1993 500cc World Champion · MotoGP Legend

Kevin Schwantz

Twenty-five Grand Prix wins on a Suzuki that was rarely the fastest bike, and the 1993 500cc world title. The official Schwantz collection: the number 34, the Pepsi and Lucky Strike RGV500s.

Nationality
American
Born
19 June 1964 · Houston, Texas
Team
Suzuki, all ten seasons
Race number
34 (retired in his honour)
Championships
1 (1993, 500cc)
Also won
Daytona 200 (1988)
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Graphic illustration of legendary 500cc motorcycle World Champion Kevin Schwantz wearing his iconic Lucky Strike Suzuki racing suit.
1993 500cc World Champion
1986 — 1995
1
World Championship
25
Grand Prix Wins
29
Pole Positions
51
Podium Finishes

Who is Kevin Schwantz?

Kevin Schwantz (born 19 June 1964) is an American former Grand Prix motorcycle racer who won the 1993 500cc World Championship for Suzuki. He took 25 Grand Prix victories, one more than his rival Wayne Rainey, from 105 starts, all with the same manufacturer. His number 34 was retired from the class and MotoGP has named him a Legend.

Full name
Kevin James Schwantz
Nationality
American
Grand Prix career
1986–1995
Best known for
Winning 25 races on a slower bike

By Kozmozracing Editorial Published Updated 6 sources

Rider Profile

Kevin Schwantz: Full Biography

Kevin James Schwantz is an American former Grand Prix motorcycle racer, the 1993 500cc World Champion and an official MotoGP Legend. He spent his entire Grand Prix career with Suzuki and his number 34 was retired from the class in his honour.

Texas, Trials, Dirt Born in Houston to parents who ran a motorcycle dealership, he was riding at three, competed in observed trials with his father, then moved to motocross and dirt track before his first road race in Austin. Yoshimura Suzuki signed him after a test at the end of 1984.

A Win on His Seventh Start After wild card rides in 1986 and 1987, he won the opening round of 1988 at Suzuka — only his seventh Grand Prix. He also won the Daytona 200 that year. Six seasons of rivalry with Wayne Rainey followed, in which Schwantz was usually the one making up for a slower bike.

1993 The title came not from a flood of wins but from consistency: four victories and eleven podiums from fourteen races. He raced three times in 1995 before retiring, and has since co-designed the Circuit of the Americas and run a riding school in Alabama.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Kevin Schwantz

Chapter 01

Seventh Grand Prix

Schwantz grew up around motorcycles in Houston, where his parents ran a dealership and he was riding at three years old. Trials with his father led to motocross, then dirt track, then road racing, and a Yoshimura Suzuki contract at the end of 1984. Suzuki moved him to the 500cc World Championship after wild card outings in 1986 and 1987, and he won the opening round of 1988 at Suzuka — his seventh Grand Prix start. He won the Daytona 200 in the same year.

Kevin Schwantz, sitting on his Pepsi Cola Suzuki, waving his hands in the air and celebrating after winning the 1989 British Grand Prix. Pepsi Suzuki · the arrival Photo: Kevin Schwantz celebrating on his Pepsi Cola Suzuki by Stu Newby / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 · licence
Chapter 02

The Slower Bike

For six seasons Schwantz and Wayne Rainey took the 500cc class apart between them, and Schwantz did it from a Suzuki that was rarely a match for the Yamahas and Hondas. He crashed about as often as he won, which is exactly why the grandstands filled for him: six wins and nine poles in 1989, runner-up in 1990, five more wins in 1991. He ended his career with 25 Grand Prix victories, one more than Rainey.

Kevin Schwantz (34), Mick Doohan (3), Wayne Rainey (1) and John Kocinski at the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix 500cc final. Lucky Strike Suzuki · 1989–1992 Photo: Kevin Schwantz (34), Mick Doohan (3), Wayne Rainey (1) and John Kocinski by Rikita / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · licence
Chapter 03

One Title, Won Differently

The 1993 season was not his most prolific. He won four races — half his 1989 total — but stood on the podium eleven times in fourteen starts and finished the year on 248 points, and that was the championship. He carried the number 1 plate in 1994 and won twice more, then started three races in 1995 and stopped. The class retired his number 34, and MotoGP later named him a Legend.

Kevin Schwantz, in Japan Grand Prix 1993 Suzuki RGV500 · the championship Photo: Kevin Schwantz in Japan Grand Prix 1993 by Rikita / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · licence
Career Timeline

Kevin Schwantz Career Timeline: 1964–Present

Born in Houston

Kevin James Schwantz is born on 19 June in Houston, Texas, to parents who run a motorcycle dealership.

Signed by Suzuki

Tests for the Yoshimura Suzuki Superbike team at the end of the season and is signed.

Grand Prix wild card

Makes his first 500cc appearances on the square-four Suzuki RG500.

First win, seventh start

Wins the opening round at Suzuka in his seventh Grand Prix, and takes the Daytona 200 the same year.

Six wins

Wins six races and takes nine pole positions, finishing fourth in the championship.

Runner-up

Five victories and ten podiums leave him second in the standings.

Third

Wins five more races for Lucky Strike Suzuki.

World Champion

Takes the 500cc title with four wins and eleven podiums from fourteen races.

Number 1 plate

Wins twice more carrying the champion's number.

Retirement

Starts three races and ends his Grand Prix career; Suzuki's number 34 is retired from the class.

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame

Inducted, twenty-five Grand Prix wins to his name.

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America

Inducted, having co-designed the Circuit of the Americas and run a riding school in Alabama since around 2001.

By the Numbers

Kevin Schwantz 500cc Record, Season by Season

Kevin Schwantz season-by-season record: team, wins, poles, podiums, points and final standing.
SeasonTeam Wins Poles Podiums Points Pos.
1986 Rizla Suzuki 0 0 0 2 22
1987 Heron Suzuki 0 0 0 11 16
1988 Pepsi Suzuki 2 0 4 119 8
1989 Pepsi Suzuki 6 9 9 162.5 4
1990 Lucky Strike Suzuki 5 7 10 188 2
1991 Lucky Strike Suzuki 5 5 8 204 3
1992 Lucky Strike Suzuki 1 1 3 99 4
1993 Lucky Strike Suzuki 4 6 11 248 1
1994 Lucky Strike Suzuki 2 1 6 169 4
1995 Lucky Strike Suzuki 0 0 0 34 15

The championship season is highlighted. Career totals: 25 wins · 29 pole positions · 51 podiums · 1,236.5 points from 105 Grand Prix starts, all in the 500cc class and all with Suzuki. Figures verified 28 July 2026.

Kevin Schwantz in his own words

In His Own Words
When I started road racing, I just used to ride like I was on the dirt. It wasn't pretty.
Kevin Schwantz · AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame

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Frequently Asked

Kevin Schwantz: Frequently Asked Questions

How many Grands Prix did Kevin Schwantz win?

25, all in the 500cc class and all for Suzuki, from 105 starts. That is one more than his great rival Wayne Rainey, and second among American riders in the class.

When did Kevin Schwantz win the world championship?

In 1993. He won four races that season but finished on the podium eleven times in fourteen starts, taking the title on 248 points.

Why is the number 34 retired?

It was Schwantz's number for almost his whole Grand Prix career and the championship withdrew it from the class in his honour after he retired.

Did Kevin Schwantz only ride for Suzuki?

Yes. Every one of his 105 Grand Prix starts, from the 1986 wild card rides to his final race in 1995, was on a Suzuki.

What else did Kevin Schwantz win?

The Daytona 200 in 1988, the same year he took his first Grand Prix victory at Suzuka on only his seventh start in the class.

What has Kevin Schwantz done since retiring?

He co-designed the Circuit of the Americas in Austin with Tavo Hellmund and Hermann Tilke, and has run a riding school in Birmingham, Alabama since around 2001.

What honours does Kevin Schwantz hold?

He is an official MotoGP Legend, was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2019.

Shop His Gear

Kevin Schwantz Collection

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Kevin Schwantz — Hall of Fame profile · AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
  2. Kevin Schwantz — MotoGP Legend profile (archived) · MotoGP.com (official)
  3. Kevin Schwantz · Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
  4. Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme · FIM, governing body records
  5. Kevin Schwantz · Wikipedia
  6. Kevin Schwantz (Q540522) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by Kozmozracing. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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