Kevin Schwantz

Kevin Schwantz's fortunes at the U.S. Motorcycle Grand Prix have not been all bad, but they haven't been very good, either. In five races at Laguna Seca Raceway, the lanky world champion from Paige, Tex., has finished fifth, second, third and fourth, and he crashed while battling for the lead in 1990.

Kevin Schwantz averaged 91.308 m.p.h. on his Honda for one lap around Laguna Seca's 2.214-mile road course and won the provisional pole for Sunday's U.S. 500cc Grand Prix. World champion Wayne Rainey of Downey was next at 91.108. Two more qualifying sessions today will determine the field for the 35-lap championship race.

Since the day Kevin Schwantz moved up to Grand Prix motorcycle road racing in 1986, he has dreamed of being world champion. Now he has it, but it came with mixed emotions. Schwantz, 29, clinched the championship when his nearest rival, three-time defending champion Wayne Rainey, crashed and suffered a broken back, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down, in last Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.

Kevin Schwantz's fortunes at the U.S. Motorcycle Grand Prix have not been all bad, but they haven't been very good, either. In five races at Laguna Seca Raceway, the lanky world champion from Paige, Tex., has finished fifth, second, third and fourth, and he crashed while battling for the lead in 1990.

Wayne Rainey of Downey won the 500cc class of the Dunlop United States International Grand Prix Sunday, but it was what happened after the race that will stay in people's minds. Kevin Magee, who lost third place to Eddie Lawson of Upland on the final lap, was almost out of fuel and moving very slowly when he started up the hill at Turn 5 during the cool-off lap. Bubba Shobert, a former national dirt track champion from Carmel Valley in his rookie year on the world championship circuit, was trailing Magee.

Since the day Kevin Schwantz moved up to Grand Prix motorcycle road racing in 1986, he has dreamed of being world champion. Now he has it, but it came with mixed emotions. Schwantz, 29, clinched the championship when his nearest rival, three-time defending champion Wayne Rainey, crashed and suffered a broken back, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down, in last Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.

Crumpled face down in a sand pit at the Misano racing circuit after crashing, tumbling and cartwheeling at 130 m.p.h. in the Italian Grand Prix last September, Wayne Rainey thought he was dying. He heard the roar of motorcycles racing only a few yards away and thought they were going to run over him. He tried to get up. He couldn't. In 24 years of racing, Rainey had fallen many times, but only once before had he been unable to move his legs.

Al Unser Jr. out-raced and had more luck than teammate Bobby Rahal on Sunday to win the fastest 500-mile race in history, the Marlboro 500 at Michigan International Speedway. Unser and several competitors drove laps in the 224-m.p.h. range, and he won $172,684 for averaging 189.727 m.p.h. despite eight caution periods. That was faster than the previous 500-mile mark of 186.288 set by stock-car star Bill Elliott at Talladega in May 1985. It easily outdid the Indy-car mark of 185.

The most competitive field of international motorcycle riders ever assembled in the United States will compete today at Laguna Seca Raceway in three world championship events. Premier race of the second Dunlop U.S. International Grand Prix over the physically demanding 2.196-mile hillside circuit will be the 500cc, which includes world champion Eddie Lawson of Upland, 1989 points leader Wayne Rainey of Downey and this year's two race winners--Kevin Schwantz of Houston and Wayne Gardner of Australia.

Kevin Schwantz averaged 91.308 m.p.h. on his Honda for one lap around Laguna Seca's 2.214-mile road course and won the provisional pole for Sunday's U.S. 500cc Grand Prix. World champion Wayne Rainey of Downey was next at 91.108. Two more qualifying sessions today will determine the field for the 35-lap championship race.

Wayne Rainey of Downey won the 500cc class of the Dunlop United States International Grand Prix Sunday, but it was what happened after the race that will stay in people's minds. Kevin Magee, who lost third place to Eddie Lawson of Upland on the final lap, was almost out of fuel and moving very slowly when he started up the hill at Turn 5 during the cool-off lap. Bubba Shobert, a former national dirt track champion from Carmel Valley in his rookie year on the world championship circuit, was trailing Magee.

Defending world champion Wayne Rainey beat fellow-American Kevin Schwantz and Michael Doohan of Australia in a 500-cc race of the San Marino Grand Prix at Scarperia, Italy.