1990 United States motorcycle Grand Prix

The 1990 United States motorcycle Grand Prix was the second round of the 1990 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of April 6–8, 1990 at Laguna Seca.

  1990 United States Grand Prix

Race details
Race 2 of 15 races in the 1990 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
Date	April 8, 1990
Official name	U.S. Budweiser International Grand Prix
Location	Laguna Seca Raceway
Course	Permanent racing facility 3.602 km (2.238 mi)
500cc
Pole position Rider Wayne Gardner Time 1:25.908 Fastest lap Rider Kevin Schwantz Time 1:25.838 Podium First Wayne Rainey Second Mick Doohan Third Pierfrancesco Chili
250cc
Pole position Rider Luca Cadalora Time 1:28.866 Fastest lap Rider John Kocinski Time 1:29.178 Podium First John Kocinski Second Luca Cadalora Third Wilco Zeelenberg

500 cc race report

Eddie Lawson's season went from bad to worse: during practice his brakes failed at speed, and he hit the straw bales hard, shattering his right ankle. He would be sidelined until round 8 at Assen.

Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz both got away together at the start; Rainey's front wheel lifted, and maybe because of that, he and Schwantz touched as they headed toward the hairpin. The order as they made their way to the Corkscrew was Rainey, Schwantz, Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan and Kevin Magee. Magee soon crashed out of the race, which was red-flagged because an ambulance needed to get on the track, Magee suffering severe head injuries and ending his season. He recovered, but never raced again at the same level.

At the new start, Schwantz got to the hairpin first, followed by Sito Pons and Rainey. Rainey soon passed Pons and a gap formed to the fight for third, between Gardner, Pons and Doohan. On the uphill approach to the Corkscrew, Gardner highsided up and out.

Commentating for Australian broadcaster Nine Network, two-time 500cc world champion Barry Sheene remarked his clear disapproval towards the safety standards at Laguna Seca after Gardner's crash:

"If the Americans are bigger and better at everything, then why don't they build a decent racetrack?"

— Barry Sheene

Rainey passed on Turn 11, and was able to keep Schwantz behind him for a lap. As they went through Turn 11 with 5 laps to go, Schwantz highsided, and injured his wrist too much to continue, which was later discovered to be a fracture.

500 cc classification

Pos.	Rider	Team	Manufacturer	Time/Retired	Points
1	Wayne Rainey	Marlboro Team Roberts	Yamaha	50:55.379	20
2	Mick Doohan	Rothmans Honda Team	Honda	+30.386	17
3	Pierfrancesco Chili	Team ROC Elf La Cinq	Honda	+59.233	15
4	Christian Sarron	Sonauto Gauloises	Yamaha	+1:13.006	13
5	Jean Philippe Ruggia	Sonauto Gauloises	Yamaha	+1:22.592	11
6	Juan Garriga	Ducados Yamaha	Yamaha	+1 Lap	10
7	Randy Mamola	Cagiva Corse	Cagiva	+1 Lap	9
8	Alex Barros	Cagiva Corse	Cagiva	+1 Lap	8
9	Peter Lindén		Honda	+3 Laps	7
10	Nicholas Schmassman	Team Schmassman	Honda	+3 Laps	6
Ret	Kevin Magee	Lucky Strike Suzuki	Suzuki	Retirement
Ret	Kevin Schwantz	Lucky Strike Suzuki	Suzuki	Retirement
Ret	Wayne Gardner	Rothmans Honda Team	Honda	Retirement
Ret	Ron Haslam	Cagiva Corse	Cagiva	Retirement
Ret	Sito Pons	Campsa Banesto	Honda	Retirement
DNS	Eddie Lawson	Marlboro Team Roberts	Yamaha	Crash in practice
DNS	Tadahiko Taira	Tech 21	Yamaha	Did not start
DNQ	Hansjorg Butz		Honda	Did not qualify
Sources: