MotoGP™
The premier league of motorcycle racing
Dating back to 1949, the MotoGP™ series stands as the oldest motorsports World Championship. During its first year, the series offered four classes starting with the entry class 125cc, the two middle classes 250cc and 350cc, and the premier class 500cc. Throughout the 60’s, a handful of the currently dominating manufacturers joined the championship - Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha took to the circuit alongside the various Italian manufacturers who had been running the series throughout the 50’s. Today, the premier league consists of six manufactures: Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, KTM, Suzuki and Yamaha.
The early 2000’s reshaped the series with a significant change from the 2-stroke environment to the 4-stroke 1000cc, 600cc and 250cc world by 2012. These days, fans can enjoy watching these three classes, MotoGP™, Moto2 and Moto3 alongside each other across a race weekend.
Photo source: MotoGP.com
Each year, the MotoGP™ paddock kicks off the season at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar before traveling to South America, North America, Asia Pacific and Europe, typically concluding the season in Valencia, Spain.
Photo source: MotoGP.com
The championship currently consists of 22 race weekends starting in early March and ending in November. 24 riders makeup 12 teams that compete across three days each race weekend.
Photo source: MotoGP.comAttendance and Viewership
The global fanbase fuels the passion at each venue as the MotoGP™ viewership and culture continues to penetrate and gain traction in new regions. With an estimated 2.9 million in-person attendance across all events in 2018 and an almost identical figure in 2019, the series pushes forward in extending its reach around the world. You may be surprised by this staggering number as fans travel from one country to the next to see their hometown heroes take to the circuit. But this 2.9 million gets small very quickly when compared to the 400+ million viewers that tune into one of the 100+ broadcasters and OTT services available each year. Needless to say, the MotoGP™ series is on its way to becoming the most popular global motorsport, rapidly gaining ground on Formula 1.
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MotoGP™ is a dynamic sport that embraces the future of technology, the need for speed and the desire to push limits to reach greatness. Teams and riders dance along a fine line of domination and danger - it is the thrill of this continued evolution within the series that mesmerizes fans around the world and keeps them wanting more.
To learn more about this unique sport, check out the “Hitting the Apex” movie trailer provided or visit the series homepage listed below.