Eddie Lawson (pictured at Suzuka) became the 500cc world champion
Sito Pons (pictured at Suzuka) became the 250cc world champion
The 1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 41st
F.I.M.Road Racing World Championship season.
Season summary
Defending champion
Eddie Lawson stunned most observers by switching from the
Yamaha to
Honda in the offseason then proceeded to win the championship, becoming the first man to win two consecutive
500cc championships on two different brands. On why he left Yamaha for Honda: "
Giacomo Agostini, the Marlboro Yamaha team manager, started playing games, saying stuff like, 'I don't know if we can pay you the same as we did in 1988.' I'd just won my third title, so that was tough to hear. Also, I found out Ago was talking to Kevin Schwantz. I met with
Erv and told him that I needed a change. When Marlboro discovered I was talking with Honda, they doubled their offer, but it was too late. I actually took a pay cut to ride the Honda."[1]
Wayne Rainey and
Kevin Schwantz continued to perform impressively while
Freddie Spencer made a less than successful comeback attempt with the Marlboro Yamaha team. Australian
Wayne Gardner was out for most of the season after breaking his leg at
Laguna Seca but not before winning the inaugural Grand Prix in his home country. Another Australian made his Grand Prix debut for the Rothmans Honda team with
Mick Doohan scoring a third-place finish at the
Hockenheimring. The
FIM awarded half points for the rain-drenched Belgian Grand Prix after organisers restarted the race three times contrary to FIM race regulations. The Nations Grand Prix at
Misano was boycotted by most of the top riders for safety reasons.
Sito Pons won a second consecutive 250 championship for
Honda while Spanish teenager,
Àlex Crivillé won the 125 crown on a
Rotax-powered JJ Cobas motorcycle designed by
Antonio Cobas.
Derbi rider Manuel Herreros had the honor of winning the final 80cc world championship as the class would be discontinued after 1989.
1989 Grand Prix season calendar
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1989:[2][3]