Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127179
: If Donington was the high p oi nt of the 1988 seaso n, wha t was th e low point? Assen (the site of th e Dutch GP where Rainey fini shed sevent h) was th e low point of m y seaso n. I struggled th e wh ol e tim e the re - I just could n 't gel" anything going. We had tire problem s, and th e major low point was that I just wasn 't getting around th at race track like I did all th e others. For some reason I stru ggled there and we just had an off weekend. Like I said earlier, your surp rised many in 1988, Was it a surprise to yo u that yo u finished th ird in th e championship ? I had two goa ls at the beginning of , the season. One was to finish in the top five and th e other was to win a race - and we did that. At the beginning of the year I didn 't have the confidence in the bike and in myself to be raci ng wit h the front guys. And at the beginning of the season I didn 't, When the results started com ing I felt li ke I wasn 't pushing rea l hard. I felt like I was just riding a nd the bike was working good for me. I was learning a lot along th e way and the team was giving me good bikes . When I started getting on the rostrum it wasn 't a surprise because th at's wh at I was working for - it wasn 't like somebody fell down, I deserved th e fini shes that I gal. I would hav e been surprised if I ended up third and I would hav e been surprised if I ended up eigh th - it just so happens I ended upthird, Does finish ing third give you the confidence to ' go higher? Does it mean there could be a World Championsh ip for Wayne Rain ey in I989? I- feel li ke I'v e matured as a rider. I've got more experie nce. I feel that I can race with a ny of them g uys and I think with tha t kind of attitude we should be in the thick of things at every race - I hope. The key will be consistency in my riding and having a team that's behind me the whole time. And just tryi ng to make myself faster . Unlike some of the other riders, you opted to sta y in Europe betw een races and not n y back to California. Do you enjoy th e travel and the lifestyle . of a GP racer? Yes, I enjoy it over there. Shae likes to travel - we like the food and we lik e the people. It's a very short time you're over there and this is just a littl e part of my life, so I'm just going to enjoy it as much as I can. I do n 't thi nk about ho me m uch when I'm over there. I th ink about home more when I' m up here (Modesto) than when I' m over there. Shae is happy when she's there, so I don 't have to cater to her to make her happy. Sh e finds things to do, she wo rks o u t and read s and finds places th at she 'wan ts to go see. She's already got it plan ned wh at she wants to see this year. I j ust driv e, she's the naviga to r. Who do you see as the top contenders for the championship in I989? . Eddi e, Ga rdner and probably (Kevin) Sch wan tz. I th in k those three guys will be th e o nes to beat, Lawson switched to Honda during the off-season, so he'll be on the same Honda NSR500s as Wayne Gardner. Who do yo u see as having the advantage between tho se two right now? Righ t now I th ink Wayne (Gardner) wo u ld have the edge over Eddie (Lawson ) because he kn ows th e charac teristics of how the Honda works. Maybe in a few race s, it 'll be prett y close. Was the Honda as bad as it looked ' in 1988, or was it the way Gardner I Cycle News every week! The latest on two wheels! W.nt Ad info rmo tion • (2 1 3 ) 427.7433 FOURTH ANNUAL YAMAHA FAM ILY A F FAI R JULY 2 8 , 29, 30, 1989 FAMOUS SEVEN SPR INGS MOUNTAIN RESORT t.o c: 60 rni E o f P ittsburgh PA C onta ct local Yamah a De a ler OR: YA M A HA FAMILY A FFAIR P.O . Bo x 426. Bridg eport. NJ 0 8 01 4 Ph on e: 609 -467 -4300 • GAMES · PR IZES· FUN· VENDORS ALL RIDERS WELCOME! Omke . PLA STIC TANKS'~ "89" Models NOW AVAILABLE - "89 CR500 3 .6 g.1 "88·89 CR250 3 .6 g.1 "88-89 VZ250 3 .7 g.1 " 8 9 VZ125 3 .7 g.1 , ' 8 6 to ' 8 9 Y2490 3.7 g.1 " 8 8·8 9 10(250/500 3 .6 " 8 8·8 9 XR600 5 g.1 " Ask aboll' TT600 tanks " g.' $91.50:~... See Your Dealer or contact CLARKE DUALITY PLASTIC PRODUCTS 29032 South Salo Road. Mulino. OR 97042 (503) 829-2156 19