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MotoGP
The exciting history of MotoGP
Take a hot lap through the history of the original motorsport world championship – MotoGP.
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In 2002, the top tier of Motorcycle Grand Prix was renamed MotoGP to become the premier class of two-wheeled motorsport for road motorbikes, but the roots of the motorbike world championship go back much deeper. Here's everything you need to know about the history of MotoGP.
Racing for position at speeds of 360km/h, leaning the bike at 65 degrees, dragging a knee, or elbow or even shoulder around a corner, MotoGP – or Motorcycle Grand Prix – brings the most skilful riders together in the race for the world championship. Distinct from the street-legal World Superbikes, they race machines designed for circuit racing and the series is the testing ground for next gen bike technology.
01
The birth of the motorbike world championship
Like the first car, the first mass-produced motorcycle was designed and built in Germany. The petrol-powered Hildebrand & Wolfmüller hit the roads in 1894 and was capable of a top speed of 50km/h. That may not sound much but given the brakes were wooden, you wouldn’t want more. The first motorbike was followed by the second motorbike and, soon after, the first motorcycle race. In 1894, experimental bikes races from Paris-Rouen on closed road reaching speeds of 30km/h.
A decade later and the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) was formed to campaign for greater safety, better roads and bigger races. In 1907, the first TT races were held on the Isle of Man in Britain – the series of time trials on open roads around a 25km course became the greatest test of rider skill and bravery. In 1949, as the world rebuilt, the FIM kickstarted the Motorcycle World Championship. Consisting of six rounds, including the TT, Assen and the final at Monza, it boasted numerous categories – 50cc and 80cc, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc and 500cc, plus sidecars racing.
02
The first world champions
The 50s and 60s were dominated by British riders – Geoff Duke, John Surtees and Mike Hailwood. And while British makes like Norton, Velocette and AJS were initially successful, the bikes of champions were Italian machines such as Gilera, Moto Guzzi and, above all, MV Augusta.
Giacomo Agostini racked up a record 15 titles
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
In the mid-60s, Giacomo "Ago" Agostini, a young rider from Brescia, came to dominate the sport. With 122 race wins, he was the World Champion in the top tier of Motorcycle Grand Prix a record eight times and also the 350cc title seven times. With 15 world championships under his belt, he went on to become a successful team manager in the 80s and remains an elder statesman of the sport.
Records: The old and the young
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03
Japanese bikes take the lead
MV Augusta’s dominance of Motorcycle Grand Prix racing looked unshakeable but they did face a persistent rival in Yamaha. In the early 1970s, the Japanese marque entered the 350cc category and with Finnish star Jarno Saarinen riding, became the first manufacturer to beat Agostini and MV Augusta with victories in France and Germany in 1972. In 1974, they recruited Ago to ride for their factory team and he delivered the 350cc title in 1974 and then the 500cc world championship (his last) in 1975. That opened the floodgates and Motorcycle Grand Prix became dominated by Japanese racing bikes from Yamaha, Suzuki and, most successful of all, Honda.
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04
The Americans and Australians move to the front
In the 80s, a world championship that had traditionally had a distinctly European accent, gave way to one dominated by Americans and later Australians. These men had developed their skills from an early age riding dirt bikes and later racing Flat Track andMotocross. Kenny Roberts blazed a trail winning the 1978, 79 and 80 World Championships. Then Fast Freddie Spencer led the charge, taking the 1983 and 1985 500cc world championship, Eddie Lawson won in 1984, 86, 88 and 89. Wayne Rainey took the next three before Kevin Schwantz rounded off the winning streak in 1993. Australian Wayne Gardner had disrupted that streak with his 1987 title and then his compatriot Mick Doohan took five back-to-back from 1994-1998.
The Doctor: Valentino Rossi on track
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05
The Doctor will see you now: the MotoGP era begins
In the mind-90s, Motorcycle Grand Prix was streamlined into 125cc, 250cc and 500cc World Championships and in 2002, that top tier became MotoGP, allowing engines up to 990cc (now 1000cc). In 2010 and 2012, the 250cc and 125cc series became Moto3 and Moto2, bringing in bigger engines with 250cc raced in Moto3 and 600cc in Moto2. Valentino Rossi had worked his way up the championships. taking the 125cc title in 1997 and 250cc in 1999. He won his first World Championship in the top tier with Honda in 2001, retaining the title in 2002 and 2003.
In 2004 he moved to Yamaha and won the 2004, 05, 08 and 09 championships, interrupted only by Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner. Almost single-handedly, Valentino Rossi swung the pendulum back to Europe and Motorcycle Grand Prix’s Italian stronghold. With his fearless riding style and cheeky grin, the number 46 rider connected with fans across the world, setting the record for the victories (89) and podiums (199) in the most premier class. As a rider manager, Rossi continues to inspire young racers and bring elite riders to the track.
Alex Marquez on the charge
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06
The lean years – MotoGP becomes the most exciting sport on two wheels
Lighter bikes, more powerful engines and better racing surfaces have all helped shape MotoGP into the thrilling sport it is today while run-off areas, better medical procedures and rider airbags have also made the sport much safer. Perfected by eight-time World Champion Marc Márquez, MotoGP riders regularly lean their bikes over more than 60 degrees, enabling them to corner at faster and faster speeds.
They’re helped by both better tyres (mechanical grip) and downforce (aerodynamic grip) while engine-management systems help deploy power more evenly and right-height adjustment devices – Holeshots – make it easier to get the power down on race starts. Lap times have tumbled while riders still jockey for position, trading places from lap one to the end. The straight-line speed of the bikes currently stands at 360km/h but the record is 366km/h set by Brad Binder on a KTM in the 2023 Sprint race at Mugello. Pol Espargaro matched that in practice at the same circuit the following year.
MotoGP's fastest man: Brad Binder
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
The highest win rate
Marc and Álex Márquez swap Honda for Ducati with Gresini in 2024
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
07
The rise of the Spanish riding school
In 1999, Álex Crivilé became the first Spaniard to win the 500cc World Championship and he inspired a generation of riders in his homeland. The reliable hot weather and good tracks in Spain brought young talent to compete in junior championships before making their way to MotoGP. Riders like Dani Pedrosa – arguably the greatest rider never to be a world champion – Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Márquez were dominant. Between 2012 and 2020, the world championship was won by Spanish riders with Lorenzo in 2012 and 2015, Márquez in 2013, 14, 16, 17, 18 and 19 and Joan Mir in 2020. In 2025, Jorge Martin became the latest to win the MotoGP crown. And the production line of talent also includes Álex Márquez, Pol Espargaró and his brother Aleix, Maverick Viñales, Álex Rins, Pedro Acosta, Fermin Aldeguer and Raul Fernandez.
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08
The unstoppable Marc Márquez
Marc Márquez celebrates his sixth MotoGP crown and 8th world title
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
With his muscular and fearless style of racing, Marc Márquez has become the definitive MotoGP rider, leaning the bike over further than any rider before him to take corners faster and break records over and over again. Already the 125cc and first Moto2 champion, in 2013, Marquez became the first rider since Kenny Roberts to win the MotoGP World Championship as a rookie and also the youngest World Champion. Winning six MotoGP titles between 2013 and 2019, he was sidelined by serious injury.
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As he brought himself back to the track, claiming an emotional first win back in Germany in 2021, it became clear Honda had lost ground to Ducati as a manufacturer and with the Italian marque masterfully combing the best aerodynamics with raw power. In 2024, Márquez left Honda and finished third with Ducati satellite team Gresini. In 2025, the Ant of Cervera is enjoying one of his greatest seasons, scoring victory after victory as he leads the title race in a charge for a ninth world crown.
09
Want to be a MotoGP rider? Join Red Bull Rookies Cup
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10
The road ahead
In 1949, the World Championship consisted of 6 races. In 2002, the first MotoGP season had 16 races. Now it stands at 22 for the season with rounds on four continents. Five manufacturers will continue to provide the MotoGP machines, Ducati, KTM, Aprilia, Honda and Yamaha, the Moto2 will race 765cc Triumph bikes and Moto3 will feature 250cc Hondas and KTMs. The 2026 season will see the advent of a 12-round series raced on Harley-Davidsons – the International Bagger Series – and will also be the last featuring the current iteration of MotoGP bike. In 2027, those 1000cc bikes will be trimmed to 850cc bikes running on 100% non-fossil fuels and using Pirelli tyres. Aero will be trimmed and holeshot devices left back in the garage as rider skill comes to the front in a new era of motorcycle racing. Get ready for a wild ride.
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