Wayne Rainey 'overwhelmed' by Yamaha reception

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Three-time motorcycling world champion and Yamaha hero Wayne Rainey admitted that he was 'overwhelmed' by the welcome he was shown when he was invited to the Japanese manufacturer's motor racing headquarters in Italy – following a return visit for the first time to the scene of his career-ending accident 18 years ago.

The legendary GP rider spent a day with employees of Yamaha Motor Racing, Yamaha Motor Italy and Yamaha Motor R&D Europe at the Yamaha Motor Racing base in Gerno di Lesmo close to Milan. The American officially opened the Wayne Rainey Boardroom at the facility before taking a tour of the site, where he was joined by current factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies, the trio taking time to sign autographs and pose for pictures with the many gathered employees. 

Prior to that, Rainey had returned to Misano for the first time since his spine-breaking crash in the 1993 Italian Grand Prix there that left him paralysed from the chest down. He was warmly welcomed by the paddock before attending a special dinner of some 25 close friends from his racing past. Guests included riders, mechanics, journalists and others from the racing fraternity.

Ahead of last weekend's MotoGP outing around the same track, the 50-year-old took a special lap of the circuit by open-top car to a standing ovation from the thousands of fans present. He then witnessed defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo storm to victory, and was subsequently invited to take to the podium with the Spaniard. He accepted the manufacturers' trophy on behalf of the team to huge applause from the Misano crowd.

“It's been a great experience spending some time at the headquarters,” he enthused. “It's fascinating to get an insight into what happens away from the track and what it takes to run a successful modern team. I've been overwhelmed with the positive reception from all the people here. 

“It was also a wonderful weekend at Misano. Yamaha welcomed me so warmly and it was very special for [his wife] Shae and I to meet up with so many old friends and familiar faces. I'm honoured to be part of the Yamaha family and will be back again!”

“2011 is a very important year for us, celebrating Yamaha's 50th anniversary of Grand Prix racing,” added Yamaha Motor Racing managing director Lin Jarvis. “The weekend's activity was truly unique. Wayne is not only one of the greatest Grand Prix riders in our racing history, but also one of the most respected Yamaha riders. To have him and his wife Shae make the trip to join us at Misano and at Yamaha Motor Racing Headquarters was something we will treasure. It has been a very special moment in our year.”

source: crash

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Wayne Rainey returns to Misano

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Eighteen years after the crash that ended his career Wayne Rainey returned to the Misano World Circuit for this weekend’s San Marino GP, and on Friday evening the American took part in a special event to mark his visit.

In a special presentation organised by Yamaha the three-time 500cc World Champion (1990, 1991 and 1992) was joined on stage by Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis, Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, and current factory team riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies.

“It’s pretty crazy, my emotions are much higher than I thought they would be,” said Rainey, who was back at the track for the first time since the career-ending crash he suffered on September 5th 1993. “This is Yamaha’s 50th year of Grand Prix racing and just to have been a part of that for six years is very special.”

Rainey continued: “My first Grand Prix in Europe was in 1984 and was at this race track – I finished in third place – and this is where I finished my career. I can tell you that I never enjoyed a race track more than I did here. I’m just very happy to be back again and I want to thank Yamaha for bringing me back. It’s been 18 years since I’ve been here and I’ve got to thank the fans and a lot of my friends and my family. It looks like Yamaha’s going to be okay with these current guys, so I’ll be a spectator on the side watching and rooting these guys on this weekend.”

Mr Ezpeleta paid credit to the impact Rainey has continued to have on the sport, and said: “Wayne has always been involved in MotoGP and he has been a big help to us in continuing with our duty of managing the Championship. Wayne was the man responsible for convincing us and the people at Laguna Seca to bring the Grand Prix back to the States, and now today he is here in Misano. All I can say to you Wayne is thank you very much for all the help you have given to MotoGP to make this Championship as important as it is.”

Reigning World Champion Lorenzo added: “I would like one day to have the same number of titles as Wayne. We are working on it and hopefully in the next few years we can achieve that. Wayne always put everything he had into making Yamaha win races. This gives me great encouragement and a role model for being the best rider I can be.”

Rainey’s fellow American Spies also had a few words to say about one of the riders he watched whilst growing up.

“I started watching GP racing at the end of 1989 so I got to watch a lot of it on TV,” he said. “One thing that stood out for me about Wayne was how tough he was, riding through injuries. A lot of people won’t know this but in America through 1989 to 1993 there were GP review tapes and I watched them and memorised them. I want to do what he did and do the best I can.”

source: MotoGP Official Website

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Yamaha heads to 'home' race, Rainey returns

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After mixing emotions last weekend at Indianapolis - when Jorge Lorenzo lost further ground in the championship, but Ben Spies scored a home podium - Yamaha is aiming for a strong result from both riders at Misano.

Reigning world champion Lorenzo insists he won't give up on the championship, despite dropping 44 points behind Casey Stoner with six rounds remaining.

“I hope to leave the last race behind us. We go straight to Misano now, a track I like and where I have won and got some podiums. My team and I will try to come back to the top and continue fighting for the Championship!” he declared.

Spies also has high expectations; the Texan displayed his impressive overtaking skills at last year's San Marino Grand Prix, recovering from tenth to take a respectable sixth at the line. Spies can also claim a World Superbike race win in 2009 on the twisty, challenging circuit.

“It's pretty tiring heading back to back across the Atlantic but I have always enjoyed racing at Misano. I had really good fortune there in my World Superbike year and enjoyed some great battles last year in my first MotoGP race on the track," he confirmed.

"We're taking the confidence of the podium finish with us from Indianapolis so I'm looking forward to setting up on Friday and tackling the track on a factory bike for the first time.”

Team director Massimo Meregalli hopes his riders can put on a good show in their 'home' event.

“The team headquarters are just a couple of hundred kilometres away so Misano is one of our 'home' races and we are all looking forward to it," he said. "Ben's fight back to the podium in Indianapolis proved that we have a competitive package and we know that Jorge is strong at this circuit and still fighting for the Championship. We will look to find a good set up quickly and I have confidence we can challenge for good results.”

This weekend will also see Yamaha legend and triple 500cc world champion Wayne Rainey return to Misano, 18 years after the accident that ended his career.

Yamaha is to host a special event for Rainey on Friday evening.

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Rainey’s return to Misano

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Living legend Wayne Rainey will visit the Misano circuit for the first time in nearly 18 years to see next weekend’s GP at the Misano World Circuit. The former World Champion will find an extensively modified track that now holds races in the opposite direction.

Rainey suffered a career-ending crash in the 1993 Italian GP while well on his way to a fourth-consecutive World title. He was leading the Championship and the race when he crashed and slid into a rutted gravel trap designed as a safety feature for car racing. The high speed tumble against the raked surface fractured the sixth thoracic vertebra in his spine, resulting in paralysis from the chest down.

Rainey’s return will be honored in the paddock on Friday, September 2nd from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, with Yamaha organizing a special event for the unforgettable rider.

source: crash

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