Wayne Rainey
Wayne Rainey ( born October 23, 1960 in Downey, California ) is a former American professional motorcycle racer and three-time world champion in the 500cc class of the MotoGP World Championship.
Since his crash during the Italian Grand Prix in Misano 1993 he has been a paraplegic.
Career
Rainey first drove Motocross and began in 1981 with the road racing. In the years 1983 and 1987 he won the American Superbike Championship. In 1983 he was on a Kawasaki GPZ750UT road, 1987, he joined on Honda VFR 750 F.
His first Grand Prix in the MotoGP World Championship ( 250 cc ) denied Rainey 1984. In the 1988 season, he reached in the team of Kenny Roberts sr. third place in the 500 cc class. 1989 Rainey became vice world champion in the half-liter class behind Eddie Lawson.
From 1990 to 1992 succeeded the Americans on Yamaha to win three times in a row in the 500 cc class, the premier class of motorcycle racing, the World Champion title.
1993 ended a crash at the Italian Grand Prix in Misano Rainey's career; after a fracture of the sixth thoracic vertebra he is a paraplegic. But he still visited from time to time as Yamaha ambassador some races. Overall, he won 24 Grand Prix victories.