1991 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1991 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 43rd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
Season summary
The beginning of the 1990s marked a golden age for Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The rivalry between Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz was in full flow while Mick Doohan started to come into his own. Eddie Lawson had switched to Cagiva and started to have some respectable results. In a one-year quirk, only 13 races counted as, competitors were allowed to drop their two worst scores. The Yugoslavia round was dropped because of the civil war and replaced with a Grand Prix of Europe at Jarama. The Brazilian round was also dropped at the last minute over track safety concerns and replaced with a race held at Le Mans. The inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix was held at Shah Alam.For the 1991 season, Michelin decided to supply only the Rothmans Honda team with tires; everybody else used Dunlops.
Luca Cadalora won the 250 title in a dominating fashion with eight wins. In the 125 class, Italian teenager Loris Capirossi swept to the title for the second consecutive year.
1991 Grand Prix season calendar
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1991:| Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit |
| 1 | 24 March |  Kibun Japanese Grand Prix | Suzuka Circuit |
| 2 | 7 April |  Tooheys Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix | Eastern Creek Raceway |
| 3 | 21 April |  United States International Grand Prix | Laguna Seca Raceway |
| 4 | 12 May |  Gran Premio de España | Circuito Permanente de Jerez |
| 5 | 19 May |  Gran Premio d'Italia | Misano World Circuit |
| 6 | 26 May |  Großer Preis von Deutschland für Motorräder | Hockenheimring |
| 7 | 9 June |  Großer Preis von Österreich | Salzburgring |
| 8 | 16 June |  G.P de Europa | Circuito Permanente Del Jarama |
| 9 | 29 June |  Dutch TT | TT Circuit Assen |
| 10 | 21 July |  Grand Prix de France | Circuit Paul Ricard |
| 11 | 4 August |  Shell British Motorcycle Grand Prix | Donington Park |
| 12 | 18 August |  San Marino Grand Prix | Mugello Circuit |
| 13 | 25 August |  Czechoslovakian motorcycle Grand Prix | Brno Circuit |
| 14 | 8 September |  Vitesse du Mans Grand Prix | Bugatti Circuit |
| 15 | 29 September |  Lucky Strike Malaysia Grand Prix | Shah Alam Circuit |
Calendar changes
- The Australian Grand Prix was moved forward, from 16 September to 7 April.
- The German Grand Prix moved from the Nürburgring to the Hockenheimring.
- The Yugoslavian Grand Prix was cancelled due to the ongoing Yugoslav Wars.
- The Brazilian Grand Prix was initially scheduled, but was cancelled on the last moment due to poor safety standards of the venue.
- The Belgian, Swedish and Hungarian Grand Prix were taken off the calendar due to organisational and other type of problems.
- The European Grand Prix was added to the calendar as a replacement for the Yugoslavian Grand Prix.
- The San Marino Grand Prix returned after a three-year absence on the Mugello circuit.
- The French Grand Prix moved from the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans to the Paul Ricard circuit.
- The Vitesse du Mans Grand Prix was added as a one-off Grand Prix to replace the Brazilian Grand Prix and was held on the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans.
- The Malaysian Grand Prix was added to the calendar.
Results and standings
Grands Prix
Participants
500cc participants
250cc participants
125cc participants
Results and standings
500cc riders' standings
;Scoring systemPoints are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
| Points | 20 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
250cc riders' standings;Scoring systemPoints are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.
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