Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

I I C 34 ! we come in. He said: 'You could have killed us both.' I said 'Whaddya mean? Just pay- ing you back Ior what you did in the first race."' They glowered at ea€h other on the rostrum, and kept it up for two more days at Donington - three races a day. "l remember l'd suck him into a slow tum, and that cowboy'd be sideways so all I could see was 'Suzuki' written down the side of his bike," said Rainey. Rainey had five wins to Schwantz's four, but Kevin had more points for that series. A year of hand-to-hand combat on the Al"1A tracks went the other way - Schwantz won five races to Rainey's three, but Rainey took the title. "lt was one of those ri\Elries where you race so hard that you neYer leave the other guy any room, and you're always runninS into them," Rainey says, describinS the sea- son. "l never did that with anyone except Kevin Schwantz. He was the only guy I'd run into, and he was the only guy to run into me. We didn't know there were peo- ple watching us. lt was iust me and him on the track. We iust hated each other, and we would ride each other right into the grandstands. I just didn't care. And he did- n't care." To make matters worse (to an extent precisely for that purpose), Schwantz was dating Wayne's pretty sister, Renee. ''l remember the first time I showed up at their house to pick her up, Wayne came to the door,'' SchwanE recalls. He was struck almost dumb to see his hated rival smiling there. "what the f--- are you doing here?" Rainey was becoming obsessive. "l read ever,,thing Kevin said about me. That he could beat me. That when we got to Europe he was going to smoke me. I'd say 'Well, he's always said that stufl bur he can't stay on the motorcycle. He might be fast, but he's not fast for long.'On the track, lwas tryingto beat him and also hold back, because I needed that championshrp. He was like -.. in a bull ring just nuts. I could sucker him into these corners and watch him buck and turn right off the race- track - and I'd beat him. And I'd think, when this guy gets smart one day, he's gonna be tough." lf anythin8, the battle became more intense after they hit GP racing in 1988 - bur one thing changed. They backed off on the savagery Kevin mainly credits Wayne. "Once we got on GP motorcycles, I don't think our fairings ever touched," Schwanrz said. "lt seems like it was me who needed the space and Wayne who would leave the door open. He wouldn't force an issue that was Soing to cause both of [us] to fall down." I I 26 FEBRUARY I5, 2006 CYCLE NEWS ln the early 1990., the 500cc GP bike was still developing rapldly. Honda's ultimatell dominant NSR500 wa5 always the {astest, and alwayr a handful; Rainey's Yamaha YzR500 was generdlly the better overdll package, making up power deficit with better balance Suzuki's RGV had a similar twin-crank V-tour engine, but a difierent reputation - as an alto- tether rnore nimble bot fickle motorcycle. Much of its poor reputation, according to khwanE's

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