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They will be blowing out the candles on a very special birthday cake next weekend. The premier class of Grand Prix racing celebrates its 1000th Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring – one thousand races in 76 years of drama, heroes, villains, triumph and tragedy.

Three-quarters of a century lit up by true legends such as Duke, Surtees, Hailwood, Agostini, Rainey, Doohan, Rossi and Marquez. One thousand Grands Prix circumnavigating the globe at iconic venues: Assen, Phillip Island, the Isle of Man, Sachsenring, Indianapolis, Buriham, Buddh and Losail. A Championship that allowed technical genius and innovation to be pushed to the limit and beyond.

That first MotoGP Grand Prix had to be held at the legendary TT mountain circuit in the Isle of Man, on June 17th, 1949. The seven-lap 425km race was won by Harold Daniell riding the factory Norton.

It took 13 years to race through those first 100 MotoGP Grands Prix. The 100th at the Sachsenring in East Germany was won by Mike Hailwood riding the MV Augusta in August 1962.

Ten years earlier, at Monza in Italy, another British rider, Les Graham, brought MV Agusta their first Grand Prix win. A year later, in 1953, 44-year-old Fergus Anderson, riding the Moto Guzzi, became the oldest rider to win a premier class Grand Prix. He beat Italian Carlo Bandirola by nearly half a minute in the Spanish Grand Prix at Montjuic Park in Barcelona.

Grands Prix were long and arduous for both rider and machine. In 1957, Scotsman Bob McIntyre won the longest ever recorded race in the 76-year history of Grand Prix racing. The Gilera rider took three hours, two minutes and 57 seconds to complete eight laps of the 60.27km TT mountain circuit in the Isle of Man.

The 200th MotoGP race was held at the legendary Dutch TT venue in Assen and won by Giacomo Agostini on the MV Agusta. Six years earlier, Jim Redman brought his first win, Honda’s first win, and the first win for a Japanese factory in the MotoGP class, with victory in the West German Grand Prix in Hockenheim. Three years later, Godfrey Nash won the Yugoslavian Grand Prix on the clifftop Opatija circuit. It was the last time a single-cylinder machine won a MotoGP Grand Prix, and the two-strokes were coming. At the 1971 Ulster Grand Prix, Australian Jack Findlay won on the MotoGP Suzuki. It was the first by a two-stroke machine.

Barry Sheene celebrated the 300th MotoGP Grand Prix ten years later, winning his last Grand Prix at Anderstorp in 1981. It was his only win on a Yamaha, and it was another 35 years and 533 Grands Prix before another British rider found success in the premier class.

In 1973, Jarno Saarinen won the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard. It was the first time a four-cylinder two-stroke machine won a MotoGP race. Finnish rider Saarinen had been brought in to spearhead Yamaha’s assault in the MotoGP class, but tragically was killed at Monza a few weeks later. Three years later, at the old Nürburgring road circuit, both Agostini and MV Agusta secured their last MotoGP wins at the 1976 West German Grand Prix. It was also the last win by a four-stroke motorcycle in the MotoGP class. Ago, who had dominated the class for so long, bowed out with his 68th MotoGP victory.

At the 1977 Belgian Grand Prix, Barry Sheene, riding the four-cylinder RG 500 Suzuki, set the fastest ever average speed in 76 years of Grand Prix racing. The World Champion averaged 217.37 km/h competing in the ten-lap race around the 14.120km Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Grands Prix were coming fast and furious, and in 1989, we reached the 400th mark with Eddie Lawson winning for Honda at Le Mans in France. In July 1982, American Freddie Spencer won his first MotoGP Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. It was the first win for the Honda three-cylinder two-stroke machine, and ‘Fast Freddie’ was the youngest MotoGP Grand Prix winner at the time, until a certain Marc Marquez arrived.

Seven years later, the half century came along with Mick Doohan winning a rain-shortened race at Imola in Italy. 81 Grands Prix later, the first race allowing 990-cc four-strokes to compete alongside MotoGP two-stroke machines at Suzuka in Japan, was won by Valentino Rossi, riding the four-stroke Honda. Just six months later, in 2002, Loris Capirossi’s third place at Motegi in Japan was the last ever two-stroke podium finish in the premier class.

Sete Gibernau celebrated the 600th Grand Prix by beating Rossi in a tremendous Le Mans battle in a race shortened because of rain. Two Grands Prix later in 2003, Capirossi brought Ducati their first premier class win in Barcelona.

Rossi switched camps in 2004 from Honda to Yamaha and once again rewrote the history books. He won the opening Grand Prix of the season at Welkom in South Africa. Rossi is the only rider to win successive premier class races on motorcycles from two different manufacturers.

Just three Grands Prix later, the shortest ever premier class race was staged at Mugello in Italy. Rossi took just 12 minutes, 6.803 seconds to win the six-lap encounter. The original race was stopped after 17 laps because of rain. The rules were changed to the flag-to-flag format allowing riders to swap machines with different tyres during the race. The first time it was implemented was two years after Mugello at Phillip Island in Australia in the Grand Prix won by Marco Melandri.

In that same year, Australian Troy Bayliss won the final Grand Prix in Valencia. It was the first time a World Superbike Champion had won a premier class race. In 2007 the capacity of MotoGP machines was reduced to 800cc. Casey Stoner brought Ducati victory at the first race of the season in Qatar, riding the Ducati.

A year later, at the 681st Grand Prix, the Losail circuit in Qatar staged the first-ever Grand Prix to be held under floodlights. A very different proposition from that first Grand Prix in the Isle of Man 59 years earlier. Stoner again won the race for Ducati, which he repeated a year later in the first premier class Grand Prix to be run under the single tyre rule.

Jorge Lorenzo won the 700th Grand Prix at Motegi in 2009. It was just the second MotoGP win for the Spanish Yamaha rider. His first had come 16 Grands Prix earlier. A year later, Rossi won the opening round in Qatar to start the year, where riders were restricted to using six engines through the season. In race number 750, it was fitting for Stoner to win the last Grand Prix in the 800cc era for Honda at Valencia in 2011.

Lorenzo was victorious in the first race in the new 1000cc era. A year later in 2013, Marc Marquez became the youngest ever premier class winner, with victory for Honda at the new Circuit of the Americas in Texas. It was just his second MotoGP race. The 795th Grand Prix was held at the Sachsenring in 2014. Bradley Smith finished in 19th place, just 56.293 second behind race winner Marquez. It was the first time in a fully completed premier class Grand Prix that the first 19 riders had crossed the line under one minute. The same year, Rossi won at home in Misano. It was his first win for over a year, and he became the rider with the longest winning career of all time in Grand Prix racing.

Lorenzo celebrated the 800th Grand Prix with a 10-second win at Aragon in a flag-to-flag race. In March 2016, new rules were introduced which included the use of a spec ECU and software package. Michelin replaced Bridgestone as the sole tyre supplier. At the 833rd Grand Prix at Brno, the same year Cal Crutchlow was the first British premier class winner for 35 long years. Three Grands Prix later at Sepang in Malaysia, Andrea Dovizioso was the ninth winner of the season. It’s still the most different winners in a single season.

A year later, Rossi won his 89th Grand Prix in the premier class when he secured the last win of his career at Assen. In August 2020 rookie Brad Binder brought KTM their first MotoGP victory at Brno. Two Grands Prix later, KTM celebrated again at the 900th Grand Prix. Miguel Olivera secured a home win at the Red Bull Ring to become the first and only Portuguese rider to win a premier class Grand Prix.

Into the final decade, and in 2021 at Qatar Fabio Quartararo and Johan Zarco were the first French riders to finish first and second in premier class history. The same year at Silverstone, six different manufacturers finished in the top six for the first time since 1974.

In November of the same year, Valentino Rossi rode his final Grand Prix in Valencia. It was his 372nd premier class start that represented over 40% of the entire Championship. Aleix Espargaro brought Aprilia their first premier class win a year later in Argentina. Fifteen Grands Prix later Alex Rins won at Phillip Island in the closest ever premier class finish. Just 0.884s covered the first seven finishers.

In April 2024, Maverick Vinales won in Austin to become the first rider in the MotoGP era to win for three different manufacturers. Five months later, Marc Marquez won for the first time on a Ducati in Aragon. It was his first win in 1043 days since his previous win at Misano in 202. Ducati grabbed their 100th premier class win in Misano and then filled the first six places at Phillip Island.

At the 988th Grand Prix this year, Marc and Alex Marquez finished first and second in Thailand. It was the first 1st and 2nd brothers finish in any class of Grand Prix racing. Two months later Johan Zarco’s victory at Le Mans was the first French home victory for 71 years. His Honda win ended a sequence of 22 successive victories for Ducati.

Take a deep breath, blow out the candles and prepare for the next 1000 Grands Prix. The World will change beyond all recognition, but racing will always be racing.

We have waited and waited for 37 long years. There have been false dawns, flashes of hope from some exceptionally talented individuals, but it never happened. The page is still empty. Can Toprak Razgatlioglu start writing that new chapter in the History of Motorcycle Racing?

As always, the facts do not tell the complete story. That is a good thing because these stark facts portray a sorry tale.

There have been 19 World Champions in the 37-year history of the World Superbike Championship. Only two of those World Champions have never competed in a MotoGP Grand Prix. Reigning World Champion and Championship leader this year Toprak Razgatlioglu, and 2013 Champion Tom Sykes. Next season Razgatlioglu leaves the fold to start his journey in MotoGP on the Prima Pramac Yamaha. It’s a journey that has never been completed by his predecessors. Plenty have set out but not returned home with the spoils. Injuries and pure bad luck have hampered others. Some declined to even start the journey. The individuals making the reverse trip have found a much smoother road

Incredibly, only two World Champions switching to MotoGP won a Grand Prix. American Ben Spies would have surely won more and pushed hard for the title, but injuries forced his retirement. The 2009 World Champion made 55 MotoGP starts with that single MotoGP win coming two year later in Assen. The Yamaha rider finished fifth in the MotoGP World Championship the same year. Five years earlier World Superbike Champion, Australian Troy Bayliss, won the final grand prix of the 2006 season at Valencia in very different circumstances. The Ducati rider was drafted in to replace the injured Sete Gibernau. He was no stranger to MotoGP and had made 43 Grand Prix appearances for Ducati and Honda after winning the 2001 World Superbike title. Bayliss returned to World Superbikes and won the title in 2006. It was an historic win in Valencia. While the world focussed on the Hayden/Rossi fight for the Championship, Bayliss led Loris Capirossi over the line for the first ever Ducati one/two in the premier class.

Great expectation and real anticipation surrounded Spies and Bayliss on their arrival in the MotoGP paddock, and there have been others that created a similar vibe. The likes of Colin Edwards, James Toseland, Neil Hodgson, and Scott Russell, looked on course to repeat their success.

For Russell, it was never going to be easy. He came into the factory Suzuki team halfway through the 1995 season to replace the former MotoGP World Champion and legend Kevin Schwanz, who was finally forced to retire with a wrist injury. Russell arrived with a formidable record.  The American was a World Superbike, AMA Champion and a winner of the prestigious Suzuka 8-hour race. It was never going to be easy switching from four-stroke to the 500cc two-strokes and replacing a legend. He rode in 19 Grands Prix and grabbed two podiums for Suzuki.

I think the biggest anticipation surrounded Colin Edwards and James Toseland, when they made the switch after so much success. The exuberant and likable Texan Edwards was never slow to voice his opinions. He was soon urging Hodgson, who’d replaced him as World Champion in 2003, to join him. Edwards had a fabulous career in MotoGP both on and off the track. The American rode in 196 Grands Prix and deserved to win at least one. In 2006 he was leading the Dutch TT in Assen going into final part of the finishing chicane. To the dismay of 99% of the MotoGP paddock he crashed with the chequered flag in sight.  His big chance had gone and never returned. Edwards finished on the podium 12 times which included five second places. If anybody deserved to join Bayliss and Spies as a Grand Prix winner, it was the Texan.

With so little British success in MotoGP, the arrival of piano playing Toseland was seen as the sunrise on a new era. The double World Champion made an encouraging start by qualifying on the front row at the opening grand prix of the 2008 MotoGP season in Qatar. Sadly, that promise never materialised because an injured wrist causing much pain and lack of grip. The British rider made just 35 Grand Prix appearances with nine sixth places his best results.

Hodgson had taken Edwards’ advice ‘to get his a… off the sofa and join him in MotoGP. He already had experience in both 125 and 500cc GP racing. Hodgson switched to World Superbikes after 15 MotoGP races on a private Yamaha. He won the World Superbike Championship in 2003 and switched back to MotoGP a year later. It was tough going on an uncompetitive Ducati, with his best result an eighth place in Japan.

So, what about the World Champions who decided to stay put as the Kings of their chosen Castle. Carl Fogarty received Barry Sheene type acclaim when he won the World Superbike Championship in 1994, ’95, ‘98, ‘99. The World Superbike Championship with Fogarty at the helm was matching and, in some countries, including Great Britain attracting more interest than grand prix racing. Fogarty had shown in six Grands Prix appearances, including a fourth place in Britain, that he had the ability to run with the likes of five times MotoGP Champion Mick Doohan, but it never happened. He was only prepared to switch to a top team and then injury brought his career to a premature end.

Ulsterman Jonathan Rea won the World Superbike Championship an unrivalled six times in a row for Kawasaki between 2015-2020. Surely, he was the rider to take on the likes of Rossi and Marquez on the MotoGP stage. On his two Grands Prix appearances, replacing the injured Casey Stoner in the Repsol Honda team at Aragon and Misano in 2012, he had already impressed with seventh and eighth places respectively. It was Fogarty all over again. The right offer to lure them away from a phenomenally successful and lucrative lifestyle never materialised. Who can blame either of them for staying put and we were left wondering what might have been. Fogarty versus Doohan and Rea versus Rossi and Marquez – we can only dream

Those making the reverse journey found the going much smoother. Grand Prix Champions Max Biaggi and Alvaro Bautista added to their World Championship trophy cabinets. Italian Biaggi won 13 Premier class races after winning four successive 250 cc titles. His switch to World Superbikes brought him two more world titles in 2010 and 2012. Spaniard Bautista also captured two World Superbike titles in 2022/23. He’d already won the 2006 125 cc title and ridden 159 MotoGP races, including three podiums. American John Kocinski won four MotoGP races in 71 starts before being crowned World Superbike Champion in 1997.

Spaniard Carlos Checa won two MotoGP races in 194 premier class starts, before being crowned World Superbike Champion in 2011. The reversal of Colin Edward’s dilemma happened to Frenchman Raymond Roche who grabbed nine podiums in 80 MotoGP starts. His fortune changed when he switched to win the 1990 World Superbike title.

So can Razgatlioglu unlock the magic formula? Edwards always said he left it too late to make the switch, and a glance at Cal Crutchlow’s fantastic career is surely an indication of hope. The British rider won the World Supersport Championship in 2009 and then completed just one season in World Superbike. He won two races and was favourite to fight for the title in 2011, but he knew he had to take his MotoGP chance when it came. The result, a fantastic MotoGP career and three MotoGP wins. More than any World Superbike Champion.

It was great timing by Crutchlow and Razgatlioglu appears to have timed his big switch perfectly. In the opposite way to Crutchlow, the 28-year-old Turkish rider bided his time until the right offer came along. Two world titles and a possibly third under his belt, the offer of a works Yamaha MotoGP machine came at the perfect time. Yamaha are on their way back and with the likelihood of the V-4 M1 machine. He has a season to adjust next year while Yamaha continue their development. A year later the pendulum swings Razgatlioglu way. MotoGP switches from Michelin to Pirelli tyres. All his Superbike success came on the Italian rubber.

Can the Turkish Wizz-kid succeed where those other great World Champions failed?

Razgatlioglu versus Marquez. What a prospect. It is time that 37-year curse is extinguished for good.

As the bright red ball rose above the distant horizon, the tens of thousands of voices that had penetrated the darkness and dawn from the packed Jerez hillside above Curvas Angel Nieto and Peluqui turned into shining faces.

As their national hero and Grand Prix winner performed a back flip off the surrounding wall, the packed towering grandstands that almost blocked out the light on the Le Mans start and finish straight, turned into a cacophony of sound. A roar of patriotic pride that could almost be a heard in Paris 200 kms away.

Iconic moments at iconic European venues. Circuits that are the very lifeblood of grand prix Motorcycle racing in both the good and bad times. Venues such as the Sachsenring, Brno, Assen, Mugello, Barcelona and Silverstone that have reflected historic moments of world history in the last 76 years. We all welcome and fully understand change with the enormous expansion of MotoGP across the globe, but those old established stalwarts have never let us down. They have been and still are the very backbone of the Championship.

Just seven years after the finish of the second World War, international sport was scarce in war ravished Germany. Grand Prix motorcycle racing gave a glimpse of sunlight in very dark times by staging the very first German Grand Prix at Solitude. An estimated crowd of 400,000 turned up to witness Reg Armstrong win both the 350 and 500 cc races for Norton. The attendance is still regarded as one of the largest ever to watch a Motorcycle Grand Prix.

With Germany split into two those massive attendances continued to flock to the Sachsenring in East Germany. A rare glimpse into the outside western world for 250,000 plus beleaguered fans causing major problems for the dreaded Stasi police. In 1971 West German Dieter Braun won the 250cc race. The West German National anthem had to be played at the rostrum ceremony but was not relayed to the vast celebrating crowd. It was the same story in communist ruled Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia at the Brno and Opatija road circuits.

The venue of the British Grand Prix was part of that historic connection but also led a revolution that changed the sport. Like so many racing circuits in Britain the flat Northamptonshire countryside was the perfect site for a World War two airfield. Between 1943 and 1946 Silverstone was an operational bomber station. When the war ended and the RAF left, some locals held impromptu races on the three deserted runways after clearing away the grazing sheep. Organised races for both motorcycle and cars soon followed and the home of British motorsport was born. In 1950 Silverstone staged the very first World Championship Formula One Car Grand Prix but a two-wheeled counterpart was still a long way off, despite MotoGP being an even older championship.

The British round of MotoGP was staged at the legendary TT Mountain circuit on the Isle of Man. The World Championship’s very first race was held there in 1949 and there was no chance then of it switching to the mainland on a purpose-built circuit. Two and a half decades later it was a very different story. Despite the lack of a World Championship round and the focus on car racing, Silverstone staged some big prestigious non-championship bike meetings. They gave British fans a rare opportunity to watch World and potential World Champions in action.

Silverstone was the nearest circuit to my Oxford home. I made my first trip there in 1963 riding my ex-Post Office 125 cc BSA Bantam with the single triangular seat on the 35 kms journey. Another Oxford boy called Mike Hailwood made the same short journey but definitely not on a BSA Bantam. Riding the mighty four-cylinder MV Agusta he dominated the Hutchinson 100 meeting, and I was hooked. Later those Silverstone events gave us our first glimpse of future World Champions.  The brilliant Jarno Saarinen and a certain long haired young man who was never slow voicing his opinions and wore brightly coloured leathers. Barry Sheene had arrived to start a love hate relationship with Silverstone where World Championship status finally beckoned.

In 1977 the Silverstone circuit led the revolution when it hosted the first ever British Grand Prix. It was the first time a grand prix had switched from a road track that had been the backbone of the World Championship for 28 years, to a purpose-built circuit. Leading riders, teams and federations had become more and more concerned about safety at the 60.721 kms TT circuit on the Isle of Man. Fifteen times World Champion Giacomo Agostini vowed never to race there again after his great friend Gilberto Parlotti was killed in the 125 cc TT. The Spanish Federation banned their riders competing after Santiago Herrero lost his life in 1970. Many of the top riders stopped competing especially as only a certain number of your best results resulted in your ultimate World Championship position.

The revolution was gaining momentum. Over the following 20 years those famous road circuits such as Brno, Nürburgring, Sachsenring, Montjuic and Opatija built purpose-built tracks to survive as World Championship venues. The arrival of the British Grand Prix was perfect timing for motorcycle racing in Britain. Sheene had put the sport on the front pages from the back pages of the national newspapers with his activities both on and off the track. He was a national hero after retaining the 500cc World title for Suzuki and Silverstone was the final round. Sheene and the country wanted to celebrate but it was not to be. An overheating problem caused him to retire in the race after starting from pole, but the chance of a home victory was very much on the cards to the delight of the massive patriotic crowd. With a few laps remaining his great friend Steve Parrish led the way with another Suzuki rider John Williams in second place. Barry hung out the infamous ‘Gas it W…..’ pit board to his mate but this was England in August. As Parrish turned his head to smile at the pit board a few spots of rain splattered on his visor. With just a handful of laps remaining Parrish lost the front end of the Suzuki going into the first corner at Copse. The crowd hardly found time to groan when Williams went down three bends later. American Pat Hennen won just his second grand prix with countryman Steve Baker in second place. It was the first time American riders had finished first and second in a Grand Prix and was just a foretaste of the transatlantic invasion that was gaining momentum.

It was also a historic day for British racing but for very different reasons. The chance had gone. A British rider has never won the premier class race at his home Grand Prix and Parrish never won a Grand Prix. Two years later in 1979 Sheene came so close in a Silverstone classic that is still talked about. BBC television with the legendary Murray Walker on the microphone showed the race live. Sheene went head-to-head with Kenny Roberts, the man who had ‘stolen’ his world title the previous year. These two greats did not let us down. Lap after lap they swapped positions. At one point down the 250 kph Hanger straight Sheene stuck two fingers up behind his back to Roberts which nobody believed, apart from Murray Walker who thought he meant Roberts was in second place. At the chequered flag Roberts won by just three-hundredths of one second in a battle that showed two great World Champions at the very pinnacle of their talent.

As if winning the Grand Prix was not enough it was a busy and historic weekend for Kenny. Together with journalist Barry Coleman they announced the formation of a World Series in direct competition to the FIM World Championships. They had wanted to leave the announcement until the following season but all the leading Grands Prix riders, including Sheene, were so disillusioned with safety and money they insisted on going ahead early. It was a historic day in the Silverstone paddock. The riders taking on the establishment. The World Series never happened but the very threat was enough. At last riders were treated with respect and listened to. Safety improved dramatically, the archaic start money system was scrapped, and prize money was increased by a staggering five hundred per cent.

In the eighties Silverstone and their boss Jimmy Brown were so keen to promote Motorcycle racing they launched their own grand prix team. Niall Mackenzie and Donnie McLeod with former grand prix winner Chas Mortimer at the helm competed in the 250 and 350 cc World Championships, but all was not well at their home base. Bad weather in particular had kept grand prix attendances down. In 1987 The British Grand Prix switched to Donington Park. Valentino Rossi loved the parkland undulating track. The Italian won his first 500cc Grand Prix at Donington in 2000 and went on the win four more premier class races to receive Sheene like adulation from the British public. In 2008 Scott Redding brought rare British success winning the 125cc race. At the time he was the youngest ever grand prix winner at the tender age of 15 years 170 days.

In 2010 the British Grand Prix returned to Silverstone after a 23-year absence. Jorge Lorenzo won the MotoGP race on route to the World title.

On its return to Grand Prix racing, the ultra-fast flat former wartime airfield has provided amazing racing amid some typical British weather. Three wins for Lorenzo, Suzuki victories for Maverick Viñales and Alex Rins and the cancellation of race day in 2018 because of the rain. Cal Crutchlow almost did it for the home crowd with second place in 2016, but the success-starved fans found something to cheer about with victories for Danny Kent, Scott Redding and Jake Dixon in the Moto3/Moto 2 races respectively.

Surely last weekend’s crowd of over 310,000 packing every acre of Le Mans for the Michelin French Grand Prix, was the largest sporting crowd in the world that weekend. Just two weeks earlier around 225,000 made the pilgrimage to southern Spain for the opening Grand Prix of the European season. Staggering attendances even for these iconic European venues that are the very lifeblood of Grand Prix Motorcycle racing. Long may they continue.

Figures do not lie.

World Champions in every sport make winning look so easy. MotoGP™ is no exception but there is one major difference to many of those other sports. One mistake can cost you a race, a world title, or even worse. After four rounds Marc Marquez has won seven of the eight races but his crash at Austin was a stark reminder. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider seemingly cruising to his sixth successive win of the season momentarily lost concentration. No chance of pulling back the football goal, tennis set, or rugby try he’d just conceded. The merest touch of the damp white line by his front wheel and down he went. No chance of redemption, Marquez’s race was over

Winning Grand Prix races has always been about the riders’ skill and sheer ability but over the last 76 years that winning mindset has had to change dramatically. Today, a Grand Prix lasts around 40 minutes with the Tissot Sprint half that time. So much going on in such a short time frame. Little time to settle into any sort of rhythm. So much technology to constantly check and change on a modern MotoGP machine and then of course there is the small matter of the opposition. Rules to adhere to while riding a 360 kph monster. Marquez won those opening seven races brilliantly working out the complexity of the tyre pressure rules and looking after his tyres. Then there was the continual annoying presence of his younger kid brother who would just not go away. Not only was it bad enough to lose the World Championship lead after the mistake in Austin but how would you react if was your younger brother rubbing it in. Two week’s later under the Qatar floodlights Alex then collided into the rear end of his brother’s Ducati as they contested who was going to lead coming out of the very first corner.

Over half a century ago the likes of Giacomo Agostini and Mike Hailwood were dominating a very different Grand Prix World Championship.  They still share the record for 19 Grand Prix wins in one season. Ago, riding the MV Agusta, won 20 successive 500cc Grands Prix in 1968/69. On two occasions Hailwood won three separate Grands Prix on the same day. Of course, they were riding superior multi cylinder machinery and competing in more than one class, but that only tells half the story. The Grands Prix were marathons compared to today. The road circuits such as the Isle of Man, Opatija, Imatra, Dundrod and the Sachsenring were both very dangerous and in some cases scarily quick. Concentration and stamina were a crucial ingredient of that winning mentality. One lapse could not only cost you a victory and a world title, but also your safety.

In 1957 Scottish rider Bob McIntyre won the longest World Championship race ever staged. Riding the Gilera he took three hours 2.57 minutes to win the 485.768 kms eight lap Senior TT race in the Isle of Man. Despite being in the saddle for over one eighth of a complete day, McIntyre still managed to average 159.312 kph. He would have hardly pulled on his gloves and adjusted his goggles when a modern-day MotoGP encounter had finished. I bet he slept well that night.

Sometimes, a rider would show the public he could have won a race but was told not to. In 1968 Yamaha told Bill Ivy they wanted him to win the 250 cc World Championship and his so-called team-mate Phil Read the 125cc title. At the third round in the Isle of Man Ivy had just set the very first 100mph lap of the mountain circuit on a 125cc machine and led Read by around two minutes. Not wanting to disobey Yamaha he stopped on the last lap to talk to spectators, asking them with tongue in cheek, who was winning. Read raced by to win by almost a minute. Ivy had made his point, but Read had the last laugh. At the final round in Monza he ignored Yamaha’s orders and won both 125cc and 250cc World titles.

Double MotoGP World Champion Barry Sheene told me he had real problems concentrating one hundred per cent when leading a race. His mind would wander. Sheene would start thinking about where he had left his car keys and what he was having for dinner later that evening rather than the next corner. I don’t think he experienced such problems at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium in 1977. Riding the RG 500 cc Suzuki, the World Champion averaged 217.370 kph winning the 141.200 kms race in just under 39 minutes. He also set the fastest ever Grand Prix lap on two wheels lapping the 14.120 kms tree lined circuit at an average speed of 220.721 khp kph. No time to worry if it was beef or chicken on the Sunday dinner menu.

Three times World Champion Wayne Rainey experienced very different problems while fighting for the lead in the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. The American Yamaha rider was recovering from a bad start but had fought his way through the field to begin an epic battle with his bitter enemy at the time, Kevin Schwantz, for the lead. He was so absorbed and concentrated, riding the sliding Yamaha to the absolute limit round the technically demanding track, he started an out of body surreal experience. Instead of riding the Yamaha he felt he was looking down on himself from above. It did not affect his performance although he finished second to Schwantz by less than half a second. I don’t think Rainey ever experienced the viewing from above feeling ever again. He went on to win three world titles before his life changing crash at Misano in 1993.

Australian Mick Doohan took over the mantle from Rainey, winning five successive World titles for Honda. Between 1995 -1997 he secured 37 successive points scoring finishes. Doohan always had to remain totally focused and concentrated because it was his Honda team-mates who caused him the most problems. Nothing annoyed Doohan more than team-mates who relied on him doing all the donkey work at the front, before trying to grab victory on the last lap. Team-mate Alex Criville stalked him throughout the 1996 Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno. At the last corner at the top of the hill he dived inside his team-mate to win by 0.002s. The World Champion was none too impressed and never let it happen again.

Doohan had learned the hard way that just one lapse of concentration could cost you dear. He had won five of the opening seven rounds and finished second at the other two in 1992. He led the World Championship by a massive 53 points going into the Dutch TT in Assen. He crashed in qualifying and broke his leg. Doohan missed the next four Grands Prix but bravely limped into the final two only to lose the title by just four points to Wayne Rainey

Incredibly Valentino Rossi never appeared to have problems concentrating on the job in hand as he dominated MotoGP. Such was the intense pressure on him off the track, I think actually getting out there alone on his bike, with winning Grands Prix his only concern for the next hour, was a pure blessed escape from his everyday life. No Italian tax man or manic media and fan attention to fill his head. Just concentrate on the job in hand, winning Grands Prix. The likes of Max Biaggi, Sete Gibernau, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo and Marquez never made it easy for the seven-time premier class Champion.

He relished and encouraged the different challenges they brought in his own very special way. When it appeared it might be getting a little too easy, he switched from all conquering Honda team to bring Yamaha MotoGP success in 2004. I always thought the organising and efforts put into the after-race celebrations might cloud his brain as the chequered flag approached. Eighty-nine premier class wins, and 199 podium finishes suggest the opposite. Blow up dolls, Hawaiian palm trees and swimming pools, Robin Hood outfits and Argentine football shirts just seemed to spur on the Doctor to even greater efforts and success.

Then Marquez arrived on the scene after tumultuous 125cc and Moto2 adventures that ended with two world titles. He just relished the chance to take on the big boys. Nobody was prepared for his arrival. Sensational does not even touch the sides for a rider who was not known for his patience and concentration en route to those two World titles. Marquez became the youngest ever rider to win a premier class grand prix, with victory on just his second ride on the Repsol Honda in Austin. He is still the youngest ever premier class World Champion after clinching the title at the final 2013 round in Valencia. That was just the start. Ten straight grands prix wins in 2014. I honestly thought he was going to win the lot when a mechanical glitch halted the domination at Brno

Marquez always had plenty going on to keep him concentrated on the racetrack. The legendary duels with Rossi, the decline of Honda and some truly horrendous crashes as he fought to fight off the massive Ducati challenge.  This season on the factory Ducati Lenovo machine he was back, and it has come down to a family affair. The first time two brothers have finished first and second on a premier class podium. The first time since 1997 that two brothers finished on a premier class podium when Nobuatsu and Takuma Aoki finished second and third at Imola.

So, four rounds circumnavigating the globe before the start and comfort of the European season. The legendary Angel Nieto Jerez circuit in Spain. The triumphant Marquez brothers will return home to a hero’s welcome by the massive patriotic crowd. You would not dare bet against Marc adding another two wins, but as the Austin crash clearly illustrated, winning may look easy – but it isn’t.

As you tuck into that last piece of turkey and mince pie on Christmas day, remember that the first MotoGP™ test of 2025 starts just 37 days later. Add another 28 days and the first Practice session of the 2025 season will be underway in Thailand. 22 Grands Prix later, the season ends in Valencia on November 16. What other international sport stages its first test session of the next season just two days after the old season has ended? No time to reflect on the season and the 75 years of Grand Prix racing. No time for too much celebrating, because the new season has already begun. MotoGP™ never stands still

MotoGP™ World Champion Jorge Martin hardly found time to put the champagne glass down when his reign as King and a new career began. He just had time to drop his number 89 plate in the Aprilia pit, and he was up and running. Switching factories when you are the current World Champion is always a brave move. In some cases, the move had to have been made. In others, proving they are a true Champion by retaining their title on a different machine the next season is the ultimate challenge. A challenge that only two riders have met and succeeded in that 75-year history.

Even legendary World Champions Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini never won that accolade by winning successive world titles on different machinery. Hailwood switched to Honda after winning four successive 500cc world titles with MV Agusta but never brought the Japanese factory the title. Ago won seven successive 500cc titles for MV before a historic two-stroke switch to Yamaha. He left MV when his teammate Phil Read won the title in 1973 and brought Yamaha their first Premier class title in 1975. Seven years later, World Champion Marco Lucchinelli joined Honda to spearhead their new 500cc two-stroke project with Freddie Spencer after winning the title with Suzuki in 1981.

So, the legends tried and failed, and it was later that the first rider to win successive 500cc titles on different bikes came along. In 1989, American Eddie Lawson switched the number one plate from Yamaha to Honda. He had won three 500cc titles for Yamaha before a one-season switch to Honda. He certainly proved his point and legendary status by winning the title for his new employers before returning to Yamaha in 1990. The most publicised switch of allegiance came in 2004 when Valentino Rossi stunned Honda by announcing he was joining Yamaha. The Italian had brought Honda one 500cc and two MotoGP™ World titles before moving over to struggling Yamaha. The rest is history. Rossi brought Yamaha their first Premier class title for 12 years in 2004 and went on to win four more.

That Barcelona test may have come so quickly, but it certainly whetted the appetite. Martin in action on the Aprilia. It is a big ask for him to join Lawson and Rossi, but we said exactly the same thing when they switched. Marc Marquez full of smiles at last on the latest Ducati for the factory Lenovo team. KTM debuts for Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales and Pedro Acosta, still chasing that elusive first MotoGP™ victory, joining Brad Binder in the Red Bull factory KTM team. Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller on Yamahas and Marco Bezzecchi joining the factory Aprilia team.

Less than 48 hours after shedding tears on his Grand Prix retirement the irrepressible Aleix Espargaro was back in the saddle. Honda have surely taken their first steps to recovery by appointing him as their Test Rider. Some nervous opening MotoGP™ laps by the newcomers, who will be delighted to get such an early feel, before the serious stuff starts at the end of January. Enormous responsibility on the shoulders of Moto2™ World Champion Ai Ogura at the Trackhouse Aprilia team, the only Japanese rider in the Championship, as the country still waits for that first premier class title.

So, the action has really finally finished, and the curtain drops on a hectic, explosive 75-year anniversary Grand Prix season.

A happy Christmas to everybody. Enjoy the break because the finger is already poised on the roller coaster button to start the ride up again in 2025.

Sunday, November 12, 2017, and I should have taken a lot more notice, but I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts. Seven years ago, Jorge Martin won his first Grand Prix. Little did I realise watching the 19-year-old Spanish teenager win the final Moto3™ race of the 2017 season in Valencia, he would go on to achieve the ultimate accolade. It was my last day as a MotoGP™ commentator, and on reflection, it was Martin who gave me a true indication just what a great future lay ahead for the sport I loved.

I had got to know Jorge well in 2017 because of his collection of Tissot watches. I remember joking with him that he would soon have to open a jeweller’s shop. It was really about time that first Grand Prix victory came along, after hosting the qualifying press conferences where he was a frequent visitor. No less than nine times he arrived on Saturday afternoon with his mum to collect his watch after taking pole position. It was a massive relief when that first win finally arrived. It just opened the floodgates in 2018. He won seven more Grands Prix to capture the Moto3 World title

Three years earlier in 2014 was the first time I came across Jorge. The sixteen-year-old won the Red Bull Rookies Cup. We did not realise at the time just what a wealth of young talent was being introduced on the World stage by this brilliant series. Who will forget? Jorge won the title from Joan Mir with a certain Toprak Razgatlioglu in sixth place. Mir went on to join a very elite club of riders who have won both the 125cc/Moto3 and 500cc/MotoGP World titles. Razgatlioglu brought BMW their first world title this year in a spectacular World Superbike season. Despite all this talent producing many World Champions, Jorge Martin is still the only Red Bull Rookies Cup winner to go on to become the MotoGP World Champion.

After that third place on Sunday, Jorge joined that very select group of riders who have won both those World titles. Joan Mir was the last of the five riders who have done the double in the 75-year history of Grand Prix racing. Jorge became the sixth on Sunday and just a glance at the others gives an idea of what he has achieved. Phil Read was the first to win the 125cc in 1968 and 500cc five years later in 1973. Spaniard Alex Criville was the second with the 125cc title in 1989 and the 500cc ten years later in 1999. The last two on the list will come as no great surprise. Valentino Rossi 125cc World Champion in 1997 and 500cc Champion in 2001. Marc Marquez followed his great rival with the 125cc title in 2010 and that first MotoGP title three years later in 2013.

Jorge’s amazing MotoGP career is well documented. Pole position and podium finish in just his second MotoGP race in 2021. A horrendous crash two races later in Portugal. He missed the next four Grands Prix but returned to win in Austria. Four podiums but no wins in 2022 and then pushing World Champion Pecco Bagnaia to the last grand prix of the season last year. This year 32 podium finishes with 16 apiece in Grands Prix and sprints. Finally, one more record to be smashed on Sunday. Jorge is the only rider in the modern MotoGP era to have beaten four former MotoGP World Champions on the grid to win the ultimate title in motorcycle racing.

I certainly took a lot more notice of his third place in Barcelona on Sunday than I did seven years ago. Sincere congratulations Jorge on such a spectacular season and that so-deserved world title. Good job you did not follow my advice and open that jeweller’s shop after all.

Two live images from Sepang made it all so worthwhile. Jack Miller walking down pit lane and the opening laps of that extraordinary head-to-head duel between title contenders Bagnaia and Martin. The boiled egg and toast would have to wait. Normally at the fly-away Grands Prix I will record the races and watch them later after a Sunday morning leisurely breakfast. Following the Tissot Sprint race on Saturday I knew I had to get up at 6.30 am to watch it live with a real chance of the Championship being settled. I was not disappointed.

The crash involving Jack Miller at turn two on the opening lap of the original race brought haunting memories back of a stricken Sepang 13 years ago. I felt the tension in the commentary box. Struggling to describe the build-up to the restart while worrying about the condition of Miller. They did a brilliant job and the sight of Jack walking down pit lane produced a sigh of relief that was released around the world, let alone the commentary box and paddock

It was time to concentrate on the racing. Bagnaia and Martin produced an opening four laps that defied logic and even rhyme and reason. I have never witnessed such a ferocious battle between two riders with so much at stake. They simply laid everything on the line. They seemed totally oblivious to the consequences of a mistake or crash. It was World Championship motorsport at the very highest level. At the finish in Parc Ferme, no histrionics, arguments or accusations. A shake of the hands, and a shared joke. They will be prepared to do it all over again at the Barcelona decider in two weeks’ time.

So, where exactly do they stand with one Grand Prix to go? Martin’s lead of 24 points means one thing. If he wins the Tissot Sprint on Saturday, the Prima Pramac Ducati rider will be crowned the 2024 MotoGP™ World Champion. The Spaniard has already won seven Sprint races this season and surely wants it done and dusted before the Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon. Bagnaia will be desperate for the final outcome to go to the wire over a full Grand Prix distance. Already this season he has won ten Grands Prix to join a very exclusive club. In the 75-year history of the sport only Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Giacomo Agostini and Mick Doohan have won ten premier class Grands Prix in a single season. But it may not be enough.

History stacks up against the Italian. For only the second time at the final round an extra 12 points are available at the Sprint, but only three times in those 75 years has a points deficit been reversed at the final round. In 1992 Wayne Rainey reversed Mick Doohan’s slender two-point advantage at Kyalami. His third place was enough to give him his third successive title by just four points after a brave injury-ravaged Doohan finished sixth.

Valentino Rossi arrived at the final round at Valencia in 2006 with an eight-point advantage over Nicky Hayden. Rossi crashed on lap five and remounted to finish in 13th place in the race won by Troy Bayliss. Hayden’s third place was enough to bring him the title. The last time there was a reversal was in 2015 in the most controversial finale ever. Rossi had a seven-point advantage over Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo but had to start from the back of the grid after his spectacular falling out with Marquez at the penultimate round in Sepang. Fourth place was not enough for Rossi in Valencia and Lorenzo grabbed his third MotoGP™ title by five points after victory.

It’s a massive ask for Bagnaia to pull back those 24 points to win his third successive MotoGP™ title. Throwing in those extra Sprint 12 points will help and he has nothing to lose. Martin’s pit board in Sepang displayed a simple one-word message, “Focus”. I’m sure he will do exactly that in what promises to be another ferocious head-to-head battle for the ultimate prize.