Date April 8, 1990 Rider Wayne Gardner Rider Kevin Schwantz | Location Laguna Seca Time 1:25.908 | |
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Course Permanent racing facility
3.602 km (2.238 mi) | ||
The 1990 United States motorcycle Grand Prix was the second round of the 1990 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of April 6–8, 1990 at Laguna Seca.
500 cc race report
Eddie Lawson's season goes from bad to worse: during practice his brakes fail at speed, and he hits the straw bales hard, shattering his right ankle. He'll be sidelined until round 8 at Assen.
Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz both get away together at the start; Rainey's front wheel lifts, and maybe because of that, he and Schwantz touch as they head toward the hairpin. The order as they make their way to the Corkscrew is Rainey, Schwantz, Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan and Kevin Magee. Magee soon crashes out of the race, which gets red-flagged because an ambulance needs to get on the track, Magee suffering severe head injuries and ending his season. He recovers, but never races at the same level.
At the new start, Schwantz gets to the hairpin first, followed by Sito Pons and Rainey. Rainey soon passes Pons and a gap forms to the fight for third, between Gardner, Pons and Doohan. On the uphill approach to the Corkscrew, Gardner highsides up and out.
Rainey passes on Turn 11, and is able to keep Schwantz behind him for a lap. As they go through Turn 11 to start the last lap, Schwantz highsides, and injures his wrist too much to continue, which is later discovered to be a fracture.