The 1988 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 40th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
Season summary Eddie Lawson would recapture the championship from Wayne Gardner in a season that witnessed several fierce duels. Two newcomers joined the Grand Prix circuit with Americans Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz each winning races in their first full year. This was Rainey’s debut in the 500s; he had ridden a 250 in 1984 and gotten 1 podium of 12 starts. Alan Cathcart’s pre-season assessment in Cycle News was that “Rainey is a good rider, but he’ll never be a great rider. And he’ll certainly never be a Randy Mamola.”Scott, Michael: "Wayne Rainey", page 95. Haynes Publishing, 1997.
The V4 machines used by the factories were extremely powerful and in combination with rigid chassis produced power slides that sometimes caused violent highsides, throwing the riders into the air. Cagiva joined the racing with Randy Mamola as their rider. The first United States Grand Prix in 23 years was held in Monterrey, California.
Sito Pons beat out fellow countryman Juan Garriga for the 250 title winning four races to Garriga's three. Spain's Jorge Martinez captured double championships in the 80 and 125 classes for the Spanish firm Derbi.
1988 Grand Prix season calendar The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1988: RoundDateGrand PrixCircuit 1 27 March Grand Prix of Japan Suzuka Circuit 2 10 April United States International Grand Prix Laguna Seca Raceway 3 24 April Gran Premio Marlboro de España Circuito Permanente Del Jarama 4 1 May Gran Premio Campsa Circuito Permanente de Jerez 5 22 May Nations Grand Prix Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari 6 29 May Grosser Preis von Deutschland Nürburgring 7 12 June Großer Preis von Österreich Salzburgring 8 25 June Dutch-TT TT Circuit Assen 9 3 July G.P. of Belgium Gauloises Blondes Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps 10 17 July Yu Grand Prix Automotodrom Rijeka 11 24 July Grand Prix de France Circuit Paul Ricard 12 7 August Shell Oils British Motorcycle Grand Prix Donington Park 13 14 August Swedish TT Scandinavian Raceway 14 28 August Grand Prix CSSR-Brno Brno Circuit 15 17 September Brazilian Grand Prix Autódromo Internacional Ayrton SennaSources:
Calendar changes The United States Grand Prix was added to the calendar after a 23-year absence. The Spanish Grand Prix moved from the Jerez to the Jarama circuit. The Expo 92 Grand Prix was added as a one-off race to replace the Portuguese Grand Prix which was held in Spain at the Jarama circuit. The venue hosting the Grand Prix was the Jerez circuit. The Nations Grand Prix moved from the Monza to the Imola circuit. The German Grand Prix moved from the Hockenheimring to the Nürburgring. The German Grand Prix was moved back, from 17 to 29 May. The Belgian Grand Prix returned after a one-year absence. The French Grand Prix moved from the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans to the Paul Ricard circuit. The San Marino Grand Prix was taken off the calendar. The Argentine Grand Prix was removed from the calendar because of bad organisation and unsafe track conditions.
Results and standings Grands Prix Round Date Race Location 80cc winner 125cc winner 250cc winner 500cc winner Report 1 27 March Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka No race held No race held Anton Mang Kevin Schwantz Report 2 10 April United States Grand Prix Laguna Seca No race held No race held Jim Filice Eddie Lawson Report 3 24 April Spanish Grand Prix Jarama Stefan Dörflinger Jorge Martínez Sito Pons Kevin Magee Report 4 1 May Expo 92 Grand Prix Jerez Jorge Martínez No race held Juan Garriga Eddie Lawson Report 5 22 May Italian Grand Prix Imola Jorge Martínez Jorge Martínez Dominique Sarron Eddie Lawson Report 6 29 May German Grand Prix Nürburgring Jorge Martínez Ezio Gianola Luca Cadalora Kevin Schwantz Report 7 12 June Austrian Grand Prix Salzburgring No race held Jorge Martínez Jacques Cornu Eddie Lawson Report 8 25 June Dutch TT Assen Jorge Martínez Jorge Martínez Juan Garriga Wayne Gardner Report 9 3 July Belgian Grand Prix Spa No race held Jorge Martínez Sito Pons Wayne Gardner Report 10 17 July Yugoslavian Grand Prix Rijeka Jorge Martínez Jorge Martínez Sito Pons Wayne Gardner Report 11 24 July French Grand Prix Paul Ricard No race held Jorge Martínez Jacques Cornu Eddie Lawson Report 12 7 August British Grand Prix Donington No race held Ezio Gianola Luca Cadalora Wayne Rainey Report 13 14 August Swedish Grand Prix Anderstorp No race held Jorge Martínez Sito Pons Eddie Lawson Report 14 28 August Czechoslovak Grand Prix Brno Jorge Martínez Jorge Martínez Juan Garriga Wayne Gardner Report 15 17 September Brazilian Grand Prix Goiânia No race held No race held Dominique Sarron Eddie Lawson Report
500cc riders' standings Scoring system Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.
Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th Points 20 17 15 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Pos Rider Team Machine JPN USA ESP AND NAT GER AUT NED BEL YUG FRA GBR SWE TCH BRA Pts 1 Eddie Lawson Marlboro Yamaha-Agostini YZR500 3 1 2 1 1 4 1 2 2 10 1 6 1 2 1 252 2 Wayne Gardner Rothmans Honda-HRC NSR500 2 2 3 5 2 8 Ret 1 1 1 4 2 2 1 2 229 3 Wayne Rainey Lucky Strike Yamaha-Roberts YZR500 6 4 6 2 3 2 3 7 5 3 5 1 5 3 Ret 189 4 Christian Sarron Sonauto Gauloises-Yamaha YZR500 8 6 4 4 Ret 3 Ret 3 Ret 2 2 3 3 Ret 5 149 5 Kevin Magee Lucky Strike Yamaha-Roberts YZR500 7 Ret 1 3 5 5 6 4 Ret 5 9 5 6 Ret 6 138 6 Niall Mackenzie HB-Honda NSR500 4 3 5 7 11 9 Ret 5 11 Ret Ret 4 4 6 4 125 7 Didier de Radiguès Marlboro Yamaha-Agostini YZR500 9 8 8 6 Ret 7 2 12 4 6 7 7 7 Ret 9 120 8 Kevin Schwantz Pepsi-Suzuki RGV500 1 5 Ret Ret 4 1 4 8 Ret 3 Ret 12 Ret 3 119 9 Pierfrancesco Chili HB Honda-Gallina NSR500 14 Ret 7 6 6 5 6 8 11 8 8 9 4 7 110 10 Rob McElnea Pepsi-Suzuki RGV500 Ret 9 12 8 12 11 9 10 6 8 11 Ret 13 8 8 83 11 Ron Haslam Team Elf-ROC Elf5-RS500 12 7 10 Ret 16 Ret 8 13 7 9 10 14 11 7 Ret 68 12 Randy Mamola Cagiva GP500 Ret 7 Ret Ret Ret 3 4 6 11 10 Ret Ret 58 13 Shunji Yatsushiro Rothmans Honda-HRC NSR500 10 Ret 9 Ret 8 10 7 11 9 7 Ret 57 14 Patrick Igoa Sonauto Gauloises-Yamaha YZR500 13 15 12 10 9 10 12 Ret 16 Ret 9 10 44 15 Tadahiko Taira Yamaha Japan YZR500 5 10 10 14 5 36 16 Alessandro Valesi Team Iberna RS500 19 11 13 10 13 16 Ret Ret 12 Ret 14 Ret Ret 13 Ret 19 17 Marco Papa Team Greco RS500 Ret 9 24 14 Ret 14 14 Ret 18 Ret 12 17 18 Roger Burnett Rothmans Honda-HRC NSR500 Ret 9 8 Ret Ret 15 19 Mike Baldwin RS500 10 Ret 20 14 13 13 14 20 Raymond Roche Cagiva GP500 Ret Ret 11 Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret 15 Ret 13 21 Fabio Barchitta RS500 18 18 Ret Ret 29 16 15 18 16 10 11 12 22 Bruno Kneubühler Römer Racing Suisse RS500 15 14 19 25 12 17 25 15 Ret Ret 20 15 Ret 9 23 Donnie McLeod RS500 13 13 16 13 9 24 Marco Gentile Marlboro Fior Fior-RS500 Ret Ret Ret Ret 14 17 Ret 15 30 Ret 17 20 19 11 Ret 8 25 Daniel Amatriain Ducados-Honda RS500 14 11 Ret Ret Ret 18 22 19 Ret 19 Ret Ret 7 26 Hikaru Miyagi Honda NSR500 11 5 27 Gustav Reiner Team Hein Gericke RS500 Ret 11 Ret 5 28 Steve Manley Gateford Motors RG500 16 12 Ret Ret 4 29 Malcolm Campbell Team Elf-ROC Elf5-RS500 Ret 12 4 30 Norihiko Fujiwara Yamaha Japan YZR500 Ret 12 17 4 31 Francisco Gonzales RS500 12 4 32 Fabio Biliotti Team Amaranto Paton-RS500 Ret Ret 13 16 16 17 19 15 Ret 16 4 33 Rachel Nicotte PVI Racing / Jacadi RS500 17 13 23 19 Ret Ret 20 3 34 Peter Schleef Schuh Racing Team RS500 13 Ret 3 35 Massimo Broccoli Cagiva GP500 Ret Ret 14 2 36 Peter Linden Honda Sweden RS500 Ret 18 14 2 37 Osamu Hiwatashi Suzuki Japan RGV500 15 1 38 Maarten Duyzers HDJ International RS500 21 15 25 19 Ret Ret Ret 24 22 Ret 1 39 Michael Rudroff RS500 15 19 Ret 1 40 Manfred Fischer Team Hein Gericke RS500 Ret Ret Ret 15 Ret Ret 20 19 1 41 Cees Doorakkers Grundig-Daf Racing Team RS500 Ret 15 1 42 Shinji Katayama Yamaha Japan YZR500 16 0 43 Nicholas Schmassman FMS RS500 19 16 26 24 19 Ret 28 23 25 Ret 22 0 44 Andreas Leuthe RG500 Ret Ret Ret 16 Ret 27 21 Ret Ret 0 45 Masaru Mizutani Suzuki Japan RGV500 17 0 46 Josef Doppler MRC Grieskirchen RS500 17 20 18 21 21 0 47 Alberto Rota RS500 17 0 48 Franz Holzmeier RS500 17 0 49 Eddie Laycock Millar Racing RS500 Ret Ret 20 17 20 21 17 Ret 0 50 Wolfgang van Muralt RG500 Ret 18 23 Ret Ret 22 17 0 51 Keiji Kinoshita RS500 18 0 52 Ian Pratt RG500 Ret 18 0 53 Kees van der Endt Autobedrijf Koens RS500 22 18 24 0 54 Karl Truchsess RS500 Ret 18 21 0 55 Silvo Habat Fego Racing Team RS500 23 22 18 0 56 Jean Luc Demierre RG500 20 Ret 24 Ret 0 57 Romolo Balbi RS500 20 0 58 Georg Jung RS500 Ret 20 24 25 0 59 Ari Ramo RS500 21 22 26 Ret 0 60 Helmut Schutz RS500 21 21 26 0 61 Dave Leach RG500 21 0 62 Peter Skold RS500 22 23 21 0 63 Chris Buerki RS500 22 Ret 26 0 64 Claude Arciero RS500 22 0 65 Johann Ten Napel RG500 23 0 66 Simon Buckmaster RS500 23 23 Ret 0 67 Claus Wulff RS500 31 24 23 0 68 Pavol Dekánek RS500 Ret 24 0 69 Ake Dahli RG500 25 0 70 Lars Johansson RG500 27 0 71 Hisashi Yamana RG500 Ret 0 72 Katunori Shinozaki RG500 Ret 0 73 John Long YZR500 Ret 0 74 Claude Albert RG500 Ret 0 75 Vincenzo Cascino RS500 Ret Ret 0 76 Larry Moreno Vacondio RS500 Ret Ret Ret 0 77 Tony Carey RG500 Ret 0 78 Hans Klingbiel RG500 Ret 0 79 Hansjörg Butz RS500 Ret 0 80 Koos van Leyen RG500 Ret 0 81 Vittorio Scatola Team Amaranto Paton-RS500 Ret Ret 0 82 Eric Sabatier RS500 Ret 0 83 Thierry Rapicault Marlboro Fior Fior-RS500 Ret 0 84 Darren Dixon RG500 Ret 0 85 Steve Spray RG500 Ret 0 86 Thomas Aronsson Nicco Bakker-RS500 Ret 0Sources:
250cc standings Place Rider Number Country Team Machine Points Wins1 Sito Pons3 Spain Campsa-Honda NSR25023142 Juan Garriga11 Spain Ducados-Yamaha YZR25022133 Jacques Cornu9 Switzerland Parisienne Elf-Honda NSR25016624 Dominique Sarron4 France Rothmans-Honda France NSR25015825 Reinhold Roth2 West Germany HB Römer-Honda NSR25015806 Luca Cadalora7 Italy Marlboro-Yamaha YZR25013627 Jean-Philippe Ruggia17 France Gauloises Blondes-Yamaha YZR25010408 Anton Mang1 West Germany Rothmans-Honda Germany NSR2508719 Carlos Cardús5 Spain Ducados-Honda NSR25071010 Masahiro Shimizu12 Japan Ajinomoto-Honda NSR250680 11Carlos Lavado 55 12Donnie McLeod 47 13Loris Reggiani 44 14Martin Wimmer 40 15Manfred Herweh 35 16August Auinger 31 17Helmut Bradl 27 18Ivan Palazzese 25 19John Kocinski 24 20Harald Eckl 22 21Jim Filice 20 22Stefano Caracchi 20 23Bruno Casanova 17 24Masaru Kobayashi 15 25Jean Michel Mattioli 12 26Maurizio Vitali 12 27Bubba Shobert 11 28Harald Becker 11 29Jean Foray 10 30Alberto Puig 10 31Jean-François Baldé 10 32Toshihiko Honma 8 33Masumitsu Taguchi 6 34Jochen Schmid 6 35Hiroyuki Kikuchi 5 36Erich Neumair 5 37Guy Bertin 5 38Wilco Zeelenberg 39Hermann Holder 4 40Urs Jücker 4 41Kyoji Nanba 4 42Garry Cowan 3 43Urs Lüzi 3 44Paolo Casoli 3 45Takehiro Yamamoto 2 46Massimo Matteoni 2 47Keiji Tamura 1 48Alan Carter 1Sources:
125cc standings Place Rider Number Country Machine Points Wins1 Jorge Martinez5 Spain Derbi19792 Ezio Gianola6 Italy Honda16823 Hans Spaan27 Netherlands Honda11004 Julian Miralles3 Spain Honda10405 Domenico Brigaglia4 Italy Rotax6906 Gastone Grassetti12 Italy Honda6607 Adi Stadler West Germany Honda6308 Stefan Prein35 West Germany Honda5909 Lucio Pietroniro9 Belgium Honda56010 Gerhard Waibel6 West Germany Honda520 11Hisashi Unemoto 43 12Alan Scott 38 13Corrado Catalano 36 14Luis Miguel Reyes 34 15Manuel Herreros 30 16Heinz Lüthi 30 17Koji Takada 29 18Johnny Wickstroem 25 19Pierpaolo Bianchi 24 20Alfred Waibel 24 21Fausto Gresini 22 22Josef Fischer 19 23Kris Galatowicz 19 24Hubert Abold 18 25Bady Hassaine 14 26Robin Milton 13 27Mike Leitner 11 28Ian McConnachie 10 29Alex Bedford 8 30Jussi Hautaniemi 8 31Flemming Kistrup 7 32Alex Criville 7 33Esa Kytölä 6 34Robin Appleyard 6 35Thierry Feuz 6 36Manuel Hernandez 4 37Stefan Dörflinger 2 38Taru Rinne 2 39Paul Bordes 1 40Emilio Cuppini 1
80cc standings