The 1988 Brazilian motorcycle Grand Prix was the last round of the

1988 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 1988 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 40th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Season summary Eddie Lawson would recapture the championship from Wayne Gardner in a season that witnessed several fierce duels. Two newcomer ...

. It took place on the weekend of 15–17 September 1988 at the

Goiânia Goiânia ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian federative units of Brazil, state of Goiás. With a population of 1,536,097, it is the second-largest city in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West Region and the 10th-larges ...

circuit.

500 cc race report

Wayne Gardner Wayne Michael Gardner (born 11 October 1959) is an Australian former professional motorcycle and touring car racer. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from to , most prominently as a member of the Honda factor ...

was on pole, but

Eddie Lawson Eddie Ray Lawson (born March 11, 1958) is an American former professional motorcycle racer. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from to . A four-time FIM 500cc road racing world champion, Lawson is prominent f ...

got into the lead at the start, ahead of

Wayne Rainey Wayne Wesley Rainey (born October 23, 1960) is an American former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships in 1984 and from 1988 to 1993. He won the 500cc World Championship th ...

and

Kevin Schwantz Kevin James Schwantz (born June 19, 1964) is an American former professional motorcycle road racer. He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1988 to 1995, most prominently as a member of the Suzuki factory rac ...

. Back in 6th place, Gardner was almost cut off by

Pierfrancesco Chili Pierfrancesco 'Frankie' Chili, (born 20 June 1964 in Bologna, Italy) is a former motorcycle racer who competed in the Superbike World Championship and the 250 cc and 500 cc classes in Grand Prix. In September 2020 he confirmed he was su ...

, who tried a block pass on him; Gardner shook a fist. Schwantz got around Lawson for 1st, but Lawson looked like he's not going to let it go. Gardner caught up to make it a trio, while Lawson retook the lead.

Randy Mamola Randy Mamola (born November 10, 1959) is an American former professional motorcycle racer and television sports presenter. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing between and . A 13-time Premier Class race winner, Mamola was one of the mos ...

was hot-dogging, deliberately sliding the rear. Schwantz and Gardner went at it for 2nd place. Mamola almost highsided trying to impress the crowd, a bit later on a left-hander he looked over his shoulder and immediately slid the bike into a highside. Schwantz will do something similar next year at Phillip Island. Rainey retired with a punctured tire.

500cc classification

References

{{MotoGP_race_report , Name_of_race =

Brazilian Grand Prix The Brazilian Grand Prix (), currently held under the name São Paulo Grand Prix (), is a Formula One championship race which is currently held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos neighborhood, Cidade Dutra, São Paulo. The in ...

, Year_of_race = 1988 , Previous_race_in_season = 1988 Czechoslovak Grand Prix , Next_race_in_season = 1989 Japanese Grand Prix , Previous_year's_race =

1987 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 12 April 1987 at the Jacarepaguá Circuit in Rio de Janeiro. The race, contested over 61 laps, was the sixteenth Brazilian Grand Prix and the eighth to be held at Jacarepaguá, a ...

, Next_year's_race =

1989 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro on 26 March 1989. It was the first race of the 1989 Formula One World Championship. The 61-lap race was won by Englishman Nigel Mansell, driving a Ferr ...

Brazilian motorcycle Grand Prix Brazilian Motorcycle Grand Prix