
One of the most popular motorcycle racers of all time, 1993 500cc Grand Prix World Champion Kevin Schwantz is one of just 20 riders to have earned the status of MotoGP Legend.Born to parents who ran a Texas motorcycle shop, Schwantz learned to ride at a very young age, and he soon began competing in observed-trials events, where he developed a fine sense of balance. Unsatisfied with the slow speeds in trials, he quickly moved on to hare scrambles, flat track and motocross racing, but following a bad crash at a 1983 supercross race in Houston he began road racing in the competitive WERA series.Schwantz immediately earned a reputation for riding any motorcycle at the absolute limit, and in 1984 he caught the attention of journalist/racer John Ulrich, who arranged a test ride with Yoshimura Suzuki. That led to a spot on the team in the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) national series the following year, and even an appearance in a Japanese race at Suzuka, where Schwantz finished second.Schwantz continued in the AMA for the next two years, although Suzuki also sent him to Europe on several occasions for wildcard appearances in the 500cc Grand Prix World Championship. Upon winning the AMA’s season-opening Daytona 200 in 1988, Schwantz was promoted to Suzuki’s grand prix team full time.The late 1980s and early 1990s are generally considered to be the Golden Era of grand prix road racing, in which Schwantz had epic battles with his arch-rival Wayne Rainey and other motorcycling heroes like Eddie Lawson, Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan. Schwantz soon attracted a legion of enthusiastic fans who were inspired by his charismatic personality, his aggressive style aboard a bike that was often slower than those of the competition, and his propensity for spectacular crashes.Between 1989 and 1992, Schwantz finished the season fourth, second, third and again fourth in the final standings, while Rainey collected a trio of crowns. Finally, Schwantz landed the 500cc World Championship in 1993. An injury-plagued title defense saw him finish fourth, and the Texan participated in the first three races of the 1995 season before announcing his retirement from grand prix racing, at which point his racing number, 34, was also retired from grand prix competition. This was the first time in the history of the sport that a rider had been so honored.Currently seventh on the list of premier-class grand prix race winners, with 25 victories, Schwantz remains a favorite with the fans, many of whom have benefited from his riding instruction at the respected Schwantz School. He was named to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and the MotoGP Hall of Fame in 2000.Still an active racer, Kevin entered the prestigious 2013 Suzuka 8 Hours with Yukio Kagayama and Noriyuki Haga, finishing on the podium. In June 2014, at the age of 50, Schwantz will return to the race with a special Yoshimura Suzuki “Legends Team” that will pair him with Satoshi Tsujimoto, with whom he finished on the podium in the 1986 Suzuka 8 Hours.Kevin Schwantz Personal Information
- Birthdate: June 19, 1964
- Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA
- Residence: Austin, Texas, USA
- First Grand Prix (500cc): 1986, Netherlands
- First pole position (500cc): 1989, Australia
- First fastest race lap (500cc): 1988, Japan
- First podium result (500cc): 1988, Japan
- First GP victory (500cc): 1988, Japan
- GP starts (500cc): 105
- GP victories (500cc): 25
- GP podiums (500cc): 51
- GP pole positions (500cc): 29
- GP fastest race laps (500cc): 26
- World Championships (500cc): 1 (1993)
- Last GP victory (500cc): 1994, Great Britain
- Last Grand Prix (500cc): 1995, Japan
- AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame – 1999
- MotoGP Hall of Fame – 2000