Kevin James Schwantz (born June 19, 1964) is an American former professional motorcycle road racer. He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1988 to 1995, most prominently as a member of the Suzuki factory racing team where he won the world championship.
Early life
Schwantz, whose parents owned a motorcycle shop, learned to ride at the age of four. He then departed for Europe as Suzuki promoted him to its 500cc Grand Prix team where he made an immediate impact by winning the 1988 Japanese Grand Prix in the opening round at Suzuka, Japan; it was only his seventh Grand Prix ride in total, having experienced wild card rides in 1986 on the old square four RG500 and in 1987 on the first version of the V4 RGV500. For the next six years, the two continued their intense rivalry on race tracks all across Europe. He was often at a disadvantage in that his Suzukis never seemed to be as fast as those of his Yamaha and Honda mounted rivals. His determination to win at all cost meant that he seemed to crash as often as he won. This trait made him a popular favorite among race fans the world over. Schwantz had accumulated 25 Grands Prix wins during his career, one more than his great rival, Wayne Rainey. Schwantz was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.
Schwantz co-designed the Circuit of the Americas racetrack with Tavo Hellmund and German architect and circuit designer Hermann Tilke.
Schwantz has operated a riding school since circa 2001 in Birmingham, Alabama.
In 2005, Schwantz drove a superkart at Laguna Seca, which he felt "was a lot more fun than riding a bike around here".
Other appearances
In 2003, Schwantz was featured in the motorcycle racing documentary film Faster.
In 2011, Schwantz rode Marco Simoncelli's bike in his honor in Valencia, Spain.
In 2017, Schwantz made a guest appearance on Jay Leno's Garage (Season 3, Episode 10).
Awards
Schwantz was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2019.
Career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Source:
|-
! rowspan=2| 88
| colspan=27|
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CAL<br /><small>31</small>
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CAR<br /><small>38</small>
| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| HOM<br /><small>8</small>
| colspan=2|
|-
! 1998
| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| DAY<br /><small>8</small>
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| CAR<br /><small>32</small>
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| LVS<br /><small>42</small>
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| NSV<br /><small>32</small>
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAR<br /><small>43</small>
| BRI
| style="background:#FFCFCF;"| TEX<br /><small>DNQ</small>
| HCY
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| TAL<br /><small>31</small>
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| NHA<br /><small>24</small>
| NZH
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CLT<br /><small>39</small>
| DOV
| RCH
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| PPR<br /><small>21</small>
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| GLN<br /><small>39</small>
| MLW
| MYB
| CAL
| SBO
| IRP
| style="background:#FFCFCF;"| MCH<br /><small>DNQ</small>
| BRI
| DAR
| style="background:#FFCFCF;"| RCH<br /><small>DNQ</small>
| DOV
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CLT<br /><small>35</small>
| GTY
| CAR
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ATL<br /><small>40</small>
| style="background:#FFCFCF;"| HOM<br /><small>DNQ</small>
|
! 50th
! 801
!
|-
! rowspan=2| 1999
! Mark III Racine
! 78
! Chevy
| DAY
| CAR
| LVS
| ATL
| DAR
| TEX
| NSV
| BRI
| TAL
| CAL
| NHA
| RCH
| NZH
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CLT<br /><small>36</small>
| DOV
| SBO
| GLN
| MLW
| MYB
| PPR
| GTY
| IRP
| MCH
| BRI
| DAR
| RCH
| colspan=6|
! rowspan=2| 90th
! rowspan=2| 161
! rowspan=2|
|-
! Sasser Motorsports
! 65
! Chevy
| colspan=26|
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| DOV<br /><small>19</small>
| style="background:#FFCFCF;"| CLT<br /><small>DNQ</small>
| CAR
| MEM
| PHO
| HOM
|}