Kevin Magee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kevin Magee
Nationality	Australian
Grand Prix motorcycle racing career
Active years	1987 - 1993
Teams	Yamaha, Suzuki
Grands Prix	36
Championships	0
Wins	1
Podium finishes	3
Career points	326.5
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	1
First Grand Prix	1987 500cc Dutch TT
First win	1988 500cc Spanish Grand Prix
Last win	1988 500cc Spanish Grand Prix
Last Grand Prix	1993 500cc Japanese Grand Prix

Kevin Magee (born July 20, 1962) is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Australia. His career began with production and Superbike racing, at home and in Japan. He gained early notice racing the Bob Brown Ducati in Australian Superbike races and then joined Mike Dowson at the Warren Willing-managed Yamaha Dealer Team to race the then premier Production race series as well as the growing Superbike series. In 1986 he gained international attention (as well as the eye of GP maestro Kenny Roberts) when he and Dowson scored 3rd place in the Suzuka 8 Hours Formula One race on a lower-spec Superbike but his GP debut was delayed after he broke his leg crashing at the Arai 500 race at Bathurst when, leading by a clear margin, he was confused by his pitboards and thought another rider was closing in on him. At the end of year big-money Swann-Series he was given the opportunity to ride a works Yamaha GP bike (advertised as being World Champion Eddie Lawson's but in reality the spare bike of Lawson's team-mate Rob McElnea) and distinguished himself by winning 2 of the 6 races (to McElnea's 4). In 1987, he got his break in the 500cc world championship with three wildcard appearance on the Kenny Roberts Yamaha team. Crashing in the opening Japanese GP he earned a point in the rain-affected Dutch GP before scoring a stunning 3rd place in his 3rd ever GP at the Portugese round (after handing 2nd to his championship-contending temporary-teammate Randy Mamola). Having teamed up with Martin Wimmer to win the 1987 Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race and having also won the 1987 round of the now-defunct Formula 1 motorcycle championship at Sugo he became the first (and only) rider to stand on the podium of three different World Championships in a calendar year.

In 1988 when he was awarded Mamola's place in the team Kenny Robert's GP team and he raced full time as team-mate to Wayne Rainey in the next two seasons. He also returned to the Suzuka 8 Hours race, teaming with Wayne Rainey to claim another win.

Magee won his first Grand Prix at the 1988 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix at Jarama and the future looked bright for the young rider. However, at the 1989 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, he was involved in a terrible crash with Bubba Shobert on the cool off lap after the race. Magee was performing a burn out, where the rider spins the rear tire while keeping the bike stopped with the front brake. The smoke from the burning rubber made it difficult for Shobert to see and he collided with Magee’s bike. The accident ended Shobert’s career. Ironically, Magee would crash at the same spot during the 1990 race, suffering head injuries that put him out for the season. In 1991 he appeared a couple of times for Suzuki and once for Team Roberts, and had another wildcard Grand Prix appearance in 1993.

Magee also entered a few Superbike World Championship races, winning twice at his home race at Phillip Island and he raced in the AMA Superbike series in 1994, for the American Honda team before announcing his retirement. Magee was never able to capture the early brilliance of his career after his accident with Shobert.

Magee is still a familiar face with Australian motorcycle-racing fans in his position as co-commentator on pay-tv's Foxtel Foxsports GP and Superbike telecasts. He is also an occasional tester and writer for Two Wheels magazine.