1990 Yugoslav motorcycle Grand Prix explained

Grand Prix:Yugoslav
Flag:Yugoslavia
Official Name:Yu Grand Prix[1] [2]
Location:Automotodrom Rijeka
Course Mi:2.590
Course Km:4.168
Race No:7
Season No:15
Date:17 June
Year:1990
Pole Rider 500:Wayne Rainey
Pole Rider 500 Country:USA
Pole Time 500:1:28.433
Fast Rider 500:Wayne Rainey
Fast Rider 500 Country:USA
Fast Time 500:1:29.220
First Rider 500:Wayne Rainey
First Rider 500 Country:USA
Second Rider 500:Kevin Schwantz
Second Rider 500 Country:USA
Third Rider 500:Niall Mackenzie
Third Rider 500 Country:UK
Pole Rider 250:John Kocinski
Pole Rider 250 Country:USA
Pole Time 250:1:31.313
Fast Rider 250:Reinhold Roth
Fast Rider 250 Country:Germany
Fast Time 250:1:31.952
First Rider 250:Carlos Cardús
First Rider 250 Country:Spain
Second Rider 250:John Kocinski
Second Rider 250 Country:USA
Third Rider 250:Martin Wimmer
Third Rider 250 Country:Germany
Pole Rider 125:Jorge Martínez
Pole Rider 125 Country:Spain
Pole Time 125:1:37.191
Fast Rider 125:Doriano Romboni
Fast Rider 125 Country:Italy
Fast Time 125:1:38.076
First Rider 125:Stefan Prein
First Rider 125 Country:Germany
Second Rider 125:Loris Capirossi
Second Rider 125 Country:Italy
Third Rider 125:Bruno Casanova
Third Rider 125 Country:Italy

The 1990 Yugoslavian motorcycle Grand Prix was the seventh round of the 1990 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 15–17 June 1990 at the Rijeka circuit.[3]

500 cc race report

In qualifying Christian Sarron went down hard and was heaved roughly off the tarmac by track marshals, which brought complaints from riders that the race organization was unprofessional.

At the start, Wayne Rainey led, followed by Mick Doohan and Niall Mackenzie, while behind them two Cagiva riders collided and crashed: Ron Haslam and Randy Mamola. Haslam touched the back of a bike, and fell off into Mamola.

Kevin Schwantz was in 9th place after either a very bad start or a mechanical problem. The field was getting strung out, Rainey ahead, then Doohan, Mackenzie, Pierfrancesco Chili, and Jean-Philippe Ruggia, with Schwantz in eighth.

Alex Barros crashed and put Cagiva’s Yugoslavian GP to bed.

Schwantz found his rhythm and caught the group of three chasing Rainey: Doohan, Mackenzie and Chili; a small gap to the fight for sixth between Ruggia and Sito Pons.

The gap to Rainey looked too big to close, and the fight for second narrowed down to Mackenzie and Schwantz. Behind him, Doohan led Pons and Chili, but Pons lost the front end on the exit of a right turn, and Chili hit the fallen rider or bike and was thrown into the air. The marshals put Pons on the stretcher like there were snipers in the bleachers, and the question of race organization came to mind again.

250 cc

During the practice Wilco Zeelenberg was hurt.

The rain disturbed the race, which was stopped 2 laps before the end. But the drivers continued due to a bad coordination between marshals, with red flags that did not appear. Darren Milner, who was allowed to fill the empty place left on the grid by Zeelenberg, apparently saw the red flag. He was one lap behind the leaders. Milner slowed to a point he was a moving danger. And in fact Reinhold Roth, going still at full speed, smashed into Milner; also Alex Criville fell to avoid them. As the red flags finally come out the situation worsened, with people and rescuers crossing the track on the site of the shunt with the riders still going at good speed to pit. While Milner and Criville were lifted by rescuers again with unprofessional methods, Reinhold Roth was airlifted in critical state with cerebral injuries and thoracic trauma. Scenes of desperation from the Mobile Clinic were broadcast live on TV, making clear to everyone the heavy consequences of the crash. Reinhold Roth survived the crash but he remained hemiplegic. Carlos Cardus won the race.

500 cc classification

Pos.RiderTeamManufacturerTime/RetiredPoints
1 Wayne RaineyMarlboro Team RobertsYamaha48:10.80620
2 Kevin SchwantzLucky Strike SuzukiSuzuki+10.07417
3 Niall MackenzieLucky Strike SuzukiSuzuki+33.68515
4 Mick DoohanRothmans Honda TeamHonda+43.53013
5 Jean Philippe RuggiaSonauto GauloisesYamaha+1:11.44711
6 Marco PapaTeam ROC Elf La CinqHonda+1 Lap10
7 Cees DoorakkersHRK MotorsHonda+1 Lap9
8 Karl TruchsessHonda+1 Lap8
9 Nicholas SchmassmanTeam SchmassmanHonda+1 Lap7
Ret Vittorio ScatolaTeam ElitPatonRetirement
Ret Sito PonsCampsa BanestoHondaRetirement
Ret Ron HaslamCagiva CorseCagivaRetirement
Ret Randy MamolaCagiva CorseCagivaRetirement
Ret Juan GarrigaDucados YamahaYamahaRetirement
Ret Pierfrancesco ChiliTeam ROC Elf La CinqHondaRetirement
Ret Alex BarrosCagiva CorseCagivaRetirement
Sources: [4] [5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Grand Prix uitslagen en bijzonderheden 1990 . https://archive.today/20150725171400/http://www.jumpingjack.nl/GP-races_1990_heden.htm . dead . 2015-07-25 . Archive.li . 2018-05-20.
  2. Web site: Grobnik | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project. Progcovers.com . 2018-05-20.
  3. Web site: Moto GP statistics. Moto GP. 2018-02-19.
  4. Web site: 1990 Yugoslavian MotoGP - Motor Sport Magazine Database. 13 June 2017.
  5. Web site: motogp.com · YUGOSLAVIAN GRAND PRIX · 500cc Race Classification 1990. www.motogp.com.