For anyone who’s a fan of motorcycle racing, whether it’s MotoGP or World Superbikes, Phillip Island is a popular circuit, famous for hosting exciting races.
Australia is a long way from, well, most places, so it wasn’t until 1989 that the Aussies got their first 500cc Grand Prix.
Kevin Schwantz, 1993 500cc World Champion, took pole position on his Pepsi Cola Suzuki but crashed on lap two, leaving Wayne Rainey and Australia’s Wayne Gardner to duel for the win.
After a close battle, Gardner took the inaugural honours on his Rothmans Honda, beating Rainey across the line by three tenths of a second. Rainey grumbled afterwards that Gardner had ridden poorly, running in to him several times, and wouldn’t have won if it wasn’t for the home advantage.
RM was also inspirational in a way that WR, WG and MD never quite caught me… hooliganism tamed over precise workmanship (at least that’s my memory’s of that GP era)