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The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM, International Motorcycling Federation) governs the top motorcycle road racing events in the world.
The first season was held in 1949 when British rider Leslie Graham emerged as the champion. Since 1997, three classes have been demarcated for motorcycle racing. They are 125cc, 250 cc and the 500 cc class which is commonly referred to as MotoGP.
Earlier classes like 80cc and 300cc have been discontinued. Since the 2003 season, all bikes have four-stroke engines only.
Since 1949, 26 riders of 6 different nationalities have won the Riders Championship with the United States of America represented by seven distinct winners. We take a look at MotoGP's 5 most successful riders of all-time:
#5 Eddie Lawson
The American popularly called 'Steady Eddie' spent a total of 9 years racing in the 500cc class from 1983 onward.
He won his first Championship in 1984 with Yamaha. He would go to win 2 more Championships with Yamaha Racing in 1986 and 1988. His last Riders Championship title came with Team Honda in 1989.
#4 Mike Hailwood
Michael 'Mike the Bike' Hailwood was a British motorcycle rider who won 4 consecutive Riders' Championship titles with MV Agusta from 1962-1965. He won a total of 76 races and stood on the podium 112 times. He is one of few men to have competed both in motorcycle racing and in Formula 1. He also notably had 2 podium finishes in Formula One.
#4 (t) John Surtees
British motorsport legend John Surtees was a 4-time 500cc Motorcycle Racing World Champion, winning the title in 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1960. All his 4 Championships were won with the MV Agusta Racing Team.
He is the only man in the history of Motorsport to have won a 500cc Motorcycle World Championship as well as a Formula One Drivers' World Championship. He won the 1964 Formula One World Championship with Ferrari.
#4 (t) Geoff Duke
British rider Geoff Duke was a prominent motorcycle racer in the 1950s. His career lasted 9 years, between 1950 and 1959. He won his first 500cc Riders Championship in 1951. In the same year, he also won the 300cc title. His first title came with Team Norton. He won a hat-trick of Championships at the 500cc level with Team Gilera from 1953-1955.
#4 (t) Marc Marquez
The Spaniard Marc Marquez nicknamed 'The Ant' is one of 3 drivers to have won the Riders Championship across all three classes. Marquez won his first MotoGP premier class Riders Championship with Team Repsol Honda in the year 2013 at the age of 20, the youngest to do so.
He defended his title in 2014, winning an astounding 10 races in a row. Marquez then won two more Championships in 2016 and 2017 and is well on course to win his 5th MotoGP Championship in the year 2018.
#3 Mick Doohan
The Australian from Gold Coast, Mick Doohan made his debut in the year 1989 riding for Team Honda. In a 10 year career, the Australian took part in 137 races and won an impressive 54 of them.
In all, he stood on the podium 95 times, accumulating 2283 points in his MotoGP career. Mick Doohan won 5 consecutive MotoGP Riders Championships between 1994 and 1998. In the year 1997, he set 4 benchmarks which haven't been broken by anyone till date.
They include his tally of 12 wins, 12 pole position starts, 12 successive pole position starts and most points accrued in a single season - 340. The first turn at the Philip Island Grand Prix circuit is named after him.
#2 Valentino Rossi
'The Doctor' as he is nicknamed, Italian Valentino Rossi is one of three riders to have won a Championship title across all three classes. He made his premier class MotoGP debut in 2000 and has started more races than any other rider - active or retired.
Till date, Valentino Rossi has started in 318 races. His race win tally of 89 is also an all-time record. He has stood on the podium a record 196 times and in the year 2003 made history by standing on the podium in every single race of the season.
In all, between 2002 and 2004, Rossi stood on the podium in 23 consecutive races. His points tally of 5092 is also the all-time highest. Rossi has won 3 Championships with Team Repsol Honda and 4 Championships with Yamaha.
#1 Giacomo Agostini
The legendary Italian nicknamed 'Ago' has the all-time record of 122 Grand Prix wins and 15 World Championship titles across the 350cc and 500cc classes. He lifted 8 Riders Championship titles in the premier 500cc class and won 68 races.
He won a record 7 consecutive Championships in the 500cc class between 1966 and 1972, all with Team MV Agusta. He won his last 500cc title in the year 1975 with Team Yamaha. In the year 1968, Agostini won all the races in the season, setting a new record. During the years 1968 and 1969, Agostini won 20 consecutive races. For 12 consecutive years, he won at least 1 Grand Prix, a record he shares with Spaniard Dani Pedrosa.
