1. Wayne Rainey competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships in 1984 and from 1988 to 1993.
18 Facts About Wayne Rainey
1. 2.
Wayne Rainey won the 500cc World Championship three times and the Daytona 200 once.
3.
Wayne Rainey was characterized by his smooth, calculating riding style, and for his intense rivalry with compatriot Kevin Schwantz, between 1987 and 1993.
4.
Wayne Rainey won the Championship, but the fierce rivalry between the two competitors was just beginning.
5.
In 1988 Wayne Rainey returned to Europe, again joining Team Roberts Yamaha, this time in the premier 500cc division riding the YZR500.
6.
In 1988, Wayne Rainey won his first world championship race at the British Grand Prix.
7.
From 1990 to 1992, Wayne Rainey hit his stride earning three consecutive 500cc crowns for Yamaha.
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Kevin Schwantz 8.
Wayne Rainey was involved in a hard-fought campaign with Kevin Schwantz while seeking his fourth-consecutive title in 1993.
9.
Wayne Rainey was leading the championship by a margin of 11 points over Schwantz, and leading the GP when he suffered his career-ending crash at the Italian Grand Prix in Misano.
10.
Wayne Rainey slid into the gravel trap at high speed, breaking his spine against the raked surface designed as a safety feature for car racing.
11.
Wayne Rainey's injuries rendered him permanently paralyzed from the chest down.
12.
Wayne Rainey refused to give up racing despite his disability and raced a hand-controlled Superkart in the World SuperKart series based in Northern California.
13.
Wayne Rainey lived in Monterey, California in a house that is not far from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
14.
The nearby circuit named a corner in his honor, Wayne Rainey Curve, which is a medium-speed, acute left-hander that follows the famous Corkscrew.
15.
Wayne Rainey was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.
16.
Wayne Rainey was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007.
17.
Wayne Rainey rode his 1992 YZR500 at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
18.
Wayne Rainey was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2008.