Round 11 of the 1990 FIM World Road Racing Championships saw windswept Donington gripped with tense anticipation as the world's best took their positions on the grid. British fans were praying for a spectacular home victory and there was no doubting that Niall Mackenzie (Suzuki) and Ron Haslam (Cagiva) would be putting 110% into their performances. The American trio of Wayne Rainey (Yamaha), Eddie Lawson (Yamaha) and Kevin Schwantz were the ones to whom championship points were all important. The 250 event was as lively as ever with sparkling, undaunted performances from John Kocinski (Yamaha), Carlos Cardus (Repsol Honda), Luca Cadalora (Yamaha) and Japanese ace Shimuzu (Honda).