Prototypes, not road bikes
Every MotoGP machine is built to the rulebook and cannot be bought. That is the line between MotoGP and World Superbike.
The premier class of motorcycle racing
MotoGP
Prototype machinery you cannot buy, three classes on one bill, and two races every weekend since the Sprint arrived in 2023.
1949First World Championship season
22Rounds on the 2026 calendar
11Teams on the 2026 grid
RidersTeamsSprint & Grand PrixPrototypesStrategy
What is MotoGP?
MotoGP is the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, the world championship sanctioned by the FIM and promoted by Dorna Sports. Running since 1949, it is the oldest motorsport world championship still going. Every bike on the grid is a prototype built to the rulebook rather than a modified road bike, and since 2023 each round has carried both a Saturday Sprint and a Sunday Grand Prix.
- First season
- 1949
- Governing body
- FIM
- Promoter
- Dorna Sports
- 2026 grid
- 11 teams · 5 manufacturers
01 — How it began
How MotoGP began.
The FIM launched the Grand Prix motorcycle world championship in 1949, running several capacity classes on the same weekend. The 500cc class was the premier category from the start, and it stayed that way for more than half a century.
Two-stroke engines took over the premier class through the 1970s and defined it for a generation — lighter, more powerful and far harder to ride than the four-strokes they replaced. Valentino Rossi took the last 500cc two-stroke title in 2001.
In 2002 the class was renamed MotoGP and opened to 990cc four-stroke prototypes. Capacity has been used as a control ever since: cut to 800cc in 2007, restored to 1,000cc in 2012, and dropping to 850cc in 2027. Sprint races arrived in 2023, and Liberty Media bought promoter Dorna Sports in 2025.
- Governing body
- Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM)
- Commercial rights
- Dorna Sports, owned by Liberty Media since 2025
- First season
- 1949, the oldest motorsport world championship still running
- Premier class renamed
- 2002, from 500cc to MotoGP
- Current machinery
- 1,000cc four-stroke prototypes, max four cylinders
- Most premier titles
- Giacomo Agostini, eight
02 — The essentials
What makes MotoGP different?
A prototype championship with a built-in ladder and two scoring races every weekend.
Three classes, one weekend
Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP race at every round, so the paddock carries its own career ladder.
Sprint and Grand Prix
Since 2023 Saturday has its own shorter race with its own points, on top of Sunday's full-distance Grand Prix.
Aero and ride-height devices
Winglets and rear ride-height systems have reshaped how the bikes launch, brake and turn over the last decade.
03 — Race weekend format
A MotoGP weekend, decoded.
Practice
Free practice plus a timed session that decides who goes straight into Q2 and who has to fight through Q1.
Qualifying & Sprint
Q1 and Q2 set the grid for both races, then the Sprint runs at roughly half Grand Prix distance.
Grand Prix
Full distance, full points, and the same grid the Saturday qualifying produced.
The Sprint result does not change the Sunday grid — qualifying sets both.
04 — How points are scored
MotoGP points system.
| Pos | Grand Prix | Sprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 25 | 12 |
| 2nd | 20 | 9 |
| 3rd | 16 | 7 |
| 4th | 13 | 6 |
| 5th | 11 | 5 |
| 6th | 10 | 4 |
| 7th | 9 | 3 |
| 8th | 8 | 2 |
| 9th | 7 | 1 |
| 10th | 6 | — |
| 11th | 5 | — |
| 12th | 4 | — |
| 13th | 3 | — |
| 14th | 2 | — |
| 15th | 1 | — |
How the two races add up
- The Grand Prix pays 15 places, the Sprint pays 9 — both into the same championship.
- A perfect weekend is 37 points: 25 on Sunday, 12 on Saturday.
- The Sprint is roughly half Grand Prix distance and has no mandatory stop.
- Constructors score their best-placed bike; teams combine both riders.
Sprint races were introduced in 2023 and are run at every round, which is why season totals jumped sharply from that year.
05 — Race calendar
Next: San Marino · 13 September 2026 MotoGP calendar.
| Round | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Thailand | Chang International Circuit, Buriram | 1 March |
| 02 | Brazil | Autódromo Ayrton Senna, Goiânia | 22 March |
| 03 | Americas | Circuit of the Americas, Austin | 29 March |
| 04 | Spain | Circuito de Jerez | 26 April |
| 05 | France | Bugatti Circuit, Le Mans | 10 May |
| 06 | Catalunya | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | 17 May |
| 07 | Italy | Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello | 31 May |
| 08 | Hungary | Balaton Park Circuit | 7 June |
| 09 | Czechia | Brno Circuit | 21 June |
| 10 | Netherlands | TT Circuit Assen | 28 June |
| 11 | Germany | Sachsenring | 12 July |
| 12 | Great Britain | Silverstone Circuit | 9 August |
| 13 | Aragon | MotorLand Aragón | 30 August |
| 14 | San Marino | Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli | 13 September |
| 15 | Austria | Red Bull Ring, Spielberg | 20 September |
| 16 | Japan | Mobility Resort Motegi | 4 October |
| 17 | Indonesia | Pertamina Mandalika Circuit | 11 October |
| 18 | Australia | Phillip Island | 25 October |
| 19 | Malaysia | Sepang International Circuit | 1 November |
| 20 | Qatar | Lusail International Circuit | 8 November |
| 21 | Portugal | Algarve International Circuit, Portimão | 22 November |
| 22 | Valencia | Circuit Ricardo Tormo | 29 November |
Last updated: 6 September 2026, after thirteen of twenty-two rounds. Verify current dates with the official MotoGP calendar.
06 — From 1949 to today
MotoGP timeline.
1949
The championship begins
The FIM launches the Grand Prix world championship across several capacity classes.
1966
Agostini's run starts
The first of seven consecutive premier-class titles, a record that still stands.
1975
Two-strokes take over
The premier class shifts decisively to two-stroke power for the next quarter-century.
2001
The last 500cc title
Valentino Rossi wins the final two-stroke premier championship.
2002
MotoGP arrives
The class is renamed and opened to 990cc four-stroke prototypes.
2012
Back to 1,000cc
Capacity returns to a litre after five seasons at 800cc.
2023
Sprint races
A shorter Saturday race with its own points is added at every round.
2025
Liberty Media buys Dorna
The championship's commercial rights change hands, and Marc Márquez takes a seventh premier title.
07 — Technology and competition
The eras that reshaped the grid.
Four-stroke beginnings
Multi-cylinder four-strokes from MV Agusta and Honda set the early standard, with Agostini dominant.
The two-stroke 500s
Lighter, more powerful and famously difficult, the 500cc two-strokes defined a generation of Grand Prix racing.
990cc four-strokes
The MotoGP name arrives with bigger, heavier four-strokes and a wide-open technical brief.
The 800cc years
Capacity is cut to rein in corner speed, and corner speed becomes the whole game.
A litre again
1,000cc returns, and aerodynamics plus ride-height devices become the defining battleground.
08 — Champions and icons
Riders who defined the premier class.
Current Champion
Marc Márquez
2025 MotoGP World Champion · Ducati Lenovo Team · seventh premier-class title
Giacomo Agostini
Eight premier-class titles between 1966 and 1975, seven of them in a row — still the outright record.
8 premier titles · 15 in all classes
Valentino Rossi
Seven premier-class championships across four manufacturers, and the rider who took the sport mainstream.
7 premier titles · 9 in all classes
MotoGP Marc Márquez
Took a seventh premier title in 2025, six years after his sixth — the longest gap between titles in the class.
7 premier titles
MotoGP Kenny Roberts
The American who brought dirt-track technique to Grand Prix and won three straight 500cc titles from 1978.
3 premier titles
MotoGP Wayne Rainey
Three consecutive 500cc championships from 1990 before a crash at Misano ended his riding career.
3 premier titles
MotoGP Barry Sheene
Britain's twice 500cc world champion and the rider who made Grand Prix racing front-page news at home.
2 premier titles
MotoGP Francesco Bagnaia
Back-to-back MotoGP titles in 2022 and 2023 with Ducati, the factory's first since Stoner in 2007.
2 premier titles
MotoGP Jorge Martín
The 2024 champion, now leading the 2026 standings for Aprilia after thirteen rounds.
2024 champion
09 — Defining events
Turning points.
Rainey's crash at Misano
Three-time champion Wayne Rainey is paralysed, and rider safety moves to the centre of the sport.
The four-stroke switch
Renaming the class and changing its engines resets the competitive order overnight.
Simoncelli's death at Sepang
Marco Simoncelli is killed in a Grand Prix, prompting another hard look at protective equipment and run-off.
A season without Márquez
An arm injury in the opening round removes the dominant rider, and the title goes to a first-time champion.
Sprints arrive
Doubling the racing per weekend changes how riders manage tyres, risk and a championship.
Liberty Media buys Dorna
The commercial owner of Formula 1 takes control of MotoGP's rights.
10 — Meet the grid
Explore MotoGP teams.
Current Champion Team
Ducati Lenovo Team
2025 MotoGP Teams' Champion · Ducati's sixth straight constructors' title
#1
APR
Aprilia RacingAprilia · Noale, Italy
#2
TRH
Trackhouse RacingAprilia · United States
#3
DUC
Ducati Lenovo TeamDucati · Borgo Panigale, Italy
#4
GRE
Gresini RacingDucati · Faenza, Italy
#5
VR46
VR46 Racing TeamDucati · Tavullia, Italy
#6
HRC
Honda HRCHonda · Japan
#7
LCR
LCR HondaHonda · Monaco
#8
KTM
Red Bull KTM Factory RacingKTM · Mattighofen, Austria
#9
TE3
KTM Tech3KTM · Bormes-les-Mimosas, France
#10
YAM
Yamaha MotoGPYamaha · Japan
#11
PRA
Pramac YamahaYamaha · Italy
11 — Frequently asked
MotoGP FAQ.
What is MotoGP?
MotoGP is the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, the world championship sanctioned by the FIM and promoted by Dorna Sports. It has run since 1949, which makes it the oldest motorsport world championship still running.
Who governs MotoGP?
The FIM sets the sporting and technical rules; Dorna Sports holds the commercial rights and has been owned by Liberty Media since 2025.
What are the three Grand Prix classes?
Moto3 (250cc single-cylinder four-stroke), Moto2 (a spec 765cc Triumph triple) and MotoGP (1,000cc prototypes). They form a ladder, and all three race at every round.
Can you buy a MotoGP bike?
No. MotoGP machines are pure prototypes built to a rulebook, not homologated production bikes. That is the difference between MotoGP and World Superbike, which races modified road bikes.
What is a Sprint race?
A shorter Saturday race, roughly half Grand Prix distance, introduced in 2023. It pays its own points and does not set the Sunday grid.
How are MotoGP points awarded?
The Grand Prix pays the top 15 on a 25-20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale. The Sprint pays the top 9 on 12-9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Both count toward the same championship.
Does the Sprint set the grid for the Grand Prix?
No. Qualifying sets the grid for both races; the Sprint is a separate result.
When did MotoGP stop using two-strokes?
The premier class moved to four-strokes in 2002 when the MotoGP name and a 990cc limit arrived. Valentino Rossi was the last two-stroke 500cc champion, in 2001.
Why has engine capacity kept changing?
Capacity has been used to manage speed and cost: 990cc from 2002, cut to 800cc in 2007, back to 1,000cc in 2012, and dropping to 850cc in 2027.
Who has won the most premier-class titles?
Giacomo Agostini, with eight — 1966 to 1972 and again in 1975. Valentino Rossi and Marc Márquez have seven each.
Who won the 2025 MotoGP title?
Marc Márquez, for Ducati Lenovo Team, sealing it at the Japanese Grand Prix with five rounds to spare. His brother Álex finished second — the first time siblings went 1-2 in the class.
Is Kozmozracing affiliated with MotoGP?
No. Unless a product page explicitly states otherwise, Kozmozracing is an independent store and is not affiliated with or endorsed by MotoGP, the FIM, Dorna, any team or rider.
Sources
- Grand Prix motorcycle racing — history, classes and regulations · Wikipedia
- 2026 MotoGP World Championship — calendar, entry list and standings · Wikipedia
- 2025 MotoGP World Championship — final results · Wikipedia
- List of 500cc/MotoGP World Riders' Champions · Wikipedia
- Official MotoGP results and standings · MotoGP (official)
- Photo: 2025 Aragon Grand Prix, MotoGP pack · TeamEG00, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Ducati Lenovo Team, 2025 Aragon Grand Prix · TeamEG00, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Independent fan guide: Formats, teams and regulations can change. Verify current sporting information with the FIM and MotoGP. Championship, team and rider names belong to their respective rights holders.
12 — The collection
MotoGP-inspired collection.
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