Kevin Schwantz (43) leads the pack, including Ed Key (in 3rd) at the 1984 GNF. (Larry Lawrence photo)

More from the ’84 GNF.

Here’s Kevin Schwantz on a Yamaha RZ350 leading the pack. In third place in this photo is Ed Key. Key was a well-established defending WERA national champion in 1984 when he came up against a young up-and-comer from Texas named Kevin Schwantz at the GNF. The showdown between the two became one of the GNF’s all-time great races.

“To this day that is probably the best race I have ever run,” Key says of his battle with Schwantz that November at Road Atlanta, both on Yamaha RZ350s. “We pushed each other so hard. Schwantz at that point was just a madman on two wheels. He was capable of doing things on a motorcycle that I personally witnessed from the best seat in the house and I still can’t believe.

“It was an interesting contest. Kevin was way faster going into the turns. He would stuff that thing in so incredibly deep on the brakes and save it with the bike hopping and chattering. It was the first time I ever saw smoke coming off a bike’s front tire. While he was gathering it all up in the turn, I was getting him on the drive coming out. We were going at it completely different. He would pass me coming into the turns and I would pass him coming out and this went on like that nearly every lap on every turn. I can’t even guess how many lead changes there were.”

Ed Key (right) being interviewed by Brook Watson of Privateer Magazine circa 1986. (Photo by Larry Lawrence)

Key described how the race was decided.

“The bikes were very close, but I had just a hair of acceleration advantage in one of the lower gears. The race came down to the drive out onto the back straight coming to the checkered flag. I managed to get a better drive and pass him midway down the back straight and just held him off at the finish.

“I think Kevin won every race he entered at the GNF that year except that one.”

Schwantz remembered the speed of Key’s machine.

“If you were going to beat Ed Key you had to have the screws on because he was a good rider. He was a guy who never put a wheel wrong and he also had really fast bikes.”

Schwantz was 18 (he may have been claiming that age at the time, but was actually 20) at the time and Key was 28. A few weeks later Schwantz signed with Yoshimura Suzuki.