American motorcycle racing legend Kevin Schwantz considers the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix as his greatest-ever bike race.

Schwantz, the 1993 500cc motorcycle world champ, went into the last lap of the race in the lead, but a mistake dropped him behind Australian hero Mick Doohan and into the clutches of Wayne Rainey and John Kocinski.

Of the 25 Grand Prixs that he won in his stellar career, Schwantz says that the Japanese race will go down as his favourite.

“The one that I think stands out, because most of my rivals were there, was Japan in 1991,” Schwantz told Speedcafe.com.au.

“In testing we had been well off the pace; it was (Wayne) Gardner, it was Doohan, it was (Eddie) Lawson, it was Rainey, there were a couple of Japanese wildcards.

“I went from the front, initially to the back, and then fought through again. There was half a second separating the top four … to get back (and win) was probably the best race of my career.”

For more with Kevin Schwantz, CLICK HERE for today’s edition of ‘Where are they Now?’

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See below for the final lap of the 1991 Japanese Motorcycle Grand Prix