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92-687: Gresini Racing is a motorcycle racing team competing in the MotoGP World Championship under the name Gresini Racing MotoGP as a Ducati satellite team, in the Moto2 World Championship as QJmotor Gresini Moto2 , and the MotoE World Cup as Felo Gresini MotoE . The team also competes in CIV Moto3. The team was founded in 1997 by Fausto Gresini (1961–2021), a two-time 125cc world champion , after

184-471: A wild-card racer in 1997 and 1998, made an instant impact with four consecutive podium finishes at the start of the season. He became a title contender for the 250 cc title along with Yamaha riders Shinya Nakano and Olivier Jacque until the last race of the season at Phillip Island, Australia . However, Kato finished third in the race and lost the title and the runner-up position to Jacque and Nakano respectively. Kato's 259 points and third place in

276-451: A 250cc race; he won his first and only race in the 2001 German Grand Prix . The 250cc entry list also included three former 125cc World Champion : Haruchika Aoki , Roberto Locatelli and Emilio Alzamora . The season started with a wet race at Suzuka which was won by Japanese wildcard rider Osamu Miyazaki , who was riding for Daytona Yamaha team. Honda 's wildcard rider Daisaku Sakai and Aprilia 's Randy de Puniet completed

368-1114: A decade in the class. From 2023, Chinese motorcycle manufacturer QJmotor is the main sponsor of Gresini Racing Moto2. QJ Motor's involvement in motorcycle racing is not just this time. In 2022, QJ Motor, has debuted by supporting the Avintia racing team in the Moto3 class. After officially becoming the main sponsor, the name of the racing team it now carries changed to QJmotor Gresini Racing. Eight-time world champion Marc Márquez has officially joined Ducati satellite team Gresini Racing for 2024 , after 11 years with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) through Repsol Honda. * Season still in progress. ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) 2018   Del Conca Gresini Moto3 2019   Leopard Racing 2020   Leopard Racing 2021   Red Bull KTM Ajo 2022   GasGas Aspar Team 2023   Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP Motorcycle racing The FIM classifies motorcycle racing in

460-435: A dedicated community of riders, collectors, and fans who appreciate the history and craftsmanship of these classic machines. Some of the regulations include, air-cooled two-Stroke engines, drum brakes and kick starters. These features add to the nostalgic charm and require riders to adapt their riding techniques accordingly. Hare scramble is the name given to a particular form of off-road motorcycle racing. Traditionally

552-465: A different line into corners, sliding of the back wheel around the corner, and using the leg straight out to corner (as opposed to the noticeable touching of the bent knee to the tarmac of road racers). Enduro is a form of off-road motorcycle sport that primarily focuses on the endurance of the competitor. In the most traditional sense ("Time Card Enduros"), competitors complete a 10+ mile lap, of predominately off-road going, often through forestry. The lap

644-752: A few sea-front promenades , generally with one set of timing equipment, for the 1 ⁄ 4 -mile distance, although some used 1 ⁄ 8 -mile, as still happens at the Ramsey seafront as the Ramsey Sprint , part of added attractions during the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix events. Santa Pod Raceway was the first permanent drag-strip established in UK and Europe in 1966. Writing in his 1970 book, Peter Carrick stated: Though basically similar, sprinting and drag racing have essential differences. Sprinting

736-633: A few such circuits have survived, mostly in Europe. Races take place on public roads which have been temporarily closed to the public by legal orders from the local legislature. Two championships exist, the first is the International Road Racing Championship , the other is the Duke Road Racing Rankings . The latter accounts for the majority of road races that take place each season, with an award for

828-429: A given amount of time or laps or a combination. Motocross has a plethora of classes based upon machine displacement (ranging from 50cc 2-stroke youth machines up to 250cc two-stroke and 450cc four-stroke), age of competitor, ability of competitor, sidecars, quads/ATVs, and machine age (classic for pre-1965/67, Twinshock for bikes with two shock absorbers, etc.). Supercross (or SX) is simply indoor motocross. Supercross

920-800: A hare scramble can vary in length and time with the contestants completing multiple laps around a marked course through wooded or other rugged natural terrain. The overall winner is the contestant who maintains the highest speed throughout the event. In Florida, Hare scrambles start the race with a staggered starting sequence. Once on the course, the object of the competitor is to complete the circuit as fast as possible. The race consists of wooded areas or open fields. Cross-country rally events (also called Rallye Raid or simply Rallye , alternate spelling Rally ) are much bigger than enduros. Typically using larger bikes than other off-road sports, these events take place over many days, travelling hundreds of miles across primarily open off-road terrain. The most famous example

1012-481: A mechanical failure on the first lap, while Nieto won the race to reduce the gap to 27 points. Melandri finally clinched the 250cc title in the Australian Grand Prix with a close win over Nieto. They fought until the last lap and Melandri won the race with just 0.007 second gap at the finish line. Melandri became the youngest 250cc world champion at the age of 20 years and 74 days. Melandri ended

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1104-484: A motorcycle class which is the equivalent of Speedway on ice. Bikes race anti-clockwise around oval tracks between 260 and 425 metres in length. Metal tire spikes or screws are often allowed to improve traction. The race structure and scoring are similar to Speedway. Board track racing was a type of track racing popular in the United States between the second and third decades of the 20th century, where competition

1196-605: A motorcycle must be at least 25 years old to be considered vintage. The sanctioning body for most US vintage racing is the American Motorcyclist Association . The main organizations that sponsor vintage racing are the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA), BikeBandit and WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, which has several vintage classes along with modern racers. Of historical importance

1288-482: A motorcycle must have a four-stroke engine of between 250 and 600 cc for four-cylinder machines, and between 600 and 750 cc for twins , and must satisfy the FIM homologation requirements. Supersport regulations are much tighter than Superbikes. Supersport machines must remain largely as standard, while engine tuning is possible but tightly regulated. Endurance racing is a category of motorcycle road racing which

1380-456: A much more geographically dispersed range of locations. In addition to traditional Time Card Enduros held over a long lap, a variety of other forms of sport have been taken up; notably "Short Course Enduros", a shorter (in lap length) form of Time Card Enduros Hare scrambles and " Hare and Hounds ". A variant of Enduro called Hard Enduro also exists which take Enduro racing to extremes with even larger, longer and tougher courses than Enduro, it

1472-519: A passenger shifts body weight across the sidecar is crucial to its performance around corners. Sidecar racing has many sub-categories including: Motocross (or MX) is the direct equivalent of road racing, but off-road, a number of bikes racing on a closed circuit. Motocross circuits are constructed on a variety of non-tarmac surfaces such as dirt, sand, mud, grass, etc., and tend to incorporate elevation changes either natural or artificial. Advances in motorcycle technology, especially suspension, have led to

1564-475: A polished concrete floor with coke syrup, or other media sprayed or mopped onto the concrete for traction for the tyres of the motorcycles, or on dirt that has been moistened and hard packed, or left loose (often called a cushion). Similar to the size of the Arenacross Arenas or sometimes smaller, these tight indoor race tracks require the riders to have accurate throttle control to negotiate them. In

1656-443: A year with Honda, won the opening race at Suzuka under wet condition. He then extended his lead in the championship with two second places in the second and third race behind Manuel Poggiali and Lucio Cecchinello respectively. In the following race at Le Mans , Cecchinello won his second successive race ahead of Poggiali, while Vincent finished fourth. Poggiali then took over the championship lead from Vincent after winning

1748-644: Is a World Enduro Championship (WEC) that has events across Europe, with a few excursions to North America. The most significant event in the Enduro calendar is the International Six Days Enduro (formerly the International Six Days Trial), where countries enter teams of riders (i.e. Enduro's "World Cup"), as well as club teams – the event combines amateur sport with the professional level sport, it also takes place in

1840-514: Is a race against the clock, even if other competitors are taking part at the same time. Drag racing is more of a contest, often between a couple of racers . Where a time was one-way only, any record could be regarded as strip-only, as for official recognition of world and national records two qualifying runs had to be completed in opposite-directions within one-hour, to negate the effect of wind, with an average time resulting. Writing in 1974, Motorcycle News contributor Jim Reynolds stated: " This

1932-479: Is designed to bring together all disciplines of Enduro – Hard Enduro, Classic Enduro, Cross-Country and Beach Racing. The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship is the main championship in this category. Another variant of Enduro is Vintage Enduro which combines the elements of off-road racing and long-distance touring, making it a popular choice among enthusiasts who enjoy the challenges and nostalgia associated with vintage motorcycles. Vintage Enduro events often attract

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2024-411: Is desired. A normal event lasts for 3 to 4 hours, although longer events are not uncommon. Some events, particularly national and world championship events take place over several days and require maintenance work to be carried out within a limited time window or while the race is running. To prevent circumvention of the maintenance restrictions, the motorcycles are kept overnight in secure storage. There

2116-468: Is drag racing, a young sport in England, but growing faster than any other ". In hill climbing, a single rider climbs or tries to climb a road going up a hill in the fastest time or the furthest up the hill before ceasing forward motion. Tarmac events are typically on closed public roads and private roads. The same concept is also used off-tarmac, usually on steeper hills. In Landspeed motorcycle racing,

2208-412: Is made up of different stages, each with a target time to complete that stage in exactly, there are penalties for being early and late, thus the goal is to be exactly "on time". Some stages are deliberately "tight", others are lax allowing the competitor to recuperate. There are also a variety of special tests, on variety of terrain to further aid classification, these are speed stages where the fastest time

2300-431: Is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance of the riders. Teams of multiple riders attempt to cover a large distance in a single event. Teams are given the ability to change riders during the race. Endurance races can be run either to cover a set distance in laps as quickly as possible, or to cover as much distance as possible over a preset amount of time. Reliability of the motorcycles used for endurance racing

2392-420: Is more technical and rhythmic for riders. Typically situated in a variety of stadiums and open or closed arenas, it is notable for its numerous jumps. In North America, this has been turned into an extremely popular spectator sport, filling large baseball, soccer, and football stadiums, leading to Motocross being now termed the "outdoors". However, in Europe it is a less popular sport, as the predominant focus there

2484-456: Is on Motocross. Supermoto is a racing category that is a crossover between road-racing and motocross. The motorcycles are mainly motocross types with road-racing tyres. The racetrack is a mixture of road and dirt courses (in different proportions) and can take place either on closed circuits or in temporary venues (such as urban locations). The riding style on the tarmac section is noticeably different from other forms of tarmac-based racing, with

2576-410: Is paramount. Sidecar racing is a category of sidecar motorcycle racing. Older sidecar road racers generally resembled solo motorcycles with a platform attached; modern racing sidecars are purpose built low and long vehicles. Sidecarcross resembles MX motorcycles with a high platform attached. In sidecar racing a rider and a passenger work together to make the machine perform optimally; the way in which

2668-709: Is the Dakar Rally , previously travelling from Western Europe (often Paris) to Dakar in Senegal, via the Sahara desert, taking almost two weeks. From 2009 to 2019 the Dakar Rally had been held in South America traveling through Argentina, Peru and Chile. Starting in 2020 the event now runs in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. The FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship also exists encompassing many events across

2760-788: Is the United States Classic Racing Association (USCRA) one of the oldest vintage racing clubs in the US. In the UK the Main organisations are The British Historic Racing Club (BHRC), an arm of the Vintage motorcycle club, and the Classic Motorcycle Racing Club (CRMRC). The CRMC was formed about thirty years ago when the BHRC was slow to include new machines in the 25 years rule and to deal with

2852-470: The 2014 French Grand Prix with Álvaro Bautista . For 2022 , Aprilia re-entered the sport with their own factory team, taking incumbent riders Maverick Viñales and Espargaró. Gresini Racing elected to return to fully independent team status with Ducati machinery, fielding Italian riders and former Gresini Moto3 teammates Enea Bastianini and Di Giannantonio. Gresini additionally left the Moto3 class in order to focus on their MotoGP and Moto2 efforts, after

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2944-562: The A.M.A. Grand National Championship , mile, half-mile, short-track and TT races are part of a specific discipline labelled "Dirt track" or sometimes "Flat track" (also called Flat Track). However the AMA Sanction rule books refer to this discipline as Dirt track racing. Whether mile, half-mile, short-track or TT, traction is what defines a dirt track race. The bikes cannot use "knobbies", they must use "Class C" tires which are similar to street tires. On mile, half-mile, short-track course,

3036-629: The Dutch TT . Melandri continued his streak to six consecutive wins and extended his lead in the standings to 37 points after the Czech Republic Grand Prix . Nieto won the Portuguese Grand Prix for Aprilia's tenth consecutive victory. Nieto, who crashed in lap 13, recovered from seventh position to win the rain-soaked race over Melandri. Aprilia's winning streak was broken when Yamaha 's Sebastián Porto won

3128-593: The Italian Grand Prix . Poggiali won the following race at Catalunya with a late overtake at the finish line over Spanish teenager Daniel Pedrosa . Two weeks later, Pedrosa bounced back to win his first ever race in the 2002 Dutch TT , with Poggiali finishing in second place. Vincent, who led the championship in the first four races, returned to the top of the podium with two consecutive wins at Donington Park and Sachsenring . After finishing third behind Cecchinello and Pedrosa at Brno , Vincent won

3220-546: The Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix under wet race condition. Rookie Toni Elías won the following race at Motegi after a last-lap battle with Melandri. Melandri finished second and increase his lead over Nieto in the championship standings to 52 points. With 52 points lead and three races to go, Melandri only need to finish in front of Nieto in the Malaysian Grand Prix to clinch the championship. However, he suffered

3312-507: The first race of the season at Sepang, Malaysia , Capirossi took the first ever win for the Gresini team. During the season, he earned two more wins and six other podium finishes, and finished the season third in the final standings with 209 points. After Capirossi stepped up to the 500 cc for the 2000 season , the team signed young Japanese rider Daijiro Kato and French rider Vincent Philippe . Kato, who had already won two races as

3404-478: The following race at Phillip Island while Vincent finished in fourth to reduce the lead back to eight points. In the last race of the season at Valencia , Vincent finished second behind Pedrosa to clinch the 125cc title while Poggiali finished in seventh place. Vincent ended the season with 273 points and five race wins, 19 points ahead of defending champion Poggiali who scored 254 points and four race wins. Pedrosa and Cecchinello finished third and fourth in

3496-456: The FIM confirmed the 2002 calendar. On 4 December 2001, the FIM confirmed that the dates of the Rio and Valencian Community Grands Prix had swapped places. The following sixteen Grands Prix were scheduled to take place: The following changes are made to the regulation for the 2002 season: FIM released a 20-rider entry list on 13 March 2002. Àlex Crivillé , who was listed on the entry list,

3588-412: The Gresini team their first world title. Alzamora added two podium finishes for the team as he went on to finish seventh in the final standings. The team returned to the premier class in 2002 as Fortuna Honda Gresini with Kato as their sole rider. Due to the rule changes, the 500 cc class was renamed MotoGP and the new 990 cc four-stroke bikes were introduced by the factory teams. Kato rode

3680-557: The Moto2 class since 2010 . That season, Gresini's rider Toni Elías won the inaugural Moto2 title. Fausto Gresini founded the team in 1997 with Fabrizio Cecchini as the technical director. The team competed in the 500 cc class with Brazilian rider Alex Barros and a Honda NSR500V two-cylinder bike. Barros ranked ninth in the final championship standings, and managed to record the team's first podium finish at Donington Park . The following year , Honda decided to supply Barros and

3772-480: The MotoGP division, Simoncelli finished eighth overall while Melandri ended the season in tenth place. For 2011, Simoncelli was promoted to ride a factory Honda as part of the Gresini team, whilst Hiroshi Aoyama rode a satellite Honda for the team. Simoncelli was competitive at the top end of the field but a number of crashes kept his points score low. In October 2011, it was announced that Simoncelli would remain with

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3864-609: The RC211V bike. In that race, Kawasaki returned to the world championship after 20 years absence. Kawasaki, with their four-stroke Ninja ZX-RR , raced as wildcards in the last four races of the season as a preparation before entering the championship full-time in the following season. In the following race at Sepang , Yamaha expanded their four-stroke presence by providing the YZR-M1 bikes to Tech 3 pair Olivier Jacque and Shinya Nakano . Another Yamaha rider, Norifumi Abe , raced

3956-522: The Rookie of the Year. All races were won by the four-stroke bikes, while the two-strokes only managed to record five podiums finishes. Honda won the constructors championship with 390 points and 14 wins, followed by Yamaha who won the other two races. Repsol Honda team won the teams championship by winning 12 races and scoring 564 points from Rossi and Ukawa. Marlboro Yamaha and Honda Pons who won two races each

4048-577: The Superprestigio of the Americas in Las Vegas in 2016, to the flat track races held in conjunction with MotoGP at Circuit of the Americas. In 2017 Super Hooligan became an official racing series with 10 races on the calendar for that year from February through October. Sanctioning bodies 2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

4140-434: The U.S., flat-track events are held on outdoor dirt ovals, ranging in length from one mile to half-mile, short-tracks and TTs. All are usually held outdoors, though a few short-track events have been held in indoor stadiums. A Short Track event is one involving a track of less than 1 ⁄ 2 mile in length, while a TT event can be of any length, but it must have at least one right turn and at least one jump to qualify. In

4232-483: The bends using the rear wheel to scrub-off speed while still providing the drive to power the bike forward and around the bend. Grasstrack is outdoor speedway. The track are longer (400 m+, hence it is often also referred to as Long Track at world level), often on grass (although other surfaces exist) and even feature elevation changes. Machinery is very similar to a speedway bike (still no brakes, but normally two gears, rear suspension, etc.). Ice racing includes

4324-732: The bikes that fans rode to the event also known as "run what you brung" races. What's now known as "Super Hooligan" came out of the Harley nights at Costa Mesa Speedway in Southern California. Southern California motorcycle culture developed around this idea of racing large V Twin motorcycles. Super Hooligan races have been side entertainment at a number of events from bike shows like the Handbuilt in Austin, The One Show in Portland to

4416-414: The championship handed him the Rookie of the Year award in the 250cc class. In 2001 , the team was renamed Telefónica Movistar Honda and former 125 cc world champion Emilio Alzamora was signed to replace Philippe. With both Nakano and Jacque moving to the 500cc class, Kato became the main contender for the 250 cc title. Kato dominated the season by winning 11 races during the season, handing

4508-519: The championship with 277 points. The team was ranked fourth in the teams standings as Gibernau and Kiyonari scored a combined 299 points. In 2004 , Gibernau fought for the championship and finished runner up. His teammate, Colin Edwards , finished fifth. Gibernau remained with the team for 2005 and was joined by Marco Melandri . Melandri won two races. In 2006 the team lined up Melandri and Toni Elías with Elías bringing Fortuna sponsorship back to

4600-422: The end of his racing career. He died in 2021 due to COVID-19 , with the team continuing under his widow Nadia Padovani. The team competed in the 500cc class for two seasons before dropping down to the 250cc class in 1999 . In 2001 , Gresini's rider Daijiro Kato won the 250cc title . The following season , the team stepped up to the MotoGP class, where they have been competing since. The team also competes in

4692-407: The fifth YZR-M1 on the grid for the last two races of the season. Rossi ended the season with 355 points from 11 wins and four second places. Biaggi finished second to Rossi with 215 points and two race wins. Ukawa and Barros completed the top four with 209 and 204 points respectively. Previous year's 250cc champion Daijiro Kato finished in seventh position with two podium finishes and was named as

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4784-462: The first Japanese machines reaching that age. Nowadays the BHRC caters for machines from Europe and America made up to the mid eighties while the CRMC allows the same era and some but not all Japanese machines. Hooligan racing has been around since the 1970s when fans attending flat track races began racing their own personal motorcycles during intermissions of events. Often these motorcycles were simply

4876-406: The following four main categories. Each category has several subcategories. Road racing is a form of motorcycle racing held on paved road surfaces . The races can be held either on a purpose-built closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads . Historically, "road racing" meant a course on closed public roads. This was once commonplace but currently only

4968-399: The four-stroke Honda RC211V bike, won the first race of the season at Suzuka under wet conditions. Suzuki's test rider Akira Ryō , who raced as a wildcard entry, and Yamaha's Carlos Checa completed the all four-stroke podium. Rossi's teammate, Tohru Ukawa , won the second race before Rossi went on to dominate the championship by winning seven consecutive races. Max Biaggi handed

5060-602: The four-stroke Yamaha YZR-M1 its first win in the Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno , while Rossi had to retire due to tyre problems. In that race, Honda also expanded their four-stroke presence by providing the RC211V bike for Honda Gresini rider Daijiro Kato . Rossi then won two consecutive races in Portugal and Brazil , clinching the world championship in the latter. In the Pacific Grand Prix , Honda Pons rider Alex Barros won his first race riding

5152-536: The highest placed rider. Prominent road races include the Isle of Man TT , North West 200 , and Ulster Grand Prix on long circuits. Ireland has many road racing circuits still in use. Other countries with road races are the Netherlands, Finland, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain ( Oliver's Mount ), the Czech Republic, Ukraine, New Zealand, Thailand and Macau. Grand Prix motorcycle racing refers to

5244-500: The latest production motorcycles. Classes are organized by production period and engine displacement. There are vintage events for almost every type of racing listed above, vintage motocross and road racing are especially popular. Equipment is limited to that available for the production period, although modern safety equipment and tires are permitted. Most vintage production periods are from the 1970s and before, but now 1980s and 1990s motorcycles are being allowed into some events. Generally

5336-509: The modified 2002 bike. In the opening race at Suzuka, Japan , Kato crashed into the tyre barrier. He suffered serious injuries and went into a coma for two weeks before he died in hospital. A week after Kato's death, Gibernau started from pole position and won the South African Grand Prix at Welkom , which marked the first race win for the Gresini team in the MotoGP class. During the post-race interview, Gibernau dedicated

5428-418: The motorcycle tires lay down a thin layer of tire rubber on the racing line. A "cushion" track consists of similar materials to the groove track, but mixed in a way that allows the surface to maintain a more sandy, loose composition. While power-sliding is common on both groove and cushion tracks, a cushion track allows more power-sliding, into, through and out of the turns. Though the "Class C" tires allowed by

5520-479: The older Honda NSR500 two-stroke bike for the first nine races of the season before he received the new Honda RC211V prior to the Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno . At the Spanish Grand Prix , Kato finished in second place for his first podium finish in the MotoGP class. He matched his best finish with another second place at Brno, in his first race with the new four-stroke bike. He also recorded

5612-420: The podium. In the following race at Welkom , Aprilia's Marco Melandri took his second career 250cc win. Fonsi Nieto then took his first ever race win in the Spanish Grand Prix . Nieto also took the lead in the championship standings from de Puniet and Franco Battaini . Nieto then won the following race at Le Mans before Melandri won the next three races and overtook the championship lead from Nieto after

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5704-414: The predominance of circuits with added "jumps" on which bikes can get airborne. Motocross has another noticeable difference from road racing, in that starts are done en masse, with the riders alongside each other. Up to 40 riders race into the first corner, and sometimes there is a separate award for the first rider through (see holeshot ). The winner is the first rider across the finish line, generally after

5796-520: The premier category of motorcycle road racing. It is divided into three distinct classes: Grand Prix motorcycles are prototype machines not based on any production motorcycle. Superbike racing is the category of motorcycle road racing that employs modified production motorcycles, as with touring cars. Superbike racing motorcycles must have four stroke engines of between 800 cc and 1200 cc for twins , and between 750 cc and 1000 cc for four cylinder machines. The motorcycles must maintain

5888-768: The racer is trying to beat the fastest speed ever achieved by that style of motorcycle and type of engine for a timed mile. The pre-eminent event for motorcycle LSR is the International Motorcycle Speed Trials by BUB, held on the Bonneville Salt Flats annually (near Labor Day). Motorcycles are classified based on body style, i.e. how much streamlining is incorporated. They are further classified based on engine size in cubic centimeters (cc's) and based on fuel type (gasoline versus any modified fuels). In vintage racing riders race classic motorcycles that are no longer competitive with

5980-425: The return of Dunlop and the entry of Bridgestone to the premier class. Dunlop supplied the tyres for Suzuki, Aprilia, Yamaha WCM and Pramac Honda . Bridgestone supplied the tyres for Team Roberts and Kanemoto Racing . Michelin supplied the tyres for the remaining six teams. However, after only two races, Suzuki switched back to Michelin tyres for the remainder of the season. Valentino Rossi , riding

6072-461: The rider slide more easily and safely on their left foot when needed as they lean the bike to the left while sliding through the corners, though riders can often perform what is known as a "feet-up slide", using throttle control, body lean and steering alone to power-slide through the turns, without sliding on their steel shoe. Hard-packed tracks are generally referred to as "groove" tracks, loosely packed tracks are called "cushions". The composition of

6164-469: The rules are the same for both cushion and groove tracks, riders are allowed to modify the tires by cutting some rubber off the tire grooves for improved traction, but are not allowed to add materials to the tires. Speedway racing takes place on a flat oval track usually consisting of dirt or loosely packed shale , using bikes with a single gear and no brakes. Competitors use this surface to slide their machines sideways ( powersliding or broadsiding ) into

6256-405: The same profile as their roadgoing counterparts. The overall appearance, seen from the front, rear and sides, must correspond to that of the bike homologated for use on public roads even though the mechanical elements of the machine have been modified. Supersport racing is another category of motorcycle road racing that employs modified production motorcycles. To be eligible for Supersport racing,

6348-460: The same year Gresini began using Honda machinery in their Moto3 programme, replacing KTM . In 2018, Gresini achieved a 1-2 championship finish in the Moto3 class with riders Jorge Martín and Fabio Di Giannantonio . In 2019, Gresini was granted two slots in the newly created MotoE class, as all other satellite teams in the MotoGP class (despite being the sole Aprilia entry, Gresini was not an official team). With two wins and only finishes within

6440-502: The season with 298 points from nine race wins, three second-place finishes and one fourth-place finish. Nieto finished second in the standings with 241 points and four wins, followed Honda's Roberto Rolfo and rookie Toni Elías with 219 and 178 points respectively. Elías, who recorded one race win and four further podium finishes, was named as the Rookie of the Year. Aprilia won the constructors championship with 382 points and 14 race wins from Melandri, Nieto and Elías. Honda finished second in

6532-528: The standings with 244 points but failed to record any race win. Yamaha, who won two races courtesy of Miyazaki and Porto's wins in the wet, finished third with 211 points. The 125cc entry list was headlined by defending champion Manuel Poggiali and two-time championship runners-up Youichi Ui and Noboru Ueda . There were five other riders who have previously won a 125cc race: Masao Azuma , Lucio Cecchinello , Stefano Perugini , Simone Sanna and Arnaud Vincent . Arnaud Vincent, who returned to Aprilia after

6624-519: The standings with three wins each. The Rookie of the Year title was won by Finnish rider Mika Kallio who scored 78 points with the Red Devil Honda team. Aprilia won the constructors championship with 341 points and eight race wins from Vincent and Cecchinello. Honda finished second in the standings with 285 points and four wins from Pedrosa and Azuma while Gilera finished third with 254 points and three wins from Poggiali. On 18 October 2001,

6716-473: The starting signal, the riders accelerate down a straight, quarter-mile long paved track where their elapsed time and terminal speed are recorded. The rider to reach the finish line first is the winner. This can occur upon purpose built venues (e.g., Santa Pod), temporary venues (e.g., runways or drives of country houses). In addition to "regular" motorcycles, top fuel motorcycles using Nitromethane also compete in this category. The UK National Sprint Association

6808-576: The team for the 2012 season, however, Aoyama announced a move to Castrol Honda in the Superbike World Championship . On 23 October 2011, Simoncelli died after a racing accident at the Malaysian Grand Prix. In 2015, Gresini ended their long-standing partnership with Honda in the premier class. Aprilia returned to the MotoGP paddock with a factory effort with track-side operations to be managed by Gresini. However,

6900-407: The team with a Honda NSR500 four-cylinder bike, the same bike that was used by the factory team . Barros recorded two podium finishes and a series of top-five finishes to collect 138 points and fifth place in the final standings. In 1999 , the team dropped down to the 250 cc class with a factory-supported Honda NSR250 and with reigning 250cc world champion Loris Capirossi as the rider. In

6992-438: The team's first ever pole position in the MotoGP class in the Pacific Grand Prix at Motegi, Japan . Kato ranked seventh in the final standings with 117 points and won the Rookie of the Year award, while the team ranked eighth in the MotoGP team standings. The team also competed in the 250cc class with Alzamora and Italian rider Roberto Rolfo . Rolfo was ranked third in the final standings with seven podium finishes while Alzamora

7084-499: The team, and the team achieved four victories, three for Melandri and one for Elías. Both riders remained with the team in 2007 , albeit losing the Fortuna sponsorship due to European Tobacco Regulations. The team also changed their tyre supplier to Bridgestone . The new 800 cc Honda RC212V did not deliver the results expected and the team finished the season with 2 podiums. For 2008 , Alex de Angelis and Shinya Nakano joined

7176-437: The team, with a new sponsor – San Carlo . For 2009 , Elías re-joined the team, replacing Nakano who deferred to World Superbikes . In 2010 , Marco Melandri re-joined the team after a turbulent period riding for Ducati and Kawasaki , with 2008 250cc champion Marco Simoncelli announced as his new teammate. The Gresini team won the inaugural Moto2 division with rider Toni Elías aboard a Honda powered Moriwaki chassis. In

7268-400: The title at the Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix , with four races left in the season. The 250cc title was won by Marco Melandri who won nine races and scored 298 points. He clinched the title at the Australian Grand Prix and became the youngest ever champion in the 250cc class. Arnaud Vincent won the 125cc title by 19 points difference over defending champion Manuel Poggiali . The title

7360-441: The top-5 on the season, rider Matteo Ferrari clinched the inaugural MotoE Cup. On 23 February 2021, Fausto Gresini died after a two-month battle with COVID-19 . The team continued with Gresini's wife Nadia Padovani taking over as team owner and principal. Aleix Espargaró scored his first podium in MotoGP during the 2021 British Grand Prix , marking the first MotoGP-era podium for Aprilia and Gresini Racing's first podium since

7452-476: The track is an oval, all turns to the left only, and only a rear brake is allowed. On the TT courses, there must be at least one right hand turn with a jump being optional, front and rear brakes are allowed, but the same "Class C" tires are required. Although not mandated, most flat track racers wear a steel "shoe" on the left boot which is actually a fitted steel sole that straps onto the left boot. This steel shoe lets

7544-406: The track surface is usually decided by the race promoter and track preparation team, the latter using various methods and materials including combinations of clay, decomposed granite, sand, calcium (to allow the surface to retain water moisture) and other materials. An optimum "groove" track will have enough moisture to be "tacky", without being slick, and will develop what is called a "blue groove" as

7636-440: The wet Portuguese Grand Prix and retook the championship lead from Poggiali. Honda riders, Masao Azuma and Pedrosa, won the following two races at Rio de Janeiro and Motegi while Poggiali reduced Vincent's lead to just eight points courtesy of two podium finishes and Vincent's mechanical problem at Motegi. Vincent extended his lead by winning the Malaysian Grand Prix while Poggiali finished in fourth. However, Poggiali won

7728-399: The win for his late teammate. He remained as the team's sole rider until reigning Japanese Supersport champion Ryuichi Kiyonari joined the team from the fourth race onwards. The team also promoted Gibernau to the 2003-spec bike left by Kato, while Kiyonari received the modified 2002 bike. Gibernau won three more races and recorded a total of ten podium finishes as he took the second place in

7820-539: The world, typically in desert nations. Such events include the Silk Way Rally , Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge , and Rallye du Maroc . These events often run alongside "car" rallies (under the FIA ). Track racing is a form of motorcycle racing where teams or individuals race opponents around an oval track. There are differing variants, with each variant racing on a different surface type. Indoor races consist of either:

7912-409: Was conducted on oval race courses with surfaces composed of wooden planks. By the early 1930s, board track racing had fallen out of favor, and into eventual obsolescence. Auto Race is a Japanese version of track racing held on an asphalt oval course and seen as a gambling sport. Drag racing or sprints is a racing venue where two participants line up at a dragstrip with a signaled starting line. Upon

8004-440: Was decided in the last race of the season at Valencia with Vincent finishing in second place to secure the title. The season marked the start of a new era in the premier class with the arrival of 990cc four-stroke bikes. Four factory teams, Repsol Honda , Marlboro Yamaha , Suzuki and Aprilia , raced with the new four-stroke bikes while all the satellite teams raced with the 500cc two-stroke bike. The season also marked

8096-570: Was formed in 1958. The president was Donald Campbell until his death in 1967, succeeded by former Vincent employee and sprint-record holder George Brown , who retired from sport in 1966 on reaching the 55 age-limit for the ACU competition licence. Brown's machines included the V twin Vincent-engined, normally-aspirated Nero , and the supercharged version Super Nero . Sprinting occurred on disused and re-purposed airstrips, and on

8188-484: Was replaced by Pere Riba at the Antena 3 Yamaha d'Antín team before the start of the season. For 2002 Michelin and Dunlop entered the sport as tire manufacturers beginning a 6 year Tyre war . The FIM released a 25-rider entry list on 13 March 2002. Alex Hofmann , who was listed on the entry list, withdrew before the start of the season. FIM released a 33-rider entry list on 13 March 2002. Points were awarded to

8280-424: Was second and third respectively. The 250cc class was certain to have a new champion as previous year's champion Daijiro Kato and 1993 champion Tetsuya Harada , who finished second to Kato last year, both moved up to the MotoGP class. Only three riders remained from previous year's top six: Marco Melandri , Roberto Rolfo and Fonsi Nieto . Melandri was the only rider in the 250cc class who has previously won

8372-407: Was seventh with two podiums. In 2003 , the team expanded their MotoGP class effort to two riders and was renamed Telefónica Movistar Honda as title sponsor Telefónica joined from Suzuki . Former Suzuki rider Sete Gibernau also joined the team as their second rider. Kato remained with the team and became one of four Honda official riders, riding the latest 2003-spec RC211V, while Gibernau was given

8464-680: Was the 54th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season. The season consisted of 16 races, beginning with the Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix on 7 April 2002 and ending with the Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix on 3 November. The premier class , now renamed MotoGP, introduced new rules and regulations which allowed 990cc four-stroke bikes to race alongside the previous year's 500cc two-stroke bikes. Defending champion Valentino Rossi won his second premier class title by winning 11 races and scoring 355 points. He clinched

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