Rainey began his racing career in the A.M.A. Grand National Championship, achieving a 15th-place ranking in the country in 1981. In 1982, Kawasaki hired him to compete in the AMA Superbike Championship alongside Eddie Lawson. He then became Kawasaki’s leading rider in 1983, earning the National Championship.
In 1984, Rainey joined Kenny Roberts’ Yamaha racing team in the 250cc class of the Grand Prix World Championship, but returned to the United States in 1985 to compete with the Maclean Racing team and then the American Honda team through 1987. It was during the 1987 Superbike National Championship that his rivalry with Kevin Schwantz intensified, culminating in Rainey winning the Championship. Their competition continued during the 1987 Transatlantic Trophy match races.
Rainey returned to Europe in 1988, again joining Team Roberts Yamaha in the 500cc division. Schwantz followed, signing with Team Suzuki. Rainey secured his first world championship race win at the 1988 British Grand Prix, and alongside teammate Kevin Magee, won the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in Japan that same year. In 1989, he finished second overall to Eddie Lawson, winning three races and achieving podium finishes in every race he completed.
From 1990 to 1992, Rainey earned three consecutive 500cc World Championships for Yamaha. The 1993 season saw a hard-fought campaign with Schwantz, with Rainey leading the championship by 11 points when he crashed at the Italian Grand Prix in Misano. The crash, which broke his spine, handed the title to Schwantz and left Rainey permanently paralyzed from the chest down.
Following his injury, Rainey sought advice from Frank Williams, the team owner and quadriplegic, and later became the team manager for Marlboro Yamaha for a few years. After Schwantz’s retirement in 1995, Rainey continued to race, competing in a hand-controlled Superkart in the World SuperKart series based in Northern California.
Rainey lived in Monterey, California, near WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, which named a corner in his honor, “Rainey Curve.” He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, and the FIM named him a Grand Prix “Legend” in 2000. He was further inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2008. He was also a subject of the 2003 motorcycle racing documentary, Faster.
In 2014, Rainey and business partners acquired the commercial rights to AMA-sanctioned road racing, beginning the MotoAmerica era in 2015. In 2022, Rainey rode his 1992 YZR500 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with the bike specially modified with rear brake and gear shift controls moved to the handlebars. Rainey lives in Monterey, California, with his wife Shae, and their son Rex, a Pepperdine University graduate who works in television.
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