When Eddie Lawson left Yamaha after winning the 1988 FIM 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship and joined the Rothmans/Kanemoto Honda satellite team, pundits predicted he would not be able to defend his world championship. Lawson proved his naysayers wrong by having yet another strong racing campaign. That season “Steady Eddie” finished on the podium in all but two rounds of the championship. He scored four wins along the way, to secure the title, becoming the first rider to win back to back championships in the premier class with different manufacturers.