The 1994 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 46th
F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
Season summary
1994 was the year in which
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
's
Mick Doohan
Michael Sydney Doohan (born 4 June 1965) is an Australian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion, who won five consecutive 500 cc World Championships.
Biography
Originally from the Gold Coast, Queensland, Doohan attended ...
began to stamp his authority on the Grand Prix world.
Honda's Longtime sponsor Rothmans left Honda to join Williams Renault in Formula One.
Doohan won 9 races, the most since
Giacomo Agostini won 11 in
1972.
Kevin Schwantz
Kevin Schwantz (born June 19, 1964) is an American former professional motorcycle road racer. He was the world champion of the 1993 FIM Road Racing World Championship.
Early life
Schwantz, whose parents owned a motorcycle shop, learned to ride ...
was injured in a pre-season bicycle crash and raced in 6 races with his arm in plaster.
Luca Cadalora
Luca Cadalora (born 17 May 1963) is an Italian former professional motorcycle racer who is the 125 cc World Champion, and 250 cc World Champion and 8-time Premier Class race winner. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from ...
took over from
Wayne Rainey
Wayne Wesley Rainey (born October 23, 1960) is an American former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he won the 500cc World Championship three times and the Daytona 200 once. He was characterized by his s ...
on the
Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below).
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...
and won two races.
Aprilia began campaigning in the 500cc class with a 250 V twin motor enlarged to 380cc in hopes of using its lighter weight and nimble handling as an advantage.
Max Biaggi
Massimiliano "Max" Biaggi (; born 26 June 1971) is an Italian former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who achieved six World Championships. With four 250 cc road race titles and two in World Superbikes, he is one of only two ri ...
would win his first world title for
Aprilia in a tight 250 class battle against
Loris Capirossi
Loris Capirossi (born 4 April 1973) is an Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, currently serving as Safety Advisor to Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
He is a 9-time Premier Class race wi ...
and
Tadayuki Okada
Tadayuki 'Taddy' Okada (born February 13, 1967) is a Japanese former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was runner-up in the 1994 250cc and in the 1997 500cc World Championship.
Early career
Okada won the 250cc All Japan Road R ...
.
Kazuto Sakata won the 125 crown for
Aprilia. He was the first Japanese rider to race for a European factory.
Honda secured the constructor's title in all three categories.
1994 Grand Prix season calendar
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1994:
Calendar changes
* The
European Grand Prix
The European Grand Prix (also known as the Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One event that was introduced during the mid-1980s and was held every year from to , except in . During these years, the European Grand Prix was held in a countr ...
was moved back from 4 July to 9 October.
* The
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de France), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championsh ...
returned after a one-year absence on the
Bugatti Circuit in
Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
.
* The
San Marino Grand Prix
The San Marino Grand Prix () was a Formula One championship race which was run at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in the town of Imola, near the Apennine mountains in Italy, between 1981 and 2006. It was named after nearby S ...
was removed and the
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...
was held at the
Mugello Circuit
Mugello Circuit () is a race track in Scarperia e San Piero, Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The circuit length is . It has 15 turns and a long straight. The circuit stadium stands have a capacity of 50,000.
Grand Prix motorcycle racing host an ann ...
, while the
Circuito Internazionale Santa Monica was taken off the calendar.
* The
FIM Grand Prix, which hosted the
Jarama
Jarama () is a river in central Spain. It flows north to south, and passes east of Madrid where the El Atazar Dam is built on a tributary, the Lozoya River. It flows into the river Tagus in Aranjuez. The Manzanares is a tributary of the Jaram ...
circuit, was taken off the calendar.
Participants
500cc participants
Results and standings
Grands Prix
500cc riders' standings
;Scoring system
Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.
250cc riders' standings
;Scoring system
Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.
125cc riders' standings
;Scoring system
Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.
References
*
*
{{Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Grand Prix motorcycle racing seasons
Grand Prix motorcycle racing season