British Fans Got a Preview of the Grand Prix Battles Ahead for the Two Americans
In this week’s Throwback we dial back the clock 35 years to May of 1987 and the 17th Annual Transatlantic Challenge, better known as the Match Races, pitting a North American squad against a British Commonwealth squad made up riders from Great Britain and New Zealand racing over a long Easter holiday weekend at Brands Hatch and Donington Park. This photo shows the two superstars of that year’s Match Races Wayne Rainey (No. 6) and Kevin Schwantz (No. 34). That pair dominated, sweeping all nine races with Rainey winning five rounds and Schwantz four. Their races were intense that weekend, perhaps the toughest and sometimes roughest battles of their long rivalry. In the end Rainey won more races, but Schwantz scored the most points and took home $8500 for being the top scorer in the team event. The American team dominated the competition that year. The ’87 Match Races gave British fans a preview of more epic Rainey/Schwantz battles that would carry on to the Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championships the next year.
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