Find the Part I and Part II by clicking on these links.
The championship is coming to an end. Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson are now alone in the lead. Two titans of the 20th century, two legends, two heroes. But only one will lift the trophy.
The Bugatti circuit at Le Mans will see one of the most decisive performances from a driver. Lawson, with nerves of steel and a cool head, starts on pole. The race is off to a good start for “Steady Eddie”, but the Kevin Schwantz storm is fast approaching. After a mixed start, he managed to get back on track by rising like a bullet to the leading duo. Rainey is not even able to keep up with his two compatriots. Lawson and Schwantz set an incredible pace in a battle of big names.
By some miracle, Eddie manages to beat Kevin, by less than a second. Rainey is relegated to more than 15 seconds behind. The championship operation is magnificent for the Honda driver, who is also one of the few who beat Schwantz in a fight on the last lap.
The leading trio is still on the Donington circuit, and the battle is still going strong. Although driven by a fiery Niall McKenzie, this time it was the #34 Suzuki that won and thanks to his second place, Eddie Lawson manages to stay one step ahead in the championship. With three rounds remaining, the noose tightens around Wayne Rainey. The latter needs an exploit, to show who is the boss.
Niall Mackenzie was hot in Donnington. Here at the battle with Eddie Lawson. Photo: Stu Newby
This is confirmed in Sweden. He takes pole position in front of the tenors. On the Anderstorp circuit, the atmosphere is electric. The first fact of the race (and not the least) is not surprising: Schwantz breaks, and will not win. Rainey found himself chasing Lawson, who held the lead securely.
The two men are at the extreme limit, at an unsustainable pace for the brave pursuers. Lawson opens wide. He is at full throttle everywhere, in all the turns and Rainey doesn't want to give up a thousandth.
With two laps remaining, time stops. The images freeze. Everything is in slow motion. Lawson, according to him, had never turned so quickly on this track. Rainey can't keep up. Too greedy, it falls at the worst times. In a fraction of a second, destiny changes.
Lawson would later admit that the tires could not withstand such loads and that this decisive fall was not directly a mistake by Wayne. On the podium, we find Christian Sarron who confirms a magnificent year; Wayne Gardner, the ghost, joins the two thieves.
13,5 points. This is the gap in favor of Lawson in the championship before entering the last round. For a chance to make history, Rainey must win the race while his rival must not finish in the top 11. Before the final taking place on the Goiânia circuit in Brazil, the Yamaha rider is going through a difficult phase. “I feel like I've been beaten by everyone. Like I let my team down. » Harsh words towards himself, knowing perfectly well that he must count on a miracle.
Wayne Rainey, after his Hockenheim recital, is struggling to go the distance in the championship despite a mess of podiums. Photo: Gary Watson
This does not prevent him from taking pole. But no suspense: he will not win the title. Lawson still gets the best start, and only Kevin Schwantz is able to compete with Eddie. The latter performs an exceptional race, once again, and takes the victory again.
Crossing the line in third place, Rainey knows. He is beaten. But we must realize the year that has just been completed by these three ogres. Wayne finished with 210,5 points, more than 14 per race (knowing that the scale was 20 points, compared to 25 today.). A single fall and a boycott excepted, he finished all the races of the year on the podium. Yes, yes, all of them.
Eddie Lawson had a year of 228 points in 15 races, which was a performance from another world. Only a fifth place in Australia (and his boycott of Misano) prevented him from having a full year on the podium.
Kevin Schwantz, fourth overall (beaten by a very consistent Christian Sarron), is statistically astonishing. Six wins and nine poles later, he only finished first or second when he finished races.
This 1989 season is engraved in golden letters in the history of the Grands Prix. Have we ever seen three such strong drivers compete against each other, on three different brands, over the course of a year? Such incredible tension throughout a year? Probably not. 1989 remains a dream, a moment apart. A teenage memory, the sketch of the perfect season.
Cover photo: Stu Newby
