1992 British motorcycle Grand Prix

The 1992 British motorcycle Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 1992 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of July 31-August 2, 1992 at Donington Park.

500 cc race report

Mick Doohan’s leg injury became life-threatening and the right leg had to be fused to his left in order for the right to heal. Wayne Rainey commented: “When Mick didn’t show up people started to realize how bad his leg was. I was racing against a ghost.” [Scott, Michael: "Wayne Rainey", page 171. Haynes Publishing, 1997.]

Wayne Gardner announces his retirement, effective at the end of the season. He won the World Championship in 1987, but injuries, American riders and Doohan had stalled his career.

Eddie Lawson on pole, then John Kocinski, Rainey and Gardner. Kocinski gets the start, but Rainey and Lawson are soon through and Schwantz is in 4th.

After the first lap it’s Rainey, Lawson, and Schwantz (lap record holder), but Gardner is moving up.

Gardner passes Schwantz, who passes Lawson. Rainey still up front with a small gap.

Rainey’s front-end is bobbling through Craner Curves with Gardner on his wheel; Gardner passes Rainey at the chicane. The group behind is closing.

Schwantz into second, and it becomes a tight 5-man group: Gardner, Schwantz, Rainey, Lawson and Juan Garriga.

Schwantz through to 1st at the Old Hairpin, and holds Gardner off for a few laps, but Gardner gets him back at the chicane. Rainey through to 2nd at Redgate.

Schwantz through to 2nd at the Old Hairpin. Niall Mackenzie, who had been giving Kocinski a run, leaves with a mechanical. Kocinski also out with a mechanical.

5 laps to go, Schwantz crashes out at Redgate and throws his hands up, looking angrily at the track. As he walks behind the tire barrier he meets Doug Chandler, who crashed in the same place. They’re both now yelling and Schwantz jumps over the barrier as Carl Fogarty goes down, grabs an oil flag and instructs a marshal on its use.

Schwantz:

"I checked nobody was coming and ran across to the flag marshall and grabbed the oil flag because he was just standing there with it not doing anything much and was half way round the corner - I got back up the straight twenty or twenty five yards so that I could flag and signal to everybody to get on the outside line. Kocinski's bike had broken a primary gear and that had come out the side of the cases, gas, oil and everything went everywhere. ... A lot of guys out there thanked me for getting on the flags. Gardner and Rymer said that had I not got the flag out other people would have fallen because the marshals weren't doing what they were supposed to." [Schwantz, Kevin: [http://kevinschwantz.com/html/static.php?file=blurredpast15.htm "Blurred Past"] kevinschwantz.com 1994.]

Last lap and Rainey isn’t close enough to pass Gardner. As they cross the line, it looks like Schwantz cheering Rainey on from the side of the track, and Rainey throws a questioning hand up to him.

500cc classification

References

MotoGP_race_report
Name_of_race = British Grand Prix
Year_of_race = 1992
Previous_race_in_season = 1992 French Grand Prix
Next_race_in_season = 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix
Previous_year's_race = 1991 British Grand Prix
Next_year's_race = 1993 British Grand Prix