure talent to dominate 2-stroke GP (lightswitch powerband!) pure savage beasts. Not who got the best setup electronic assistances and gimmicks or aero wings. To see those guys battle each other with such finesse, on such monsters, is what made it the most memorable motorcycle racing this planet has ever seen. Nothing before or after ever got close.
@@T595955i Couldn't agree more! Every time I watch one of their races on YT, I literally flinch at some of the maneuvers, and the flexing and wobbling of the bikes...I just lose it. And you watch them just control the entire machine because it is actually part of them, and they are part of it. Ice water in their veins!
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sVVoHKlbN1Q.html Watching Gary Cowan on that TZ250 against Ron Haslam on the RGV500, Norton rotarys, RC30's. Really random race and just bloody bonkers! :D
Excellent quality, thank you. When I saw the live TV I kept doubting what happened with the braking. It's so stellar, just with the replay and the rubber marks on track I realize the full miracle Kevin did. Remains unbelievable the moto control skills. Don't forget Kevin must quit racing due to wrist injuries. See the reason? Thank you so much for this lovely journey to moto racing at his best.
Ich durfte 1991 mit 14 Jahren live dabei sein ! Was für ein Erlebnis ! UNGLAUBLICH ! Fahrertribühne mit Blick auf dieses sensationellen Überholmanöver .... 2014 durfte ich dann am eigenen Leibe erfahren wie sich Rainey gefühlt haben muß .... Beim Suzukiday 2014 überholte mich Schwanz in Hockenheim mit einer GSX-R750 am Mototodrom Eingang .... wahnsinn ! Danke Kevin, ich habe mich nie lieber so deklassieren lassen wie an an diesem Tag ! :-D
@@terrythomas1329 Well I did see Haslam ride a few times, at Daytona as well as the two British GPs I attended. As for Hailwood, I remember when he died so tragically, but not old enough to be following the sport when he was active, other than his famous return to the Isle of Man. Saw Sheen at the '83 Silverstone GP, just that once. Their like is not among the current generation, but maybe that's just my old eyes and heart talking.
The glory days of MotoGP. I would go back there anytime. Back when the writer had input electronics were nothing and all the spacecraft wings on modern bikes weren’t there I couldn’t take an average rider and make him finish on the podium like today. I would go back to that era anytime.
@@nikos-giorgos Yes, he was, but it's worth noting that he got his professional road race start as teammate to "Steady" Eddie Lawson with Kawasaki. And Kawasaki hired Keith Code to develop him prior to that, so I don't see it as anything but a compliment to call Wayne consistent. Kevin deserves as much praise as any, but there was that element of win or crash that seemed to follow him. I don't remember which year it was, late 80s for sure though, but I witnessed Kevin, comfortably leading the Daytona 200, clip a haybale in the chicane and crashing out of a sure victory. It looked like just a little lapse, and I think it might have been his front brake lever that caught the hay, losing the front end in less than the blink of an eye. He wasn't being pressured at that point, but he just had that kind of misfortune sometimes. Still, both riders deserve the admiration of us racing fans, and their racing contemporaries, for all the great showmanship and competition they displayed.
Ah oui, belle démonstration de pilotage, le freinage inoubliable de Kévin Schwantz , ah ça c'était du vrai baston, Rainey, K. Schwantz, Mike Doohan, les 3 grands de la 500 à l'époque , je me rappelle bien de tous ces instants des plus grandes courses du championnat du monde de vitesse à l'époque avec ces 2 temps et moteur Big Bang Honda 💥 ! ... 125, 250, 500 ! Du reste 31ans après, je roule toujours avec un Arai replica K. Schwantz, aux couleurs de ce sympathique pilote et toujours chez Suzuki . Phil 🏍️ 🇨🇵 gsxr. 1000 r.
@@juetcat yes, c'est sûr, à part l'allumage électronique, il n'y avait rien d'autre ! Ouh... Certainement... C'est vieux, nous n'avions pas beaucoup de chaînes 📺... A part pour le foot, le tennis et la F1, c'etait rare à l'époque une course moto au début des années 80 à la TV. La préhistoire pour le monde de la retransmission du sport moto, le parent pauvre à l'époque... La dèche... Pas assez médiatique pour les chaînes ! C'est top maintenant et encore heureux, y'a même le TT 🇮🇲, purée l'exploit, il a fallu attendre au moins 20/30 ans ! 😜 😂... Maman, ils ont été enfin touchés par la grâce ! Miracles... 👍 Lol 😂...
@@jolivetphilippe7951 C'est vieux mais là on parle du début des années 90, pas 80 😁😉 On avait 7 chaînes, 6 pour ceux qui n'avaient pas canal plus. Ou alors il fallait avoir le satellite, très cher à l'époque... 🙄
@@juetcat oui je me doute bien pour ce GP moto du début des années 90, mais il y avait parfois une retransmission du GP de France motos à la TV, au milieu des années 80. C'était le tout début du câble en France, suivant les villes et le début d'eurosport suivant le bouquet des chaînes que l'on voulait prendre avec " Numericable " à l'époque dans notre secteur , avec enfin une vraie chaîne dédiée aux sports .
Boa noite !!!!!! Que última volta de arrepiar. Pista fantástica, Pilotos fantásticos e Motos realmente fantásticas. Só saudades das 500cc. Tempo bom que infelizmente não volta nunca mais...... Obrigado pelo vídeo e parabéns pelo canal. Abraço do Brasil.
Good to see Eddie Laycock . I remember watching him race the roads in Ireland when I was a kid in the early 80's . God I miss the smell of Castrol R !!
I remember my mother took me to a yamaha event in dun laoghaire must have been 81 or 82 where Barry was on stage answering fan questions. Eddie was the warm up act. EDIT I just realised after I turned off my tablet that I went to the same event, organised by Danfey Distributes I assume, several years later. Eddie must have been at that one.
The riding style looks so archaic. Leaning over while keeping their heads straight upright makes them look like trackday amateurs trying to drag a knee without committing, but that’s how they did it back in the day.
This is counter lean technique. Because back during those days the bikes are very temperamental with no electronics at all. So leaning into the corner with upright body makes it easier to catch and control slides while maintaining the extreme lean angle needed. This is also makes quicker response when changing direction. Another added advantage when they road race in Macau or Isle Of Man; it is easier to get closer to the apex that has walls.
I was big fan of Valentino BUT this is the greates rivality of the Moto Gp or 500 ccm ever. Can you imagine how fans wolf this rivality on social media like today?
I don't know how many people realize just how talented Kevin was; I've not seen many riders who could brake as late and turn in, under HARD braking, as he did. Remember, his Suzuki was not even considered COMPETITIVE among the other factory bikes, yet, he stayed loyal to Suzuki, winning a championship ON that bike. It's not a far stretch to say he was THE most skilled/talented rider to race back then (yes, even better than Lawson or Doohan). I don't even need to wonder "what if" or "if he'd only ridden for..."; he really was THAT good. Thanks for the fun, Kev!!
He just did not have the technical aids such as those developed in the 1991 YZR500 OWD3. The Yamaha had a distance memory that could regulate the injector. In addition, electronic spring damping was later used, which is why Yamaha won the riders' title three times from '90-'93. During this time, Schwantz had to take a lot more risks and had a lot of falls. That was his reputation in the first place and that's why he wasn't taken seriously. I liked the way he drove...
This is the stuff of Gods and Legends, seeing them come out of the corners all shaking, controlling it just with their right wrist makes your heart jump into your throat...! I truly miss this type of motorcycle races!
these bikes were absolute evil to control...the scarier thought would be imagining them racing the tt at full bore,now that gives me the jitters just thinking about it.
The most INCREDIBLE and exciting last lap battle in the history of Gran Prix motorcycle racing PERIOD - I remember watching that entire race LIVE on Speed Channel-
@@adamhindle9215 I raced a TZ750 In the AMA Formula 1 series back in '80 and '81, earned a national number (45) for 4 top ten finishes, but the highlight of my day was turning on Speed Channel to watch those 500cc boys mix it up - in ny unglorified opinion, there was NOBODY that could beat KS when he was on his game, even if his bike wasn't set up perfectly or down on power-There was nobody who could push the front tire as hard as he wea able to do-
@@adamhindle9215 you're so RIGHT !! way too many to count- and today's generation of fans that weren't around back then honestly don't seem to understand why we get so excited watching these guys do some of the things that almost defied the laws of gravity -
Is there actually anything more beautiful than this dance between fierce competitors??? I know people who have never raced probably don't get it, but being deep into the mix cerebrally, physically and.. Heck.. having the moto under you.. I'm biased toward the Texan but i would still love it either way... Thank for putting this video up and for these golden moments.. P.S. Back when you truly hand to manage the power band, wheel spin, and all that goes with what isn't today..
Watched it live. Suzuki was down on power and top speed vs the Yamaha so Kevin spent the whole race stuck in Wayne's slipstream. Rainey's decision on the last lap to let him through before the last straight was brilliant but not as brilliant as Kevin's dive on the brakes. But they look so graceful on these bikes, pure joy to watch. Raney vs Schwantz, Senna vs Prost. Never again will we see anything like it.
Swchantz ,para mí ;tú has sido el mejor. Soy español y soy fan de Márquez ,pero los duelos que tenía un tejano con Rainey en los noventa son inolvidables. Kevin Swchantz ;. Eres el mejor!!!
Guardare queste gare oggi mi emoziona più di allora. Vedere quelle moto scodinzolare all'apertura dell'acceleratore, quelle braccia e quelle mani che sfiorano la leva del freno, tentando di stabilizzare la moto in staccata e poi entrano, per me non ha prezzo. Vedere le sgassate fatte per re-ingrassare la carburazione in rilascio prima della curva, impostare in quella attenta maniera di prassi e poi entrare, non solo oggi non si vedono più, ma mi fa dire semplicemente che questi erano i piloti e queste erano le moto. Oggi non mi dice niente, neanche più le guardo.
This is great stuff. I saw these two battling in America, before going to the GP series. Never got to Hockenheim, but I did see the '83 GP at Silverstone, and at Donnington in 1990, as well as a few U.S. GPs at Laguna Seca. But there were many AMA races, Laguna, Sears Point, Daytona and a couple of other U.S. tracks I saw these guys on in the '80s. I remember the last few years of the AMA Formula 1 class, with two strokes still being the feature of the Daytona 200, the occasional 1000cc four stroke trying to compete. (Then there was Honda's FWS, but that's another story!)
Schwantz Rainey was surely as good as it ever got - even Sheene's commentary (who knew his stuff) doesn't quite convey the incredibleness of this move. Greatest move ever in GP. Rainey's crash was the worst thing ever. I couldn't watch after that.
Kevin Schwantz is the greatest ever, seen him in the 90s, he took a spill, broke his wrist, got push started his bike and raced his way back to take 2nd, with a cracked fairing and a broken throttle wrist ...👏👏👏👏👏
Yes this truly rate as the best last lap..kevin dancing the back tire for 300 feet..dang i m thinking i need to work on my braking...but man were they flying around the hock...unbeliable i have the video of this season but this is by far the best part
