Michael Rudroff (born 28 December 1960) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

former professional

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

motorcycle road racer. Rudolf competed in his first Grand Prix in 1987, and made one

podium A podium (plural podiums or podia) is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek ''πόδι'' (foot). In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podiums can also be used ...

; coming third in the 1989

Nations Grand Prix The Italian motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. From 1949 to 1990 the event was known by the it, Gran Premio Delle Nazioni (''Nations Grand Prix''). It was one of the original ...

. His career ranged from 1987 until 1996, where he started in 53 races, though he never started from

pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

Career

Rudroff, riding a

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 product ...

bike, appeared in two Grand Prix in 1987, the West Germany Grand Prix and the

Austrian Grand Prix The Austrian Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Österreich) is a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile sanctioned motor racing event that was held in , –, –, and then returned to the Formula One calendar in . History The A ...

where he qualified in positions 38 and 26 but did not compete in the final race. He raced in the West German,

Dutch TT The Dutch Tourist Trophy, also known as the ''TT Assen'', is an annual Dutch motorsport event established in 1925 for road racing motorcycles held on the TT Circuit Assen, also known as the ‘Cathedral of Speed'. The event attained world champ ...

and Yugoslavian Grand Prix in 1988, completing 28 laps in the first and coming in at 15th having started at 24th, completing 20 laps and coming in at 19th having started in 31st, and failing to qualify for the race in Yugoslavia. 1989 saw regular appearances for Rudroff, racing in the

Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...

where he came 15th from a starting position of 21, followed by the

United States Grand Prix The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...

where he came 15th one more having started again at 21. Following the

Spanish Grand Prix The Spanish Grand Prix ( es, Gran Premio de España, ca, Gran Premi d'Espanya) is a Formula One motor racing event currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race is one of the oldest in the world still contested, celebrating it ...

, where he came 20th having begun at 23, he raced in the Nations Grand Prix. He began at 24, and finished 3rd in 59 minutes, 53.630 seconds over 33 laps. This was the only podium in his career. He raced in West Germany, Austria,

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

, Netherlands and the

Czechoslovakian Grand Prix The Czechoslovakian Grand Prix (Czech: ''Velká cena Československa''; Slovak: ''Československá Grand Prix'') was a Grand Prix motor racing event held in 1949 at the Masaryk Circuit now referred to as the Brno Circuit. It was held in the town ...

later that year. He ended the season with 18 championship points. Rudolf competed in three rounds of the 1990 Superbike World Championship aboard a

Bimota Bimota is an Italian manufacturer of custom and production motorcycles. It was founded in 1973 in Rimini by Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri, and Massimo Tamburini. The company name is a portmanteau derived from the first two letters of each of th ...

. He returned to Grand Prix competition in 1991, where he competed in 10 races, and one other race in which he was not classified. This included a season-best 11th in the Australian Grand Prix, and he enjoyed a career-best 26 championship points. He made 13 more starts in 1992, now on a Harris Yamaha, but only returned three points despite coming 8th at 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 C ...

. In 1993 he made 14 appearances again on the Yamaha, returning 17 points despite falling out of the Australian Grand Prix and of 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 ...

in the first lap. He was not seen again on the race track until 1996, where he raced once in 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 R ...

on a

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

bike and fell at the first lap.

Career statistics

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

Races by year

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Superbike World Championship

Races by year

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

References

External links

Michael Rudroff
from MotoGP.com
World Superbike Rider Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudroff, Michael 1960 births Living people German motorcycle racers 500cc World Championship riders Superbike World Championship riders