1989 Swedish motorcycle Grand Prix

  1989 Swedish Grand Prix
Race details
Race 13 of 15 races in the
1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
Date 13 August 1989
Official name Swedish TT
Location Scandinavian Raceway
Course
  • Permanent racing facility
  • 4.025 km (2.501 mi)
500 cc
Pole position
Rider Wayne Rainey
Time 1:32.490
Fastest lap
Rider Christian Sarron
Time 1:31.990
Podium
First Eddie Lawson
Second Christian Sarron
Third Wayne Gardner
250 cc
Pole position
Rider Carlos Cardús
Time 1:36.740
Fastest lap
Rider Sito Pons
Time 1:36.360
Podium
First Sito Pons
Second Reinhold Roth
Third Jacques Cornu
125 cc
Pole position
Rider Àlex Crivillé
Time 1:43.610
Fastest lap
Rider Àlex Crivillé
Time 1:42.770
Podium
First Àlex Crivillé
Second Hans Spaan
Third Koji Takada

The 1989 Swedish motorcycle Grand Prix was the thirteenth round of the 1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 11–13 August 1989 at the Anderstorp circuit.

500 cc race report

Wayne Rainey takes pole, then it's Kevin Schwantz and Eddie Lawson. Rainey gets the start, and Lawson moves into second, followed by Schwantz.

A lead group forms, with Rainey, a small gap to Lawson, then another small gap to Schwantz, Kevin Magee and Christian Sarron.

Schwantz cruises into the pits with a mechanical, and Lawson closes the gap to Rainey and moves into the lead. Sarron is in third a couple of bike lengths behind, and Wayne Gardner passes Magee for fourth spot.

With two laps to go, Rainey is right behind Lawson and highsides on the exit of a right-hander. It's a long tumble, but he gets up and doesn't try to pick up the bike. Though it's Rainey's only real mistake all year, Lawson's consistency and improvement brings him the win and a lead in the standings by 13.5 points. Sarron takes second, Gardner third.

Says Lawson of the lap that saw Rainey go down: "That was my fastest lap of the race; I'd never got on the throttle that early all race. When I cracked it open, Wayne followed me, and there was no way the Dunlop was going to do that. It wasn’t Wayne, it was the tyres."

500 cc classification

Pos. Rider Team Manufacturer Laps Time/Retired Points
1 Eddie Lawson Rothmans Kanemoto Honda Honda 30 46:31.950 20
2 Christian Sarron Sonauto Gauloises Blondes Yamaha Mobil 1 Yamaha 30 +5.650 17
3 Wayne Gardner Rothmans Honda Team Honda 30 +25.030 15
4 Niall Mackenzie Marlboro Yamaha Team Agostini Yamaha 30 +31.630 13
5 Kevin Magee Team Lucky Strike Roberts Yamaha 30 +51.550 11
6 Ron Haslam Suzuki Pepsi Cola Suzuki 30 +55.450 10
7 Pierfrancesco Chili HB Honda Gallina Team Honda 30 +55.660 9
8 Adrien Morillas Team ROC Elf Honda Honda 30 +55.840 8
9 Rob McElnea Cabin Racing Team Honda 30 +1:33.500 7
10 Tadahiko Taira Yamaha Motor Company Yamaha 29 +1 Lap 6
11 Alessandro Valesi Team Iberia Yamaha 29 +1 Lap 5
12 Simon Buckmaster Racing Team Katayama Honda 29 +1 Lap 4
13 Fabio Biliotti Racing Team Katayama Honda 28 +2 Laps 3
14 Bruno Kneubühler Romer Racing Suisse Honda 28 +2 Laps 2
15 Juan Lopez Mella Club Motocross Pozuelo Honda 28 +2 Laps 1
16 Nicholas Schmassman FMS Honda 28 +2 Laps
17 Timo Paavilainen Suzuki 28 +2 Laps
Ret Torbjorn Bastiansen Suzuki Retirement
Ret Andreas Leuthe Librenti Corse Suzuki Retirement
Ret Wayne Rainey Team Lucky Strike Roberts Yamaha Retirement
Ret Alan Carter Honda Retirement
Ret Kevin Schwantz Suzuki Pepsi Cola Suzuki Retirement
Ret Rachel Nicotte Chevallier Yamaha Retirement
Ret Peter Linden Team Heukeroff Honda Retirement
DNS Marco Gentile Fior Marlboro Fior Did not start
DNS Josef Doppler Honda Did not start
DNS Luca Cadalora Marlboro Yamaha Team Agostini Yamaha Did not start
DNQ Francisco Gonzales Club Motocross Pozuelo Honda Did not qualify
DNQ Ian Pratt Suzuki Did not qualify
DNQ Aki Dahli Honda Did not qualify
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