The 1998 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 50th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.

Season summary

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 ...

and

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 ...

continued to dominate the 500 class with the Australian taking 8 victories and Honda winning all but one race.

Simon Crafar Simon Crafar (born 15 January 1969 in Waiouru) is a New Zealand former Grand Prix and WSBK motorcycle road racer. His racing career started in 1981 aboard a Suzuki TM75 in a local Junior Motocross Championship before eventually moving onto ...

winning the

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Ch ...

for

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 ...

's lone victory. After being shocked by 500 class rookie

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 ...

's opening round victory in the

Japanese Grand Prix The Japanese Grand Prix ( ja, 日本グランプリ, Nihon-guranpuri) is a motor racing event in the calendar of the Formula One, Formula One World Championship. Historically, Japan has been one of the last races of the season, and as such the ...

, Doohan went on to claim his fifth world championship in as many years, finishing off the season with four consecutive wins. A controversial finish marked the 250 title race. Aprilia teammates

Tetsuya Harada is a Japanese former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was the 1993 FIM 250cc World Champion. Early years Born in Chiba, Japan, Harada won the Japanese 125cc Junior championship in 1988, and was runner-up to Tadayuki Okada in the A ...

and

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 ...

both went into the final race in Argentina with a chance to win the title, Capirossi leading Harada by 4 points. With one corner to go, Harada was in second, with Capirossi third, which would have given Harada the championship on tiebreak. Entering the final turn, his bike was struck from behind by Capirossi's machine, sending both riders off the track.

Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi (; ; born 16 February 1979) is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed ''The Doctor'', he is widely considered to be one of the greatest motorcyc ...

took the win with Capirossi recovering to finish in second and claiming the title. Afterwards, Aprilia would release Capirossi from his contract. Kazuto Sakata would win his second 125 title for Aprilia after a tight battle with Tomomi Manako and

Marco Melandri Marco Melandri (born 7 August 1982) is an Italian retired motorcycle road racer who is a five-time premier class race winner. He is the 2002 250 cc World Champion and runner-up in 125 cc, MotoGP and Superbike World Championship. He ...

1998 Grand Prix season calendar

The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1998: †† = Saturday race

Calendar changes

* The

Malaysian Grand Prix The Malaysian Grand Prix (officially the Malaysia Grand Prix from 1963–1965 and 2011–2017 and Malayan Grand Prix in 1962) was an annual auto race held in Malaysia. It was part of the Formula One World Championship from 1999 to 2017 and it ...

and

swapped places, with Japan hosting the opening round Grand Prix, instead of Malaysia. * The

moved from the

Shah Alam Circuit Shah Alam Circuit (حلبة شاه عالم) or Batu Tiga Speedway Circuit was a racing circuit in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. The circuit layout was designed by Dutchman John Hugenholtz. History The circuit was opened in 1968. The 1968 Ma ...

to the

Johor Circuit Johor Circuit is the motorsport race track in Johor, Malaysia. It was the first motosport track in Malaysia located in Pasir Gudang. History The construction of the circuit began in 1985 and was officially opened on 1986 by Sultan Iskandar. ...

. * The

German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Deutschland) was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history; the Nürburgring in Rh ...

moved from the Nürburgring to the

Sachsenring The Sachsenring () is a motorsport racing circuit located in Hohenstein-Ernstthal near Chemnitz in Saxony, Germany. Among other events, it features the annual German motorcycle Grand Prix of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world champ ...

because of the very low number of spectators who came to view the race there. * The Austrian Grand Prix was removed from the calendar, mainly because of a low number of spectators. * The Rio Grand Prix was removed from the calendar because of organisational problems. * The

Indonesian Grand Prix The Indonesian Grand Prix was an open-wheel racing car motor race, held intermittently as motorsport ambitions varied in Indonesia. History Held originally at the Jaya Ancol Circuit near Jakarta in 1976 as part of the burgeoning Rothmans Inte ...

was removed from the calendar because of 1997 Asian Financial Crisis that affected the country and was replaced by the

Argentine Grand Prix The Argentine Grand Prix (Spanish: ''Gran Premio de Argentina'') was a round of the Formula One championship, held intermittently from to , all at the same autodrome in the Argentine national capital of Buenos Aires. Origins and history The B ...

. * The Madrid Grand Prix was added as an extra, one-off Grand Prix.

1998 Grand Prix season results

†† = Saturday race

Participants

500cc participants

Standings

Riders' standings

500cc

;Scoring system Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points. * Riders marked with light blue background were eligible for Rookie of the Year award.

250cc

;Scoring system Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points. * Riders marked with light blue background were eligible for Rookie of the Year award.

125cc

;Scoring system Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points. * Riders marked with light blue background were eligible for Rookie of the Year award.

Manufacturers' standings

500cc

250cc

125cc

References

* Büla, Maurice & Schertenleib, Jean-Claude (2001). ''Continental Circus 1949-2000''. Chronosports S.A. * {{DEFAULTSORT:1998 Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing Season Grand Prix motorcycle racing seasons Grand Prix motorcycle racing season