A Short History of MotoGP

The MotoGP has not always been known as the MotoGP, it used to be called the World Championship of Motorcycle Racing and the first race was held in 1949. Motorcycles were invented in Germany in about 1894 and the 1st motorbike racing was staged in France around this time. Great Britain, not to be outdone, staged the well known Tourist Trophy races on the Isle of Man in 1906. The Isle of Man TT races are a magnificent spectacle for competitors and spectators alike and the rules for the modern racing were set by the FIM for the 1949 races. In 1938 the FIM arranged the first European Championships, however the Second World War put paid to most sports and it was 1949 before the first World Championship was organised which consisted of four classes, the 500cc, 350cc, 250cc and the 125cc. At the first Grand Prix event, British motorcyclists Leslie Graham won the 500cc class and Freddie Firth won the 350cc class. The Italian competitors Bruno Ruffo won the 250cc class and Nello Pagani won the 125cc event.

As the sport developed, the motorcycle manufacturers were all trying to produce bikes for riders to win with. The Italians did particularly well during the 1950s and were dominant in the 500cc class from late in the 1950s until the early 1970s. Their supremacy was ended when the Japanese motorcycle industry developed further after manufacturing motorcycles that were consistantly winning the lower cc classes. A number of manufacturers dropped out at the end of the 1960s due to the escalating costs associated with Grand Prix racing and as a result the FIM established rules regarding the number of cylinders per engine depending upon the size of the engine. The World Championship of Motorcycle Racing was reborn and so the MotoGP come into being, this also resulted in new rules being written. The 500cc class was ended and the new 990cc 4-stroke class was introduced as the premier event. At the begining of the 2007 season, rules were altered again and this time it was to do with the tyres which resulted in a reduction in engine size from 990cc to 800cc. In 2009 tyre manufacturer Bridgestone were the named suppliers for the MotoGP 800cc class.

Every decade has had its superstars who are fondly remembered by the fans, however the Italian rider Giacomo Agostini has been the most successful, winning 15 World titles, 7 of which he won on the trot from 1966 - 1972. There have been so many gifted motorcyclists over the years and more recently another gifted Italian, Valentino Rossi has become THE name associated with MotoGP. Rossi is also noteworthy in that he won the very last 500cc race in 2001 and then went on to win the new class of 990cc in 2002. He is thought of as one of the all time greats now. He is still a young man who has several years of racing ahead of him, it will be interesting to see what further records he can break.

The MotoGP is a very exciting sport which is constantly evolving. It has an interesting history and now has a prosperous future with so much more to come.


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As a motorsport fan, Graham Baylis is a keen follower of the MotoGP. He has purchased MotoGP tickets from Big Rock Holidays on several occasions and has also enjoyed a behind the scenes tour at Le Mans.