Sunshine on a Rainey day
The rivalry between Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz is legendary in grand prix motorcycle racing history, and the fact that it enthrals so many even today is testament to the staying power of their stories. For fans of two-wheeled racing, it’s at least the equal of four-wheeled aficionados’ recollections of the Ayrton Senna versus Alain Prost versus Nigel Mansell era. By the 1991 500cc season, both were established stars on the grand prix scene, and along with Mick Doohan they dominated that year. But the Schwantz/Rainey rivalry was an old one, dating back to their time in the AMA Superbike championship in the US in the mid-1980s.
“I’d heard he didn’t like me, so I immediately didn’t want to like him,” says Schwantz of how their rivalry blossomed. The racing between the pair in the States was fierce, but it was when they headed to Britain for the USA vs UK Transatlantic Match races in 1987 that things really got “hot and heavy”.
“We raced like we were on opposite teams!” Rainey says. “We had the dominant bike that year, our team was really strong. I
