1993 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1993 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 45th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
Season summary
won the 1993 world championship in a season marred by the tragic end to his rival Wayne Rainey's career. Schwantz started the season strongly with four wins by the midpoint of the season. With three races remaining, Rainey had battled back to take the championship points lead while Schwantz nursed a wrist injury. At the Italian Grand Prix, Rainey had just taken the lead and was pulling away when he fell. He suffered serious spinal injuries and would never walk again. Rainey's accident marked the end of an era of American domination in Grand Prix racing.Newcomers Daryl Beattie and Alex Barros took their first wins while Mick Doohan struggled to recover from his serious leg injuries. Freddie Spencer made one more comeback attempt but crashed in two of the first three rounds. Honda entered factory test rider Shinichi Itoh on a third bike with development parts, rumored to include electronic fuel injection, as he was noticeably faster in a straight line that the other Honda riders. When Itoh broke the 200 mph barrier at Hockenheim, it gave credence to these rumors. Officially, all three bikes gained the injection system at the same time
A new star emerged on the 250 scene with Tetsuya Harada taking the crown in a tight battle with Loris Capirossi. German privateer, Dirk Raudies won the 125 crown with 9 victories on a Honda.
The 1993 season also marks the last time a rider is allowed to compete in two different classes at the same race.
1993 Grand Prix season calendar
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1993:Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit |
1 | 28 March | Foster's Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix | Eastern Creek Raceway |
2 | 4 April | Malaysia Grand Prix | Shah Alam Circuit |
3 | 18 April | Marlboro GP | Suzuka Circuit |
4 | 2 May | Gran Premio de España Ducados | Circuito Permanente de Jerez |
5 | 16 May | Austrian Grand Prix | Salzburgring |
6 | 13 June | Grand Prix von Deutschland | Hockenheimring |
7 | 26 June | Lucky Strike Dutch Grand Prix | TT Circuit Assen |
8 | 4 July | Gran Premi Pepsi d'Europa | Circuit de Catalunya |
9 | 18 July | Gran Premio di San Marino | Mugello Circuit |
10 | 1 August | British Grand Prix | Donington Park |
11 | 22 August | Grand Prix České republiky | Brno Circuit |
12 | 5 September | Gran Premio d'Italia | Circuito Internazionale Santa Monica |
13 | 12 September | United States Motorcycle Grand Prix | Laguna Seca Raceway |
14 | 26 September | Gran Premio FIM de la Comunidad de Madrid | Circuito Permanente Del Jarama |
Calendar changes
- The Australian Grand Prix replaced the Japanese Grand Prix with hosting the opening round Grand Prix.
- The Hungarian, French and Brazilian Grand Prix were taken off the calendar after Bernie Ecclestone focused his interest completely on Formula 1 again.
- The Austrian, San Marino, Czech Republic and United States Grand Prix returned on the calendar after the shift of interest to Formula 1 by Bernie Ecclestone.
- The FIM Grand Prix was added to the calendar as a one-off Grand Prix to replace the South African Grand Prix.
Participants
500cc participants
250cc participants
125cc participants
Results and standings
Grands Prix
500cc riders' standings
;Scoring systemPoints are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
250cc riders' standings;Scoring systemPoints are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.
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