Nationality German | Name Michael Rudroff | |
1997 michael rudroff burns a suzuki
Michael Rudroff (born 28 December 1960) is a German retired Moto GP rider. He raced his first Grand Prix in 1988, and made one podium; coming third in the 1989 Nations Grand Prix. His career ranged from 1987 until 1996, where he started in 53 races, though he never began from pole position.
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Career
Rudroff, riding a Honda bike, appeared in two Grand Prix in 1987, the West Germany Grand Prix and the Austrian Grand Prix where he qualified in positions 38 and 26 but did not compete in the final race. He raced in the West German, Dutch TT and Yugoslavian Grand Prix in 1988, completing 28 laps in the first and coming in at 15th having started at 24th, completing 20 laps and coming in at 19th having started in 31st, and failing to qualify for the race in Yugoslavia.
1989 saw regular appearances for Rudroff, racing in the Australian Grand Prix where he came 15th from a starting position of 21, followed by the United States Grand Prix where he came 15th one more having started again at 21. Following the Spanish Grand Prix, where he came 20th having begun at 23, he raced in the Nations Grand Prix. He began at 24, and finished 3rd in 59 minutes, 53.630 seconds over 33 laps. This was the only podium in his career. He raced in West Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, Netherlands and the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix later that year, though failed to pole. He ended the season with 18 championship points.
Rudroff did not race again until 1991, where he competed in 10 Grand Prix, and one other race that was not classified. This included a season-best 11th in the Australian, and he enjoyed a career-best 26 championship points. he made 13 more starts in 1992, now on a Harris Yamaha, but only returned three points despite coming 8th at the British Grand Prix. In 1993 he made 14 appearances again on the Yamaha, returning 17 points despite falling out of the Australian Grand Prix and of the Japanese Grand Prix in the first lap. He was not seen again on the race track until 1996, where he raced once in the German Grand Prix on a Suzuki bike and fell at the first lap.