Hard-core Grand Prix racing fans will be in for a treat on August 30 as former 500cc GP World Champion Kevin Schwantz is scheduled to ride the Suzuki
RGV500 two-stroke V-four—the bike on which he won the 1993 500cc world title—for some demonstration laps at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. This will be one of the few times when MotoGP fans will be able to see in action one of the bikes that epitomized the two-stroke “Golden Era” of 500GP racing, when Schwantz fought fiercely for victories against rivals like fellow American world champions Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson, as well as Australian world champions Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner.
RGV500 two-stroke V-four—the bike on which he won the 1993 500cc world title—for some demonstration laps at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. This will be one of the few times when MotoGP fans will be able to see in action one of the bikes that epitomized the two-stroke “Golden Era” of 500GP racing, when Schwantz fought fiercely for victories against rivals like fellow American world champions Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson, as well as Australian world champions Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner.
Although Schwantz has had the bike since 1995 when it was given to him by Suzuki, the bodywork and paint was only recently restored. The Texas native will ride the restored bike on the 2.621-mile road course at IMS at 2:15 p.m., 45 minutes before the start of the MotoGP race. Schwantz recorded 25 victories during his illustrious Grand Prix career, second all-time among American riders.
It will be the first time Schwantz will ride the bike since he retired after the 1995 season. "We fired it up one weekend, I think, late in the year in '95," Schwantz said. "I'm looking forward to it. I've sat on it a couple of times. We've got some new Michelin tires for it. I'm not going to try and throw down a qualifying lap, that's for sure, but I'm really looking forward to riding that thing here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"Hearing that V4 two-stroke (engine) running around out here is going to be special."
1 Comments
fullspeed1 +Delete - on Aug 24th 2009 at 12:00am
Rgv500 is a nasty machine.
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