The 1991 German motorcycle Grand Prix was the sixth round of the 1991 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 24–26 May 1991 at the Hockenheim circuit. This was the first motorcycle racing in Germany after the German reunification
500 cc race report Mick Doohan was on pole, Wayne Rainey was 1 second back in 4th, with Eddie Lawson on the front row again on the ever-improving Cagiva.
Doohan took the lead at the start ahead from Rainey, Eddie Lawson and John Kocinski. Doohan and Rainey developed a small gap to Kevin Schwantz, Lawson and Wayne Gardner. In the stadium section, Rainey tried to go through the inside of Doohan, but going off the racing line proved too slippery and he had to sit-up and got Schwantz on his back wheel.
Rainey recovered his rhythm and passed Doohan, but Schwantz was closing. Kocinski crashed out. Doohan re-took the lead of the trio with Rainey and Schwantz.
Another Rainey/Doohan battle ended inconclusively when Rainey came alongside Doohan and pointed to Doohan’s back tire which was shedding chunks. Going into the stadium section, Schwantz took the lead and Doohan started dropping back.
Last lap: Rainey was in front of Schwantz. Schwantz stayed behind Rainey through the first chicane, trying to build momentum for a draft pass. He managed it and took the lead from Rainey.
It looked like Schwantz has made a tactical error, letting Rainey draft him on the last straight that leads into the stadium section. Rainey draft passed and prepared for the right turn, but Schwantz swung out from behind and performs a spectacular late-braking pass—the RGV was squirming from side-to-side and the back tire was hopping up and down leaving a dashed black line of rubber. Schwantz got it under control and made the turn, but Rainey wasn't giving up and tried to stay on Schwantz’ left as they headed to a left turn, but Schwantz had better drive coming out of the previous turn and got in front of Rainey and stayed there to the line.
After the race Rainey commentated: “... I thought I was pretty lucky that we beat Doohan there when he had a problem. That’s who I was racing for the championship.”Scott, Michael: "Wayne Rainey", page 154. Haynes Publishing, 1997.
500 cc classification Pos. Rider Team Manufacturer Laps Time Grid Points 1 Kevin Schwantz Lucky Strike Suzuki Suzuki 18 +36:20.491 2 20 2 Wayne Rainey Marlboro Team Roberts Yamaha 18 +0.016 4 17 3 Mick Doohan Rothmans Honda Team Honda 18 +8.944 1 15 4 Eddie Lawson Cagiva Corse Cagiva 18 +11.568 3 13 5 Wayne Gardner Rothmans Honda Team Honda 18 +25.500 6 11 6 Didier de Radiguès Lucky Strike Suzuki Suzuki 18 +1:00.264 7 10 7 Juan Garriga Ducados Yamaha Yamaha 18 +1:11.175 8 9 8 Adrien Morillas Sonauto Yamaha Mobil 1 Yamaha 18 +1:24.711 12 8 9 Doug Chandler Roberts B Team Yamaha 18 +1:41.466 10 7 10 Eddie Laycock Millar Racing Yamaha 17 +1 lap 13 6 11 Cees Doorakkers HEK-Baumachines Honda 17 +1 lap 14 5 12 Michael Rudroff Rallye Sport Honda 17 +1 lap 15 4 13 Hans Becker Team Romero Racing Yamaha 17 +1 lap 3 14 Simon Buckmaster Padgett's Racing Team Suzuki 17 +1 lap 2 Ret John Kocinski Marlboro Team Roberts Yamaha 8 Retired 5 DNS Jean-Philippe Ruggia Sonauto Yamaha Mobil 1 Yamaha Did not start 9 DNS Alex Barros Cagiva Corse Cagiva Did not start 11 DNQ Josef Doppler Doppler Racing Honda Did not qualify DNQ Helmut Schutz Rallye Sport Honda Did not qualify DNQ Niggi Schmassman Schmassman Technotron Honda Did not qualify DNQ Martin Trösch MT Racing Honda Did not qualify
250 cc classification Pos Rider Manufacturer Laps Time Grid Points 1 Helmut Bradl Honda 15 31:59.456 1 20 2 Carlos Cardús Honda 15 +13.517 5 17 3 Wilco Zeelenberg Honda 15 +14.034 3 15 4 Luca Cadalora Honda 15 +23.707 9 13 5 Masahiro Shimizu Honda 15 +43.569 7 11 6 Andreas Preining Aprilia 15 +43.756 6 10 7 Àlex Crivillé JJ Cobas 15 +43.825 12 9 8 Jochen Schmid Honda 15 +43.960 8 8 9 Martin Wimmer Suzuki 15 +44.219 10 7 10 Stefan Prein Honda 15 +44.585 11 6 11 Paolo Casoli Yamaha 15 +45.081 13 5 12 Harald Eckl Aprilia 15 +47.530 14 4 13 Doriano Romboni Honda 15 +50.256 15 3 14 Jean-Pierre Jeandat Honda 15 +59.494 2 15 Carlos Lavado Yamaha 15 +1:04.087 1 16 Dominique Sarron Yamaha 15 +1:21.210 17 Bernd Kassner Yamaha 15 +1:21.432 18 Fausto Ricci Yamaha 15 +1:46.045 19 Patrick van der Goorbergh Yamaha 15 +1:50.704 20 Kevin Mitchell Yamaha 15 +1:50.882 21 Jean Foray Yamaha 15 +1:50.946 22 Marcellino Lucchi Aprilia 15 +1:53.122 23 Wayne Doran Aprilia 15 +1:58.967 24 Ian Newton Yamaha 15 +2:09.344 25 Peter Linden Honda 14 +1 lap Ret Corrado Catalano Honda 8 Retired Ret Bernard Hänggeli Aprilia 7 Retired Ret Pierfrancesco Chili Aprilia 6 Retired 2 Ret Loris Reggiani Aprilia 4 Retired 4 Ret Renzo Colleoni Aprilia 3 Retired Ret Urs Jucker Yamaha 3 Retired Ret Jaime Mariano Aprilia 1 Retired DNS Alberto Puig Yamaha DNS Frédéric Protat Aprilia DNS Leon van der Heyden Honda DNS Erkka Korpiaho Aprilia DNS Stefano Pennese Aprilia
125 cc classification Pos Rider Manufacturer Laps Time Grid Points 1 Ralf Waldmann Honda 14 33:12.041 6 20 2 Loris Capirossi Honda 14 +0.288 1 17 3 Heinz Lüthi Honda 14 +1.343 5 15 4 Gabriele Debbia Aprilia 14 +1.549 8 13 5 Alessandro Gramigni Aprilia 14 +1.558 10 11 6 Jorge Martínez JJ Cobas 14 +3.893 10 7 Alfred Waibel Honda 14 +4.395 12 9 8 Dirk Raudies Honda 14 +4.503 3 8 9 Nobuyuki Wakai Honda 14 +22.679 14 7 10 Kazuto Sakata Honda 14 +22.682 4 6 11 Luis Alvaro Derbi 14 +22.958 13 5 12 Hans Spaan Honda 14 +34.926 9 4 13 Maurizio Vitali Gazzaniga 14 +38.459 3 14 Kinya Wada Honda 14 +38.754 2 15 Johnny Wickström Honda 14 +38.857 1 16 Stefan Kurfiss Honda 14 +39.281 17 Hisashi Unemoto Honda 14 +39.536 18 Herri Torrontegui JJ Cobas 14 +39.544 19 Thierry Feuz Honda 14 +40.116 20 Jos van Dongen Honda 14 +40.286 21 Stefan Brägger Honda 14 +40.344 22 Arie Molenaar Honda 14 +41.113 23 Gimmi Bosio Honda 14 +41.381 24 Wolfgang Fritz Honda 14 +58.364 25 Hans Koopman Honda 14 +58.653 26 René Dünki Honda 14 +58.659 27 Ian McConnachie Honda 14 +1:35.943 Ret Adolf Stadler JJ Cobas 12 Retired 7 Ret Fausto Gresini Honda 12 Retired 2 Ret Manuel Herreros JJ Cobas 10 Retired Ret Robin Appleyard Honda 10 Retired Ret Emilio Cuppini Gazzaniga 8 Retired Ret Francisco Debon JJ Cobas 7 Retired Ret Bruno Casanova Honda 4 Retired Ret Julián Miralles JJ Cobas 1 Retired Ret Peter Öttl Rotax 0 Retired 11 DNS Ezio Gianola Derbi 15 DNS Koji Takada Honda DNQ Steve Patrickson Honda DNQ Alain Bronec Honda DNQ Peter Galvin Honda DNQ Manuel Hernández Honda DNQ Olivier Petrucciani Aprilia DNQ Serafino Foti Honda DNQ Alan Patterson Honda DNQ Hubert Abold Honda DNQ Jean-Claude Selini Honda DNQ Thomas Engl Honda DNQ Phillip Unhola Honda DNQ Taru Rinne Honda
Sidecar classification Pos Rider Passenger Manufacturer Laps Time/Retired Grid Points 1 Ralph Bohnhorst Bruno Hiller Bohnhorst 14 30:56.749 2 20 2 Alain Michel Simon Birchall Krauser 14 +0.241 4 17 3 Rolf Biland Kurt Waltisperg LCR-ADM 14 +2.427 5 15 4 Egbert Streuer Peter Essaff LCR-Yamaha 14 +10.363 3 13 5 Barry Brindley Trevor Hopkinson LCR-Yamaha 14 +10.989 11 11 6 Steve Abbott Shaun Smith LCR-Krauser 14 +11.214 10 7 Markus Egloff Urs Egloff Yamaha 14 +11.629 9 9 8 Darren Dixon Sean Dixon LCR-Krauser 14 +11.722 7 8 9 Yoshisada Kumagaya Bryan Houghton Krauser 14 +19.850 14 7 10 Masato Kumano Eckhart Rösinger LCR-Yamaha 14 +28.059 10 6 11 Klaus Klaffenböck Christian Parzer LCR 14 +28.533 12 5 12 Theo van Kempen Jan Kuyt LCR-Krauser 14 +55.021 4 13 Werner Kraus Thomas Schröder ADM 14 +1:11.940 15 3 14 Barry Smith David Smith Windle-ADM 14 +1:12.437 2 15 Ivan Nigrowsky Nicolas Barillon LCR 14 +1:13.169 1 16 Gary Thomas Michel van Puyvelde Krauser 14 +1:35.782 17 Tony Baker Simon Prior LCR-Krauser 13 +1 lap 18 Alfred Zurbrügg Martin Zurbrügg LCR-Yamaha 1 +3 laps 13 Ret Paul Güdel Charly Güdel LCR-Krauser 13 Retired 6 Ret Steve Webster Gavin Simmons Krauser 9 Retired 1 Ret Tony Wyssen Killian Wyssen LCR-Krauser 3 Retired 8 Ret René Progin Gary Irlam LCR 1 Retired DNQ Markus Bösiger Peter Markwalder ADM Ret Mark Reddington Robert Parker Krauser DNQ Jos van Stekelenburg Rinie Bettgens LCR DNQ Hans Hügli Adolf Hänni LCR DNQ Frank Voigt Holger Voigt Schuh-Spezial DNQ Reiner Kosta Jurg Egli Yamaha DNQ Bernd Scherer Peter Höss LCR
References