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.
This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.
.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.
.
.
.Dave Mirra was an American BMX rider who set the X Games record for most medals won in BMX Freestyle. He was also a rallycross racer, competing alongside the Subaru Rally Team USA for many years. Dave Mirra committed suicide in 2016. Later that year, he was inducted into the BMX Hall of Fame.
.
.Motorsports competitor and stunt artist Travis Pastrana has won several X Games gold medals, in categories such as motocross, supercross, and freestyle motocross. He launched a reality show called Nitro Circus, which later became a media company. He also hosts and extreme sports event and has been part of NASCAR.
.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.
.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.'
Glenn Curtiss was an American motorcycling and aviation pioneer. He is credited with founding the U.S. aircraft industry. He is also credited with forming the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company which merged with the Wright Aeronautical to form Curtiss-Wright Corporation in 1929. Glenn Curtiss’ company played a major role in the years leading up to the First World War.
Formula One racer Lorenzo Bandini had started his career as an apprentice mechanic at 15, after his father’s death, and gradually began racing motorcycles and then moved on to cars. He sustained deadly injuries at a horrific car crash during the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix, and died three days later.
Born into an affluent Roman family, Elio de Angelis joined the Formula One scene with the Shadow team. He was also a talented pianist. Unfortunately, he lost his life in a fiery accident at the Paul Ricard Circuit in 1986, sparking debates about race car safety standards.
Tazio Nuvolari was an Italian racing driver who raced motorcycles before focusing on sports cars. Nicknamed The Flying Mantuan, Nuvolari won 150 races including 24 Grands Prix, two Mille Miglias, five Coppa Cianos, two RAC Tourist Trophies, and two Targa Florios. Widely regarded as one of the greatest racing drivers of all time, Nuvolari also won a European Drivers' Championship.
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.
