Kevin Schwantz opens up about the final years of his career and what led to his decision to retire from MotoGP.
This cannot be denied Schwantz is one of the greatest American MotoGP riders. He made a name for himself during Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
With most of his success coming before MotoGP’s official rebrand, Schwantz, despite his accolades, is occasionally forgotten.
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Schwantz represented Suzuki for 10 years, winning the championship in 1993 at the height of his career.
However, two years later, Kevin Schwantz Despite his injury problems and declining form, he continued to race and felt he was putting other riders at risk.
Read more: Kevin Schwantz sees Marc Marquez as still ‘suffocated’ and ‘damaged’ at the US Grand Prix.
In 1995, Kevin Schwantz put his MotoGP career decision at risk for other riders
talk with Get off the gas podcast, MotoGP legend Kevin Schwantz talks about his struggles after winning the world championship in 1993.
After a few accidents in 1994 and 1995, Schwantz continued to drive. However, in 1995, when he was still struggling with injuries, he said riding put himself and other riders at risk.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve been on the ground … how many serious risks are there? It’s part of the risk we take … When you start thinking about it, you’re done. In ’94, I got hurt after hurt.”
“I’m thinking to myself, ‘Wow, can I get back to where I qualified for Laguna Seca?’ Then I had a sprain there, I dislocated my hip. And (that’s how) I had to say.
“But you have three to four months off. God, I feel healthy again, most of the pain is gone. I’m going to try again in ’95. What I did was a stupid thing to do in ’95 to try and race. I’m putting not only myself at risk, but other people as well.”
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Kevin Schwant reveals how he helped Wayne Rennie realize he should retire from MotoGP.
Speaking further in the podcast, Schwantz talks about how a conversation he had with rival Wayne Rainey on the flight back to Texas gave him the perspective he needed to retire.
“I went up and talked to him. He[Wayne Rainey]said, ‘Dude, what are you doing there?’ It was like… At this point, we started talking, but he and I were talking, and he was in a wheelchair, so I wasn’t comfortable with that yet.
“I’m like, ‘What are you talking about? I’m scared of racing.’ He goes, ‘No, you’re not.’
“Of course, it wasn’t a long conversation, and then I went back to my seat… The whole time, my flight home, I still think he’s crazy for being there. I went back to Texas and thought about it. Maybe he’s right…
“The team, I’m sure, when I get out of the lead in a race, five or six seconds ahead, with six laps to go, the guys are going, ‘F-! What’s wrong?’ I think most mechanics would all come up and say, ‘Dude, that’s the right decision.’
Schwantz and Rennie had a great rivalry of all timeMany believe he is one of the greatest in the history of the sport.
So it’s fitting that Schwantz walked away from the sport after Rennie told him he needed to call time on his career.
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