Kevin Schwantz was one of the stars of the motorcycle World Championship between 1986 and 1995, being a world champion once. At the time, the calendar was considerably smaller than today, with about 15 Grand Prix races per year – and without Sprint races, as is the case today.
In the Paddock Pass Podcast, the former rider commented: ‘Especially in a 500cc, I don’t think any of us could have survived more than 40 races. My crash ratio was a bit higher than most, and the injuries were probably a bit higher too‘.
The number of Grand Prix races is much higher than during Schwantz’s time, who, in addition to the quantity, also observed the intensity that exists in current races in a very levelled field:
– We have to do double… I mean, I think in the biggest season we ever had, there were 15 races, and then you would do two after the season in Japan, so you could have to compete 16 or 17 times. But having to compete like that against those riders at that level on a Saturday and a Sunday… it gives you the opportunity to maybe redeem yourself if you don’t get it right on Saturday, but it’s also a great opportunity to take two big hits in points if you make a mistake‘.
