VOLUME ISSUE MAY , P131
race for the title between the
two American giants. Rainey, a
three-time and defending cham-
pion, had a rejuvenated Kevin
Schwantz hungrier than ever to
take the coveted title after an
off-season that saw crew chief
Stuart Shenton and the Lucky
Strike Suzuki team transform
the RGV500 into the most rider-
friendly bike on the grid, with
more power than the Yamaha
YZR500 and better handling than
the Honda NSR500, and better
all-round everything than the Ca
-
giva V593 of former teammate
Californian Doug Chandler, and
a very young soon-to-be AMA
Superbike legend Mat Mladin.
Rainey, on the other hand, was
fighting his YZR500 from pre-
season testing right to the first
green light of the year at Eastern
Creek, the machine a hangover
from the 1992 YZR, Rainey open-
ly admits was the least favorite
of all his title-winning machines.
A late, revised chassis seemed
to fix most of the issues. but the
YZR troubles were also befud-
dling the fourth American on the
grid, three-time World Champion
Freddie Spencer, who was mak-
ing yet another comeback sea-
son, this time for Yamaha France.
Riding a 1992 chassis,
Spencer's race would end at
the dauntingly fast turn one,
flung over the highside halfway
through the race in a violent
crash that knocked the Louisi-
anan out cold after smoke was
seen puffing out from the back
tire right before it all went south.
Under threatening skies Chan-
dler's Cagiva ripped the holeshot
from fourth on the grid ahead of
Rothmans Honda's Daryl Beattie,
while Schwantz hit reverse gear
and went from pole to 13th at
turn one.
The still drastically injured
Mick Doohan, who had three
quarters of his right leg bend
-
ing like a banana after his brutal
Assen crash in 1992, as well as
a broken left wrist, was third by
race for the title between the
two American giants. Rainey, a
three-time and defending cham
pion, had a rejuvenated Kevin
Schwantz hungrier than ever to
take the coveted title after an
