The first time I met Kevin Schwantz was at Misano in 1986. He was already on his way to becoming a superstar, with some amazing performances in the AMA series as well as showing us what he could do at the Transatlantic Match races that same year on the GSX-R750. He was lanky, he was blond and we were both testing the last of the square-four Suzuki RG500s and both desperate to get into 500 GPs. I guess that’s why we were polite to each other, but wary of one another too. But we both made the grade and actually became team-mates at Suzuki for 1990 after I was drafted in to replace Kevin Magee, who was injured at the beginning of the season. One of the big things I remember about Kevin is he used to throw stuff around the garage when things weren’t going too well, which is why I used to keep my helmet on… With some of the questions I asked him for this interview, I stuck my AGV back on again, but he’s a bit more relaxed now, unlike me who’s doing his first superstar interview – even if it is with a mate…
Kevin Schwantz Interview
22
May