Red Bull Motorsports
MotoGP
These need-to-know stats show why MotoGP™ has the wow factor right now
From Marc Marquez's top records to the fastest speeds on two wheels at Austria’s Red Bull Ring, here’s all the stats you need to know about MotoGP™ ahead of the 2024 season.
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MotoGP™ 2024 is the 76th season in the history of the FIM Motorcycle Road World Championship, and the history of the sport has so many exceptional facts and stats you need to know about.
Between March 10 and November 17, the new motorcycle world champion will be determined over the course of 21 races, with the season finale taking place in Valencia. The search is on for the successor to Italian Francesco Bagnaia, who was crowned world champion in the 2022 and 2023 MotoGP™ seasons.
Since 1949, 30 different riders have won a MotoGP™ title. This year, six-time world champion Marc Márquez (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019) will also be competing in the premier class. Valentino Rossi, on the other hand, also a six-time world champion (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009), has not been active since 2022.
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The 2024 MotoGP™ grid
Twenty-two riders in 11 teams and five manufacturers (Honda, KTM, Ducati, Yamaha and Aprilia) will be battling for the title in the 2024 MotoGP™ season.
A total of 10 riders come from Spain, and six are from Italy. Among the newcomers in 2024 is Moto2 champion Pedro Acosta, who will ride for Red Bull GasGas Tech3.
Two-time World Champion Pedro Acosta
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
The oldest winner in MotoGP™ history is Fergus Anderson: the Brit won the Spanish GP in 1953 at the ripe old age of 44 years and 237 days. And the youngest? That was the legend that is Marc Márquez at the age of 20 years and 63 days (Austin 2013).
More from Marc Márquez
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MotoGP™ keeps getting faster
Top speed in MotoGP™ is dominated by Ducati. The Italian team has been chasing one top-speed record after another since 2015, with numerous riders pushing the boundaries further and further.
In May 2015, Andrea Iannone was flashed at 350.8 kph. He clocked 351.2kph in March 2016, and in May 2016 he went faster still at 354.9kph. Andrea Dovizioso got the record in 2019 with 356.7kph in Mugello, Italy.
Then Johann Zarco made history in March 2021 because his speed in the slipstream of Enea Bastianini was an incredible 362.4kph during free practice for the Qatar Grand Prix. That was the first time a motorcycle had exceeded the 360kph mark. But this record didn't last long: the current MotoGP™ speed record is held by Jorge Martín, who recorded 363.6kph at the Italian GP in Mugello in 2022.
Jorge Martin currently holds the MotoGP speed record
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
The official fastest lap at Austria’s Red Bull Ring also goes to Ducati. With a lap time of 1:22.994 and an average speed of 187.300kph, Jorge Martin set a new record in the first qualifying session on August 7, 2021, breaking the 1:23-minute mark for the first time. The Red Bull Ring has been rebuilt since then, and its new layout is slightly slower – the current record there is held by Francesco Bagnaia, with a lap time of 1:29.840.
All of this makes the Red Bull Ring the fastest MotoGP™ circuit in the world!
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There are very fine margins in MotoGP™
The 2016 Italian GP has gone down in the history of MotoGP™ because just 0.087s separated the first two riders at the finish line in all three classes combined. The race Sunday began with the Moto3 race in which five riders crossed the finish line within 0.077s of each other after an incredible last lap.
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And the bikes are oh so powerful
A MotoGP™ machine has around 300hp, weighs 157kg and can reach speeds of more than 350kph. You can even buy one for yourself: KTM has been offering one of Pol Espargaró's service bikes since 2019. The Spaniard has achieved eight top 10 finishes and scored 100 world championship points with the bike pictured below, but we advise against attempting to emulate his achievements…
The KTM RC16 of Pol Espargaró
© KTM Images
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They’re hot and loud, too
MotoGP™ machines roar across the tarmac at up to 128 decibels - a jackhammer is comparatively quiet at 104dB. The brake disks get up to 750ºC, while the grill reaches around 250ºC. The speed is up to 19,000rpm, while your washing machine reaches an average of just 1,000.
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Technology and physics are big in MotoGP™
Forty to 50 sensors check various parameters during a MotoGP™ race, such as tyre pressure or the rotational speeds of the front and rear wheels. Each rider performs 500 to 800 gear changes per race, with the rider pulling the brake lever for 30 percent of the race.
Then there’s that jaunty legend Marc Márquez, who made history in 2019 in turn three at Germany’s Sachsenring with a record-breaking lean angle of 66 degrees.
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