1989 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix

The 1989 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix was the second round of the 1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 7–9 April 1989, at Phillip Island, and was the first ever World Championship Motorcycle Grand Prix to take place in Australia.

Australia  1989 Australian Grand Prix
Race details
Race 2 of 15 races in the
1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
Date9 April 1989
Official nameSwan Premium Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix[1][2][3]
LocationPhillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
Course
  • Permanent racing facility
  • 4.445 km (2.762 mi)
500 cc
Pole position
Rider United States Kevin Schwantz
Time 1:34.990
Fastest lap
Rider Italy Pierfrancesco Chili
Time 1:35.280
Podium
First Australia Wayne Gardner
Second United States Wayne Rainey
Third France Christian Sarron
250 cc
Pole position
Rider France Jean-Philippe Ruggia
Time 1:38.830
Fastest lap
Rider Italy Luca Cadalora
Time 1:38.490
Podium
First Spain Sito Pons
Second France Jean-Philippe Ruggia
Third Italy Luca Cadalora
125 cc
Pole position
Rider Spain Jorge Martínez
Time 1:45.530
Fastest lap
Rider Spain Jorge Martínez
Time 1:46.530
Podium
First Spain Àlex Crivillé
Second United Kingdom Robin Milton
Third United States Alan Scott

500 cc race report

Green light on the 5-row grid sees Wayne Rainey, Tadahiko Taira, and Kevin Schwantz head into the first turn in front of the field, with Wayne Gardner in 4th. Second lap in 2nd place, Schwantz gets on the throttle while looking behind him and highsides out of Turn Ten; as he walked away from his Suzuki, he looked like he wished he did not know the guy who just binned it so foolishly.

Rainey pulled out a lead of more than a second, followed by Kevin Magee, Taira, Gardner, Mick Doohan, and Eddie Lawson. Eventually, Gardner got past Magee at Turn Four, and Pierfrancesco Chili crashed out for the second successive race. Gardner caught Rainey and began to swap the lead, while Magee, Christian Sarron, Freddie Spencer, and Lawson closed in. Sarron caught it and went to the front with the leaders, while Magee hung on in the 4th spot. Spencer fell off and did not finish the race.

Last lap: Gardner, Rainey, Sarron, and a small gap to Magee. Rainey's early break may have cost him rubber because he seemed desperate to find a different line that would get him to slide his way past Gardner, but nothing worked, with Gardner winning the race, followed by Rainey and Sarron.

During the race, Wayne Rainey and Wayne Gardner had some close encounters on the track.[4]

500 cc classification
Pos. Rider Team Manufacturer Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 Australia Wayne Gardner Rothmans Honda Team Honda 30 48:15.940 3 20
2 United States Wayne Rainey Team Lucky Strike Roberts Yamaha 30 +0.350 2 17
3 France Christian Sarron Sonauto Gauloises Blondes Yamaha Mobil 1 Yamaha 30 +0.470 5 15
4 Australia Kevin Magee Team Lucky Strike Roberts Yamaha 30 +1.510 6 13
5 United States Eddie Lawson Rothmans Kanemoto Honda Honda 30 +10.970 7 11
6 Japan Tadahiko Taira Yamaha Motor Company Yamaha 30 +12.570 4 10
7 United Kingdom Ron Haslam Suzuki Pepsi Cola Suzuki 30 +32.460 11 9
8 Australia Mick Doohan Rothmans Honda Team Honda 30 +47.660 12 8
9 Australia Michael Dowson Yamaha 30 +1:27.820 16 7
10 France Dominique Sarron Team ROC Elf Honda Honda 29 +1 Lap 17 6
11 Italy Alessandro Valesi Team Iberia Yamaha 29 +1 Lap 19 5
12 United Kingdom Simon Buckmaster Racing Team Katayama Honda 29 +1 Lap 20 4
13 Switzerland Marco Gentile Fior Marlboro Fior 29 +1 Lap 18 3
14 Switzerland Nicholas Schmassman FMS Honda 27 +3 Laps 22 2
15 Germany Michael Rudroff HRK Motors Honda 27 +3 Laps 21 1
Ret Australia Greg Drew PRP Retirement 23
Ret United States Freddie Spencer Marlboro Yamaha Team Agostini Yamaha Retirement 8
Ret United States Randy Mamola Cagiva Corse Cagiva Retirement 14
Ret Australia Malcolm Campbell Honda Retirement 15
Ret United States Kevin Schwantz Suzuki Pepsi Cola Suzuki Retirement 1
Ret United States Bubba Shobert Cabin Racing Team Honda Retirement 13
Ret Spain Francisco Gonzales Club Motocross Pozuelo Honda Retirement 24
Ret United Kingdom Niall Mackenzie Marlboro Yamaha Team Agostini Yamaha Retirement 9
Ret Australia James Judd Yamaha Retirement 25
Ret Italy Pierfrancesco Chili HB Honda Gallina Team Honda Retirement 10
DNS Australia Craig Harwood Yamaha Did not start
Sources:[5][6]

References
  1. "Grand Prix uitslagen en bijzonderheden 1989". Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  2. Mitchell, Malcolm. "1989 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes – The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
  3. "Phillip Island Circuit | the Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  4. Scott, Michael: "Wayne Rainey", page 136. Haynes Publishing, 1997.
  5. "1989 Australian MotoGP – Motor Sport Magazine Database". 13 June 2017.
  6. "motogp.com · AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX · 500cc Race Classification 1989". www.motogp.com.
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