Grand Prix motorcycle racing

• 1949: Start of the world championship in Grand Prix motorcycle racing for five separate categories, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, 500cc and sidecars.[1] Harold Daniell wins the first ever 500 cc Grand Prix race held at the Isle of Man TT.[9]
• 1951: Sidecars reduced in engine capacity from 600 cc to 500 cc
• 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 301.84 miles, held over 8 laps of the Isle of Man.[9]
• 1958: MV Agusta win the constructors' and riders' championships in all four solo classes, a feat the team repeat in 1959 and 1960.[1]
• 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.
• 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 500 cc Grand Prix at Hockenheim, also the first win for a Japanese factory in the premier class.[9]
• 1967: Final year of unrestricted numbers of cylinders and gears. Honda withdraws in protest.
• 1968: Giacomo Agostini (MV Agusta) wins both the 350 cc and 500 cc titles.
• 1969: Godfrey Nash riding a Norton Manx becomes the last rider to win a 500 cc Grand Prix riding a single-cylinder machine.[9]
• 1971: Jack Findlay rides a Suzuki TR500 to the first ever win in the 500 cc class for a two-stroke machine.[9]
• 1972: as 1968. 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 500 cc sidecars.
• 1972: Giacomo Agostini wins his seventh consecutive 500cc championship, all with MV Agusta.
• 1973: Deaths of Jarno Saarinen and Renzo Pasolini at the Italian round at Monza.
• 1974: The Suzuki RG500 is the first square-four in the 500 cc class. The constructors' title is won by a Japanese brand and a two-stroke for the first time (Yamaha).
• 1975: Giacomo Agostini (Yamaha) wins the 500 cc 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 500 cc 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: 750 FIM prize becomes a world championship for 750cc machines.[10] Barry Sheene wins the 500 cc class. The British Grand Prix moves from the Isle of Man to the Silverstone Circuit on the British mainland.
• 1978: Kenny Roberts (Yamaha) wins the 500 cc class, the first American to do so.
• 1979: Last year of the 750 cc class.
• 1980: Patrick Pons (Yamaha 500 cc) and Malcolm White (sidecar) are both killed at the Silverstone British GP.
• 1981: Marco Lucchinelli wins the 500GP world title with his Suzuki RG500 Gamma.
• 1982: Franco Uncini wins 500cc class world title riding a Suzuki RG500 Gamma.
• 1982: Last year of 350 cc class.
• 1983: Freddie Spencer (Honda) wins the 500 cc class. Spencer and Kenny Roberts win all 500cc races for the season between them.
• 1984: Michelin introduces radial tyres in GPs.
• 1984: 50 cc class replaced by 80 cc.
• 1985: Freddie Spencer (Honda) wins both the 250cc and 500cc titles.
• 1987: Push starts are eliminated.
• 1987: Wayne Gardner (Honda) wins the 500 cc class, the first Australian to do so.
• 1988: Wayne Rainey wins the first 500 cc race using carbon brakes, at the British GP.
• 1988: Alfred Heck (passenger Andreas Räcke) is killed during free practice in the French Sidecar GP.
• 1989: Iván Palazzese (Aprilia) is killed in 250 cc West German GP at Hockenheim.
• 1989: Last year of 80 cc class.
• 1990: 500 cc grid switches from five to four bikes per row.
• 1992: Honda introduces the NSR500 with a big bang engine.
• 1993: Shinichi Itoh and his fuel-injected NSR500 break the 200 mph (320 km/h) barrier at the German GP at Hockenheim.
• 1993: Nobuyuki Wakai (Suzuki) is killed during the practice session of the 250 cc GP in Spain.
• 1993: Three-time 500cc champion and then title holder Wayne Rainey (Yamaha) is paralyzed following a crash at Misano.
• 1994: Simon Prior, passenger of Yoshisada Kumagaya, on an LCR-ADM, is killed in a crash involving seven outfits in the Sidecar GP at Hockenheim.
• 1998: the 500 cc class switches to unleaded fuel.
• 1998: Mick Doohan wins his fifth consecutive 500cc title, all with Honda.
• 1999: Àlex Crivillé (Honda) wins the 500cc class, the first Spaniard to do so.
• 2000: Kenny Roberts Jr. (Suzuki) wins the 500cc class, he joins his father Kenny Roberts to claim the championship and thus making them the only father & 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 premium series.

• 2002: MotoGP replaces the 500cc class; four-strokes are re-introduced and receive a displacement increase to 990cc. Two-strokes of 500cc capacity remain legal for independent teams for the transitional period.
• 2003: Ducati makes its Grand Prix debut in the new four-stroke MotoGP class.
• 2003: Daijiro Kato is killed during his home Japanese Grand Prix in the MotoGP class at Suzuka when he hits the barrier at 340R just before the final chicane.
• 2003: The last start of a two-stroke bike in MotoGP occurs at the Czech Grand Prix.
• 2004: MotoGP grid switches from four to three bikes per row while the 250cc and 125cc classes retain four bikes per row.
• 2004: Makoto Tamada earns Bridgestone their first MotoGP victory at the Brazilian GP.
• 2005: MotoGP adopts flag-to-flag rule, allowing riders to pit and switch to bikes fitted with wet-weather tyres and continue if rain begins to fall mid-race.
• 2005: Valentino Rossi wins his fifth consecutive MotoGP title.
• 2007: MotoGP engine capacity is restricted to 800cc four-strokes.
• 2007: Ducati wins the riders' championship with Casey Stoner and also the constructors' title, becoming the first European brand to have done so in the premier class in 30 years. Stoner won 10 out of 17 races in the season.
• 2008: MotoGP runs its first night race in Qatar.
• 2008: Dunlop drops out of MotoGP.
• 2009: Michelin drops out of MotoGP and Bridgestone becomes the sole tyre provider.[11][12]
• 2009: Kawasaki ran a single bike as Hayate Racing Team after the factory team announced their withdrawal from the series.
• 2009: Valentino Rossi wins his seventh (and to date final) MotoGP title at the age of 30

• 2010: Moto2 replaces the 250cc class. All engines are built for Moto2 by Honda and are four-stroke 600cc (36.6 cu in) in-line four-cylinder based on the CBR600RR road bike, producing 125 bhp at 16000 rpm.
• 2010: Moto2 rider Shoya Tomizawa is killed at Misano.
• 2010: For the first time, Spain hosts four Grands Prix in a year.
• 2010: 'Rookie rule' introduced, preventing any newcomer to the MotoGP championship from riding for a factory team, unless said manufacturer lacked a satellite team[13]
• 2010: Kawasaki announces its retirement due to negotiations with Dorna, stating that it will continue racing activities using mass-produced motorcycles as well as supporting general race-oriented consumers.
• 2011: MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli is killed at Sepang.[14]
• 2011: Suzuki suspend their MotoGP participation at the end of the season.
• 2012: The new Moto3 250cc (15.2 cu in) four-stroke single-cylinder class replaces the 125cc two-stroke class.
• 2012: MotoGP raises the maximum engine capacity to 1,000cc[15] (61 cu in) and introduces claiming rule teams.
• 2012: Aprilia rejoins the MotoGP class as a claiming rule team (CRT).
• 2012: After ending a five-year Honda title drought the previous season, two-time world champion Casey Stoner retires from the sport at the age of 27, being replaced by teenager Marc Márquez at the team.
• 2013: Knockout qualifying format is introduced.[16]
• 2013: The 'rookie rule' introduced for the 2010 season is rescinded.
• 2013: Marc Márquez becomes the first rookie to win the championship in the MotoGP era, and the youngest ever premier class world champion.
• 2014: Removal of the claiming rule teams and introduction of the Open Class category. Marc Márquez dominates the season by winning the first 10 races of the season.
• 2015: Suzuki returns to MotoGP as a constructor after a four-year hiatus.
• 2015: Aprilia returns with a full factory team, run by Gresini Racing.
• 2015: Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo comes from seven points adrift to defeat team colleague Valentino Rossi to win his third and final MotoGP title by five points. This was after Rossi received a heavy grid penalty for the final round after having been adjudged to taking Marc Márquez out at the penultimate round.
• 2016: Michelin returns as tyre supplier after Bridgestone's withdrawal.
• 2016: Luis Salom dies during Moto2 practice at the Catalan Grand Prix after a high-speed impact with his own stricken bike.
• 2017: KTM joins the premier class with a factory-supported team for the first time.
• 2018: For the first time in MotoGP, certain satellite teams like Pramac Ducati and LCR Honda gain access to up-to-date factory bikes.
• 2019: Triumph Motorcycles replace Honda as sole Moto2 engine supplier. The new engines are 765cc (46.7 cu in) triples based on the Street Triple RS 765.
• 2019: Both Moto2 and Moto3 adopt the qualifying format used by MotoGP.
• 2019: The MotoE class is introduced using electric motorcycles.
• 2019: A new penalty named the "Long Lap" penalty[17] is introduced for riders exceeding track limits during races and is also used as a penalty for moderate reckless riding.
• 2019: Marc Márquez wins his sixth MotoGP title at the age of 26, becoming the youngest rider and the first non-Italian rider to do so.
• 2019: Seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi becomes the first rider to contest his 400th Grand Prix at the age of 40.

• 2020: The first half of the season is postponed or cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 2020: Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira become the first riders to win a premier class Grand Prix for their respective nations; South Africa and Portugal. They also achieved the first wins for KTM and Tech3 in the MotoGP class.

Name	Country	Team	Bike Number
Andrea Dovizioso	Italy	Ducati Corse Team	04
Johann Zarco	France	Reale Avintia Racing	5
Stefan Bradl(3)	Germany	Repsol Honda Team	6
Danilo Petrucci	Italy	Ducati Corse Team	9
Maverick Viñales	Spain	Monster Energy Yamaha	12
Fabio Quartararo	France	Petronas Yamaha SRT	20
Franco Morbidelli	Italy	Petronas Yamaha SRT	21
Dani Pedrosa(1)	Spain	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	26
Iker Lecuona	Spain	Red Bull KTM Tech 3	27
Andrea Iannone	Italy	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	29
Takaaki Nakagami	Japan	LCR Honda IDEMITSU	30
Brad Binder	South Africa	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	33
Cal Crutchlow	United Kingdom	LCR Honda Castrol	35
Joan Mir	Spain	Team Suzuki ECSTAR	36
Bradley Smith(3)	United Kingdom	Aprilia Factory Racing	38
Aleix Espargaro	Spain	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	41
Alex Rins	Spain	Team Suzuki ECSTAR	42
Jack Miller	Australia	Pramac Racing	43
Pol Espargaro	Spain	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	44
Valentino Rossi	Italy	Monster Energy Yamaha	46
Michele Pirro(1)	Italy	Pramac Racing	51
Tito Rabat	Spain	Reale Avintia Racing	53
Francesco Bagnaia	Italy	Pramac Racing	63
Álex Márquez	Spain	Repsol Honda Team	73
Miguel Oliveira	Portugal	Red Bull KTM Tech 3	88
Marc Márquez	Spain	Repsol Honda Team	93
Jorge Lorenzo(1)	Spain	Monster Energy Yamaha	99

(1) Test Rider, no Wildcard events scheduled.

(2) Test Rider with Wildcard entries.

(3) Replaced an injured rider

Top riders travel the world to compete in the annual FIM World Championship series. The championship is perhaps most closely followed in Italy and Spain, home of many of the more successful riders early in the 21st century. As for the 2011 season, 25 riders of eight nations participated in the premier class of the championship.

The Riders' World Championship is awarded to the most successful rider over a season, as determined by a points system based on Grand Prix results.

Giacomo Agostini is the most successful champion in Grand Prix history, with 15 titles to his name (8 in the 500 cc class and 7 in the 350 cc class). The most dominant rider of all time was Mike Hailwood, winning 10 out of 12 (83%) races, in the 250 cc class, in the 1966 season. Mick Doohan, who won 12 out of 15 (80%) of the 500 cc races in the 1997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season also deserves an honourable mention. Valentino Rossi is the most successful contemporary rider, having won nine titles including six MotoGP titles, and one each at 500 cc, 250 cc and 125 cc levels.[19] The current champion is Spanish rider Marc Márquez (6x MotoGP  1x Moto2; 1x 125 cc): 8 titles.

Casey Stoner in MotoGP at Brno

Valentino Rossi in MotoGP at Laguna Seca

At the beginning of the new MotoGP era in 2002, 500 cc two-stroke or 990 cc four-stroke bikes were specified to race. The enormous power advantage of the twice as large displacement four-stroke engine over the half the size two-stroke meant that by the following season, no two-stroke bikes were racing. In 2007, the maximum engine capacity was reduced to 800 cc without reducing the existing weight restriction.

MotoGP-class motorcycles are not restricted to any specific engine configuration. However, the number of cylinders employed in the engine determines the motorcycle's permitted minimum weight; the weight of the extra cylinders acts as a form of handicap. This is necessary because, for a given capacity, an engine with more cylinders is capable of producing more power. If comparable bore to stroke ratios are employed, an engine with more cylinders will have a greater piston area and a shorter stroke. The increased piston area permits an increase in the total valve area, allowing more air and fuel to be drawn into the engine, and the shorter stroke permits higher revs at the same piston speed, allowing the engine to pump still more air and fuel with the potential to produce more power, but with more fuel consumption too. In 2004 motorcycles were entered with three-, four-and five-cylinder configurations. A six-cylinder engine was proposed by Blata, but it did not reach the MotoGP grids. Presently four-cylinder engines appear to offer the best compromise between weight, power, and fuel consumption as all competitors in the 2009 series use this solution in either 'V' or in-line configuration.

In 2002, the FIM became concerned at the advances in design and engineering that resulted in higher speeds around the race track; regulation changes related to weight, amount of available fuel and engine capacity were introduced. The amended rules reduced engine capacity to 800 cc from 990 cc and restricted the amount of available fuel for race distance from 26 litres (5.7 imp gal; 6.9 US gal) in year 2004 to 21 litres (4.6 imp gal; 5.5 US gal) in year 2007 and onwards. In addition, the minimum weight of four-cylinder bikes used by all participating teams was increased by 3 kg (6.6 lb).

The highest speed for a MotoGP motorcycle in 125 cc category is 249.76 km/h (155.19 mph) by Valentino Rossi in 1996 for Aprilia and the top speed in the history of MotoGP is 356.4 km/h (221.5 mph), set by Andrea Dovizioso, during the race at the 2018 Italian Grand Prix.[20]

On December 11, 2009, the Grand Prix Commission announced that the MotoGP class would switch to the 1,000 cc motor limit starting in the 2012 season. Maximum displacement was limited to 1,000 cc, maximum cylinders were limited to four, and maximum bore was capped at 81 mm (3.2 inches).[21] Carmelo Ezpeleta, the CEO of Dorna Sports, indicated that the projected changes were received by the teams favorably.[22]

From 2012, teams not entered by one of the major manufacturers could seek "claiming rule team" (CRT) status. Claiming rule team were intended to allow independent teams to be competitive at a lower cost and increase the number of entries in MotoGP. Claiming rule teams benefitted from less restrictive rules on the number of engines that could be used in a season, and with larger fuel allowances during the races. Under the claiming rule, CRTs agree to allow up to four of their engines per season to be claimed, after a race, by one of the major manufacturer teams at a cost of €20,000 each including transmission, or €15,000 each for the engine alone.[23] From the 2014 season, the CRT class was dropped in favour of an "Open Class" specification - allowing teams using the control ECU hardware and software certain benefits to increase their competitiveness.[24]

Moto2 was initially a 600 cc four-stroke class introduced in 2010 to replace the traditional 250 cc two-stroke class. Engines were supplied exclusively by Honda, tires by Dunlop and electronics are limited and supplied only by FIM-sanctioned producers. Carbon brake discs are banned, only steel brake discs are allowed. However, there are no chassis limitations. Until 2019, only 600 cc four-stroke Moto2 machines were allowed.[25]

Jorge Lorenzo in 2015

In 2019 Triumph replaced Honda as the sole supplier of Moto2 engines.[26] The Triumph's engine configuration is 765 cc displacement with three cylinders, contrasting with the previous Honda's 600 cc in-line four.

The 125 cc class was replaced in 2012 by the Moto3 class. This class is restricted to single-cylinder 250 cc four-stroke engines with a maximum bore of 81 mm (3.2 inches). The minimum total weight for motorcycle and rider is 148 kg (326 lb). The minimum age for the Moto3 class normally is 16, and cannot be older than 28 years, or 25 years for new contracted riders participating for the first time and wild-cards. A change of rules was introduced in 2014, allowing under-age FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 (junior) champions to participate in a subsequent Moto3 series at World Championship level.[27] The first beneficiary of this rule-change was double (2013 and 2014) CEV champion Fabio Quartararo.

The MotoE World Cup was introduced in 2019 and features all-electric motorcycles. The series uses a spec Energica Ego Corsa motorcycle, manufactured by Energica Motor Company.[28][29] The first season was contested over 6 rounds (at 4 Grand Prix weekends).

• In 2005, fuel tank capacity was increased from 20 litres (4.4 imp gal; 5.3 US gal) to 24 litres (5.3 imp gal; 6.3 US gal)
• In 2006, fuel tank capacity was reduced slightly from 24 litres to 22 litres (4.8 imp gal; 5.8 US gal)
• From 2007 onwards, and for a minimum period of five years, FIM has regulated in MotoGP class that two-stroke bikes will no longer be allowed. The maximum fuel capacity is to be 21 litres (4.6 imp gal; 5.5 US gal).
• From 2007 to 2011, engines were limited to 800 cc four-strokes
• In 2012 engine displacement was increased to 1000cc[31]
• For the 2013 season minimum weight was increased to 160 kg (350 lb)
• For the 2015 season minimum weight was decreased to 158 kg (348 lb)[32]

Tyre selection is critical, usually done by the individual rider based on bike 'feel' during practice, qualifying and the pre-race warm-up laps on the morning of the race, as well as the predicted weather. The typical compromise is between grip and longevity—softer compound tyres have more traction, but wear out more quickly; harder compound tyres have less traction, but are more likely to last the entire race. Conserving rubber throughout a race is a specific skill winning riders acquire. Special 'Q' or qualifying tyres of extreme softness and grip were typically used during grid-qualifying sessions until their use was discontinued at the end of the 2008 season, but they lasted typically no longer than one or two laps, though they could deliver higher qualifying speeds. In wet conditions, special tires ('wets') with full treads are used, but they suffer extreme wear if the track dries out.

In 2007 new MotoGP regulations limited the number of tires any rider could use over the practice and qualifying period, and the race itself, to a maximum of 31 tyres (14 fronts and 17 rears) per rider. This introduced a problem of tire choice versus weather (among other factors) that challenges riders and teams to optimize their performance on race day. This factor was greeted with varying degrees of enthusiasm by participants. Bridgestone had dominated in 2007 and Michelin riders Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa, and Colin Edwards all acknowledged shortcomings in Michelin's race tires relative to Bridgestone. Rossi, disappointed with and critical of the performance of his Michelin tires, switched to Bridgestones for 2008 and won the world championship in dominant fashion. Pedrosa switched to Bridgestones during the 2008 season.

In 2008, the rules were amended to allow more tires per race weekend—18 fronts and 22 rears for a total of 40 tires. The lower number of tires per weekend was considered a handicap to Michelin riders. The only MotoGP team using Dunlop tires in 2007, Yamaha Tech 3, did not use them in 2008 but switched to Michelin.

For 2009, 2010 and 2011, a 'spec' tyre supplier, Bridgestone, was appointed by the FIM (with Michelin no longer supplying any tyres to MotoGP and returning to the category in 2016). For the whole season Bridgestone provided four specifications of front tyre, six of rear, and a single wet specification—with no qualifying specification. For each round Bridgestone provided only two specifications for front and rear. Tyres are assigned to riders randomly to assure impartiality.[33] Jorge Lorenzo has publicly supported the mono tyre rule.[34]

At the end of the 2015 season, Bridgestone withdrew as tyre supplier of MotoGP.[35] Following a formal tender, French tyre manufacturer Michelin became the official supplier for the 2016 season, marking their return to the series and testing began in Aragon immediately after the end of the 2015 season.[36]