Motorcycle Racers

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Motorcycle racing is one of the most exciting sports in the world, and motorcycle racers are not just admired but almost revered by their fans for taking up such a dare devil sport! The sport of racing motorcycles is one that requires the rider to be exceptionally alert and attentive as every second counts. A small mistake doesn’t just mean the difference between a win and loss, but could every well mark the difference between life and death. The major categories of motorcycle racing are road racing, off road racing and track racing. Some of the other categories are drag racing and hill climbs. Due to the excitement it offers, motorcycle racing is a popular sport that attracts people of all ages though only a few actually have the skills, capability and the resources to become a professional racer. Motorcycle racing is one of the deadliest sports ever with several motorcyclists all over the world dying in accidents but that doesn’t seem to take away the thrills this sport brings! This section provides you information about the life and works of various famous motorcycle racers from all over the world.

Vote for Your Favourite Motorcycle Racers
 1 
Valentino Rossi
(Italian Former Professional Motorcycle Road Racer and Nine-time Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing World Champion)
Valentino Rossi
6
Birthdate: February 16, 1979
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Urbino, Italy

Valentino Rossi is an Italian motorcycle road racer. Having won nine Grand Prix World Championships, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest motorcycle racers ever. Apart from being a famous racer, Valentino Rossi also owns the Sky Racing Team VR46, which competes in the Moto3 and Moto2 classes.

 2 
Marc Márquez
(Spanish Professional Grand Prix Motorcycle Road Racer)
Marc Márquez
12
Birthdate: February 17, 1993
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Cervera, Spain

Marc Márquez is a Spanish professional road racer best known for his association with Repsol Honda. Having won eight Grand Prix World Championships so far, Márquez is counted among the most successful motorcycle racers in the history of motorcycle racing. The most successful and popular Spanish rider in MotoGP history, Márquez is also counted among the greatest innovators of MotoGP.

 3 
Nicky Hayden
(American Professional Motorcycle Racer)
Nicky Hayden
6
Birthdate: July 30, 1981
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Owensboro, Kentucky, United States
Died: May 22, 2017

Nicky Hayden was an American motorcycle racer best remembered for winning the 2006 MotoGP World Championship by breaking Valentino Rossi's five-year streak. Hayden met with an accident while riding his bicycle in 2017 in Italy and died of traumatic brain injury at the age of 35. In 2018, he was inducted posthumously into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

 4 
Jorge Lorenzo
(Spanish Retired Professional Motorcycle Racer and Five-Time World Champion)
Jorge Lorenzo
7
Birthdate: May 4, 1987
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Palma, Spain

Jorge Lorenzo is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer. He is the winner of the 2010, 2012, and 2015 MotoGP World Championships. Previously, he had won the 2006 and 2007 250 cc World Championships. In the late 2010s, he suffered from multiple injuries and announced his retirement from road racing competition in 2019.

 5 
Dani Pedrosa
(Spanish Grand Prix Motorcycle Racer)
Dani Pedrosa
5
Birthdate: September 29, 1985
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Sabadell, Spain
 6 
Mike Hailwood
(One of the Few Men to Participate at Grand Prix Level in Both Car and Motorcycle Racing)
Mike Hailwood
2
Birthdate: April 2, 1940
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Great Milton, Oxfordshire, England
Died: March 23, 1981
Counted among the greatest racers of all time, Mike Hailwood was one of the few men to participate at Grand Prix level in both car and motorcycle racing. A nine-time world champion, Mike Hailwood also won 76 Grand Prix races in his motorcycle racing career. In 2001, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
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 7 
Barry Sheene
(British Motorcycle Racer Who Won 500 cc Titles in 1976 and 1977)
Barry Sheene
0
Birthdate: September 11, 1950
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: London, England
Died: March 10, 2003
 8 
Max Biaggi
(Italian Former Professional Grand Prix Motorcycle Road Racer)
Max Biaggi
4
Birthdate: June 26, 1971
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Rome, Italy

Max Biaggi is an Italian retired professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He is a former racing world champion who won the 2010 and 2012 World Superbike Championship. He also won the 250cc World Championship four consecutive times. His brilliant racing career earned him the nicknames 'il Corsaro' ('the Corsair') and 'the Roman Emperor.' 

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 9 
Burt Munro
(New Zealand Motorcycle Racer Who Set an Under-1,000 CC World Record)
Burt Munro
3
Birthdate: March 25, 1899
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Invercargill, New Zealand
Died: January 6, 1978

New Zealand motorcyclist Burt Munro made three world records, traveling in his Indian motorcycle from New Zealand to the Bonneville Salt Flats in the U.S., and the one made in 1967 still remains unbroken. The 2005 film The World's Fastest Indian, based on his life, featured Anthony Hopkins as Munro.

 10 
Casey Stoner
(Australian Retired Professional Motorcycle Racer)
Casey Stoner
0
Birthdate: October 16, 1985
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Southport, Queensland, Australia
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 11 
Joey Dunlop
(Motorcycle racer)
Joey Dunlop
3
Birthdate: February 25, 1952
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Armoy, Northern Ireland
Died: July 2, 2000
 12 
Marco Simoncelli
(Italian Professional Motorcycle Racer Who Died in an Accident at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix)
Marco Simoncelli
0
Birthdate: January 20, 1987
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Cattolica, Italy
Died: October 23, 2011

Marco Simoncelli was an Italian motorcycle racer. From 2002 to 2011, Simoncelli competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing and won the 2008 Grand Prix Championship. While competing in the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix on 23 October, Simoncelli lost control over his motorcycle and was run over by other vehicles on the track. He died of wounds at age 24.

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 13 
Carey Hart
(Professional Motorcyclist and the First to Perform a Back Flip on a 250cc Motorcycle)
Carey Hart
4
Birthdate: July 17, 1975
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Seal Beach, California, United States

Carey Hart is an American retired motorcycle racer and freestyle motocross competitor. Hart achieved popularity when he became the first motorcyclist to successfully execute a backflip maneuver during a competition on a 250cc motorcycle. He currently competes in off-road racing. Carey Hart is also known for founding the Hart & Huntington Tattoo & Clothing Company. 

 14 
Carl Fogarty
(English Former Motorcycle Racer and One of the Most Successful World Superbike Racers of All Time)
Carl Fogarty
3
Birthdate: July 1, 1965
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Blackburn, Lancashire, England
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 15 
Giacomo Agostini
(Italian Multi-Time World Champion Grand Prix Motorcycle Road Racer)
Giacomo Agostini
3
Birthdate: June 16, 1942
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Brescia, Italy

Giacomo Agostini is an Italian world champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He amassed 122 Grand Prix wins and 15 World Championship titles in a career spanning 17 years. Industry experts consider him one of the greatest Grand Prix riders of all time. In 2010, he was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements.  

 16 
Andrea Dovizioso
(Italian Former Professional Motorcycle Racer)
Andrea Dovizioso
5
Birthdate: March 23, 1986
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Forlimpopoli, Italy

Andrea Dovizioso is a motorcycle racer who won the 125cc World Championship title at the 2004 Grand Prix. With 62 MotoGP podiums and 15 victories, Dovizioso is one of the most eminent MotoGP riders of the modern era. He is the only racer to win a MotoGP race in three separate decades, having won races in 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s.

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 17 
Daijiro Kato
(Motorcycle racer)
Daijiro Kato
2
Birthdate: July 4, 1976
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Saitama
Died: April 20, 2003
 18 
Michael Doohan
(Motorcycle racer)
Michael Doohan
3
Birthdate: June 4, 1965
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Brisbane, Australia
 19 
Jonathan Rea
(Northern Irish Professional Motorcycle Racer)
Jonathan Rea
2
Birthdate: February 2, 1987
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Larne, Northern Ireland

Northern Irish motorcycle racer Jonathan Rea began his career with motocross and then switched to circuit racing later. He made history when he became the first racer to win six WorldSBK titles, that too, back-to-back. He earned the second place in the 2017 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award race.

 20 
Mick Doohan
(Former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion)
Mick Doohan
0
Birthdate: June 4, 1965
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Gold Coast, Australia
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 21 
Ricky Carmichael
(American Former Professional Motocross Rider)
Ricky Carmichael
3
Birthdate: November 27, 1979
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Clearwater, Florida, United States

Former legendary race-car driver Ricky Carmichael, known in the racing circuit as GOAT, or the greatest of all time, had his first bike at age 15. He has more wins in AMA, SX, and MX races combined and has broken more records than any other racer in history of the series.

 22 
James Stewart Jr.
(American Former Professional Motocross Racer)
James Stewart Jr.
2
Birthdate: December 21, 1985
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Bartow, Florida, United States

James Stewart Jr. is an American retired motocross racer best known for competing in the AMA Supercross Championships as well as the AMA Motocross. Over the course of his racing career, James became renowned for his speed, innovation, and athleticism which earned him the moniker The Fastest Man on The Planet.

 23 
Chad Reed
(Motocross rider)
Chad Reed
2
Birthdate: March 15, 1982
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Kurri Kurri, Australia
 24 
Kevin Schwantz
(American Former Motorcycle Racer Who Was the World Champion of the 1993 FIM Road Racing World Championship)
Kevin Schwantz
2
Birthdate: June 19, 1964
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, United States

Former motorcycle road racer Kevin Schwantz began his competitive career as a trials rider, gradually progressing to motorcross before taking up road racing, eventually accumulating 25 wins in the Grand Prix Motorcycle racing. Naturally talented, but highly aggressive, he became second most successful American road racer; but was forced to early retirement due to accumulated injuries incurred throughout his career.

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 25 
Pol Espargaró
(Spanish Professional Motorcycle Road Racer)
Pol Espargaró
4
Birthdate: June 10, 1991
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Granollers, Spain
 26 
Marco Melandri
(Italian Retired Motorcycle Road Racer Who is a Five-Time Premier Class Race Winner)
Marco Melandri
5
Birthdate: August 7, 1982
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Ravenna, Italy

Marco Melandri is an Italian former motorcycle road racer who won the 2002 250 cc World Championship title. He also won MotoGP races in 2005 and 2006 before competing in Superbike World Championship in 2011. Although he retired from racing after taking part in the Superbike World Championship in 2019, Marco Melandri made a brief return in 2020.

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 27 
Eddie Lawson
(American Former Four-Time Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing World Champion)
Eddie Lawson
3
Birthdate: March 11, 1958
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Upland, California, United States

Eddie Lawson is a retired Grand Prix motorcycle racer who was a four-time Grand Prix World Champion. His record of consistently finishing in the points and not crashing earned him the sobriquet Steady Eddie. In 1999, he was made an inducted of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame. In 2002, he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

 28 
Phil Read
(English Professional Motorcycle Racer)
Phil Read
1
Birthdate: January 1, 1939
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bedfordshire, Luton, England
Died: October 6, 2022
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 29 
Shoya Tomizawa
(Motorcycle racer)
Shoya Tomizawa
1
Birthdate: December 10, 1990
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Asahi
Died: September 5, 2010
 30 
William Kissam Vanderbilt II
(American Motocross Racer and Sailor)
William Kissam Vanderbilt II
1
Birthdate: October 26, 1878
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: New York, United States
Died: January 8, 1944

William Kissam Vanderbilt II was an American yachtsman and motor racing enthusiast. Born into the popular Vanderbilt family, William developed an interest in yachting and horse racing. He participated in yacht racing in 1900 and won the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup. A racing enthusiast, William owned many fast cars and launched an international auto racing event called the Vanderbilt Cup.

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 31 
Hiroshi Aoyama
(Japanese Retired Grand Prix Motorcycle Road Racer)
Hiroshi Aoyama
1
Birthdate: October 25, 1981
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Ichihara, Chiba, Japan
 32 
Guy Martin
(British Former Motorcycle Racer and Television Presenter)
Guy Martin
6
Birthdate: November 4, 1981
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England
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 33 
Hermann Paul Muller
(Racing driver)
Hermann Paul Muller
0
Birthdate: November 21, 1909
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Bielefeld, Germany
Died: December 30, 1975
 34 
James Toseland
(English Singer-Songwriter, Pianist, and Former Motorcycle Racer)
James Toseland
3
Birthdate: October 5, 1980
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England

Retired English motorcycle racer James Toseland is also a talented pianist and sings for his rock band, Toseland. While he had a promising career in racing, having participated in the Superbike and MotoGP World Championships, he switched to music after a wrist injury ended his racing career.

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 35 
Tom Sykes
(English Professional Motorcycle Racer)
Tom Sykes
1
Birthdate: August 19, 1985
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England

British motorcycle racer Tom Sykes began his career with the British Supersport Championship. He later represented WorldSBK and Kawasaki, and eventually moved on to the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team in 2019. He was inspired to join motorcycle racing by his grandfather, who lent him his 600cc Ninja for weekend races.

 36 
Geoff Duke
(British Multiple Motorcycle Grand Prix Road Racing World Champion)
Geoff Duke
1
Birthdate: March 29, 1923
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: St. Helens, Lancashire, England
Died: May 1, 2015
 37 
Franco Morbidelli
(Italian Grand Prix Motorcycle Racer)
Franco Morbidelli
2
Birthdate: December 4, 1994
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
 38 
John Surtees
(The Only Person to Have Won World Championships on Both Two and Four Wheels)
John Surtees
0
Birthdate: February 11, 1934
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Tatsfield, Surrey, England
Died: March 10, 2017

John Surtees was a British motorcycle road racer and racecar driver. He won the Grand Prix motorcycle World Championship title on seven occasions and the 1964 F1 World Championship title, becoming the first person to win World Championships on both four and two wheels.

 39 
Kenny Roberts
(American Former Professional Motorcycle Racer)
Kenny Roberts
2
Birthdate: December 31, 1951
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Modesto, California, United States
 40 
Àlex Crivillé
(Spanish Former Grand Prix Motorcycle Road Racer)
Àlex Crivillé
2
Birthdate: March 4, 1970
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Barcelona, Spain
 41 
Álex Márquez
(Spanish Motorcycle Racer)
Álex Márquez
2
Birthdate: April 23, 1996
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Cervera, Spain
 42 
Álvaro Bautista
(Spanish Motorcycle Road Racer)
Álvaro Bautista
2
Birthdate: November 21, 1984
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Talavera de la Reina, Spain
 43 
Ángel Nieto
(Spanish Professional Grand Prix Motorcycle Racer)
Ángel Nieto
2
Birthdate: January 25, 1947
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Zamora, Spain
Died: August 3, 2017
 44 
Conor Cummins
(Motorcycle rider)
Conor Cummins
0
Birthdate: May 27, 1986
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Douglas, Isle of Man
 45 
Albert Arenas
(Spanish Motorcycle Racer)
Albert Arenas
2
Birthdate: December 11, 1996
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Girona, Spain
 46 
Alessandro Gramigni
(Italian Former Professional Motorcycle Racer)
Alessandro Gramigni
2
Birthdate: December 29, 1968
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
 47 
Ana Carrasco
(Spanish Motorcycle Racer)
Ana Carrasco
2
Birthdate: March 10, 1997
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Murcia, Spain
 48 
Anastasiya Nifontova
(Russian Motorcycle Rider)
Anastasiya Nifontova
2
Birthdate: January 19, 1979
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
 49 
Angelle Sampey
(American Motorcycle Racer)
Angelle Sampey
2
Birthdate: August 7, 1970
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
 50 
Dan Kneen
(Motorcycle rider)
Dan Kneen
0
Birthdate: June 26, 1987
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Douglas, Isle of Man
Died: May 30, 2018