Grand Prix motorcycle racing


Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing. Events are held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme. Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of the twentieth century, when large national events were often given the title Grand Prix. In 1949, the FIM was founded as the international governing body for motorcycle sport, and it coordinated rules so that select events could become part of official world championships. Grand Prix road racing is the oldest established motorsport world championship.
Grand Prix motorcycles are purpose-built racing machines that are unavailable for purchase by the general public and unable to be ridden legally on public roads. This contrasts with the various production-based categories of racing, such as the Superbike World Championship and the Isle of Man TT Races, that feature modified versions of road-going motorcycles available to the public.
The top division in Grand Prix racing was originally known as 500cc. Since 2002, the start of the four-stroke era, it has been known as MotoGP. The modern championship is divided into three official classes: MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3. While 500cc/MotoGP is recognised as the premier class world championship, all classes hold official status. All three classes now use four-stroke engines.
The most successful rider across all Grand Prix classes is Giacomo Agostini, with 15 titles and 122 race wins. Agostini also holds the premier class title record, with eight championships, followed by Valentino Rossi and active rider Marc Márquez with seven each. As of, Rossi holds the record for most premier class race wins, with 89.

History

An FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix was first organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme in 1949. The commercial rights are now owned by Dorna Sports, with the FIM remaining as the sport sanctioning body. Teams are represented by the International Road Racing Teams Association and manufacturers by the Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers Association. Rules and changes to regulations are decided between the four entities, with Dorna casting a tie-breaking vote. In cases of technical modifications, the MSMA can unilaterally enact or veto changes by unanimous vote among its members. These four entities compose the Grand Prix Commission.
There have traditionally been several races at each event for various classes of motorcycles, based on engine size, and one class for sidecars. Classes for 50cc, 80cc, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, 500cc, and 750cc solo machines have existed at some time, and 350cc and 500cc sidecars. Up through the 1950s and most of the 1960s, four-stroke engines dominated all classes. In the 1960s, due to advances in engine design and technology, two-stroke engines began to take root in the smaller classes.
In 1969, the FIM—citing high development costs for non-works teams due to rules which allowed a multiplicity of cylinders and a multiplicity of gears —brought in new rules restricting all classes to six gears and most to two cylinders. This led to a mass walk-out of the sport by the previously highly successful Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha manufacturer teams, skewing the results tables for the next several years, with MV Agusta effectively the only works team left in the sport until Yamaha and Suzuki returned with new two-stroke designs. By this time, two-strokes completely eclipsed the four-strokes in all classes. In 1979, Honda, on its return to GP racing, made an attempt to return the four-stroke to the top class with the NR500, but this project failed, and, in 1983, even Honda was winning with a two-stroke 500.
Previously, the championship featured a 50cc class from 1962 to 1983, later changed to an 80cc class from 1984 to 1989. The class was dropped for the 1990 season, after being dominated primarily by Spanish and Italian makers. It also featured a 350cc class from 1949 to 1982, and a 750cc class from 1977 to 1979. Sidecars were dropped from World Championship events after 1996.
From the mid-1970s through to 2001, the top class of GP racing allowed 500cc displacement with a maximum of four cylinders, regardless of whether the engine was a two-stroke or four-stroke. This is unlike TT Formula or motocross, where two and four strokes had different engine size limits in the same class to provide similar performance. Consequently, all machines were two-strokes, since they produce power with every rotation of the crank, whereas four-stroke engines produce power only every second rotation. Some two- and three-cylinder two-stroke 500s were seen, but though they had a minimum-weight advantage under the rules, typically attained higher corner speed and could qualify well, they lacked the power of the four-cylinder machines.
In 2002, rule changes were introduced to facilitate the phasing out of the 500cc two-strokes. The premier class was rebranded MotoGP, as manufacturers were to choose between running two-stroke engines up to 500cc or four-strokes up to 990cc or less. Manufacturers were also permitted to employ their choice of engine configuration. Despite the increased costs of the new four-stroke engines, they were soon able to dominate their two-stroke rivals. As a result, by 2003 no two-stroke machines remained in the MotoGP field. The 125cc and 250cc classes still consisted exclusively of two-stroke machines.
In 2007, the MotoGP class had its maximum engine displacement capacity reduced to 800cc for a minimum of five years. In 2009, during the Great Recession, in an effort to cut costs, MotoGP underwent changes including reducing Friday practice sessions and testing sessions, extending the lifespan of engines, switching to a single tyre manufacturer, and banning qualifying tyres, active suspension, launch control and ceramic composite brakes. For the 2010 season, carbon brake discs were banned.
For the 2012 season, the MotoGP engine capacity was increased again to 1,000cc. It also saw the introduction of Claiming Rule Teams, which were given more engines per season and larger fuel tanks than factory teams, but were subject to a factory team buying their rival's powertrain for a fixed price. The sport's governing body received applications from sixteen new teams looking to join the MotoGP class. For the 2014 season, the CRT subclass was rebranded Open, as the claiming rule was removed. Also, all entries adopted a standard engine control unit, with factory teams being allowed to run any software, and Open entries using a standard software. For the 2016 season, the Open subclass was dropped, and factory entries switched to a standard engine control unit software.
In 2010, the 250cc two-stroke class was replaced by the new Moto2 600cc four-stroke class. In 2012, the 125cc two-stroke class was replaced by the Moto3 250cc four-stroke class with a weight limit of 65 kg with fuel. For the 2019 season Moto2 introduced the 3-cylinder, 765cc Triumph production engine, while Moto3 and MotoGP still use prototype engines.
MotoE class was introduced in as a "World Cup" until and gained World Championship status only from until, because MotoE class on hiatus after the 2025 season.

Chronology

Pre-MotoGP era

  • 1949: Start of the world championship in Grand Prix motorcycle racing for five separate categories, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, 500cc and sidecars. Harold Daniell wins the first ever 500cc Grand Prix race, held at the Isle of Man TT.
  • 1951: Sidecars are reduced in engine capacity from 600cc to 500cc.
  • 1952: Ken Kavanagh wins the 1952 350cc Ulster Grand Prix to become the first Australian competitor to win a world championship Grand Prix race. Ray Amm wins the 1952 350cc Nations Grand Prix to become the first African competitor to win a world championship Grand Prix race.
  • 1957: Gilera, Mondial and Moto Guzzi withdraw at the end of the season, citing increasing costs. Bob McIntyre wins the longest ever Grand Prix race of, held over 8 laps of the Isle of Man.
  • 1958: MV Agusta win the constructors' and riders' championships in all four solo classes, and repeat this feat in 1959 and 1960.
  • 1959: Honda enters the Isle of Man TT for the first time.
  • 1961: The 1961 Argentine Grand Prix is the first world championship race held outside of Europe. Kunimitsu Takahashi wins the 1961 250cc German Grand Prix to become the first Asian competitor to win a world championship Grand Prix race.
  • 1963: The 1963 Japanese Grand Prix is the first world championship race held in Asia.
  • 1964: The 1964 United States Grand Prix is the first world championship race held in North America.
  • 1966: Honda wins the constructors' championship in all five solo classes. Jim Redman wins Honda's first ever 500cc Grand Prix at Hockenheim, also the first win for a Japanese factory in the premier class.
  • 1967: Final year of unrestricted numbers of cylinders and gears. Honda withdraws in protest.
  • 1968: Giacomo Agostini wins both the 350cc and 500cc titles.
  • 1969: Godfrey Nash, riding a Norton Manx, becomes the last rider to win a 500cc Grand Prix riding a single-cylinder machine.
  • 1971: Jack Findlay rides a Suzuki TR500 to the first ever win in the 500cc class for a two-stroke machine.
  • 1972: The death of Gilberto Parlotti at the Isle of Man TT causes multiple world champion Giacomo Agostini and other riders to boycott the next four events on grounds of safety.
  • 1972: Last year of 500cc sidecars.
  • 1972: Giacomo Agostini wins his seventh consecutive 500cc championship with MV Agusta.
  • 1973: The deaths of Jarno Saarinen and Renzo Pasolini at the Italian round at Monza cause the 250cc race to be cancelled.
  • 1974: The Suzuki RG 500 is the first square-four in the 500cc class. The constructors' title is won by a Japanese brand and a two-stroke for the first time.
  • 1975: Giacomo Agostini wins the 500cc class, making Yamaha the first non European brand to the riders' championship in the premier class with two stroke engine.
  • 1976: Barry Sheene wins the first 500cc championship for Suzuki. After the 1976 Isle of Man TT, the FIM gives in to the riders' boycott and removes the event from the Grand Prix calendar.
  • 1977: Formula 750 becomes a world championship for 750cc machines. Barry Sheene wins the 500cc class. The British Grand Prix moves from the Isle of Man to the Silverstone Circuit on the British mainland.
  • 1978: Kenny Roberts wins the 500cc class, the first American to do so.
  • 1979: Kenny Roberts leads a rider revolt by threatening to form a race series to compete against the FIM world championship, breaking the FIM hegemony and increased the political clout of Grand Prix racers, which subsequently led to improved safety standards and a new era of professionalism in the sport.
  • 1979: Last year of the Formula 750 class.
  • 1982: Antonio Cobas develops a stronger and lighter aluminum twin-beam chassis to replace the steel backbone frame used since the 1950s, and by the 1990s, all the major racing teams in Grand Prix competition used the aluminum frame design.
  • 1982: Last year of the 350cc class.
  • 1983: The 1983 South African Grand Prix is the first world championship race held in Africa.
  • 1983: Freddie Spencer wins the 500cc class. Spencer and Kenny Roberts win all 500cc races of the season between them.
  • 1984: Michelin introduces radial tyres in GPs.
  • 1984: 50cc class replaced by 80cc.
  • 1985: Freddie Spencer wins both the 250cc and 500cc titles.
  • 1987: Push starts are eliminated.
  • 1987: Wayne Gardner wins the 500cc class, the first Australian to do so.
  • 1988: Wayne Rainey wins the first 500cc race using carbon brakes, at the British GP.
  • 1989: The 1989 Australian Grand Prix is the first world championship race held in Australian continent.
  • 1989: Last year of the 80cc class.
  • 1990: The 500cc class grid switches from five to four bikes per row.
  • 1992: Honda introduces the NSR500 with a big bang engine. Dorna Sports becomes the commercial rights owner.
  • 1993: Shinichi Ito and his fuel-injected NSR500 break the barrier during the German GP on Hockenheimring.
  • 1997: GP500 becomes the commercial name of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
  • 1998: The 500cc class switches to unleaded fuel.
  • 1998: Mick Doohan wins his fifth consecutive 500cc title with Honda.
  • 1999: Àlex Crivillé wins the 500cc class, the first Spaniard to do so.
  • 2000: MotoGP becomes the commercial name of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Kenny Roberts Jr. wins the 500cc class, he joins his father Kenny Roberts to claim the championship and thus making them the only father and son to have won the 500cc championship.
  • 2001: Valentino Rossi wins his first premier class title and becomes the final two-stroke champion in the premier class.