Jorge Lorenzo (pictured in 2013) won his third MotoGP world title, and fifth world title overall, by winning the final race of the season in Valencia.
The 2015 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 67th F.I.M.Road Racing World Championship season. The championship was won by Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo, racing for Movistar Yamaha MotoGP. It was his third and final world title in the MotoGP category, his fifth overall in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The season had 18 races, beginning in Qatar and finishing in Valencia, which determined who would be world champion between Movistar Yamaha teammates Lorenzo and runner-up Valentino Rossi. It was first time since 2013 that the world title was decided on the final race of the season. Lorenzo also had the most pole positions, fastest laps and race wins throughout the season; while Rossi had the most finishes, completing every race throughout the season, while Lorenzo had one race retirement in San Marino.
2015 was the final season that Bridgestone was the sole tyre supplier for MotoGP, as Michelin became the sole tyre supplier for the 2016 season.
The 2015 season also saw the début of the Suzuki GSX-RR and Aprilia RS-GP. The GSX-RR previously made an appearance at the 2014 Valencian Grand Prix ahead of a full-season return for Suzuki as a factory team for the first time since 2011 and the RS-GP was used by Gresini Racing after the team split from Honda at the end of last season.
This season is well known for the Sepang clash, which involved a collision between two-time defending champion Marc Márquez and then-championship leader, Rossi. The clash remains one of the most memorable and controversial moments in the sport's history, with Rossi's penalty (a grid demotion in Valencia) for the incident helping Lorenzo win the race in Valencia and clinch his third MotoGP world title.
Season summary
Marc Márquez started the season as the defending riders' champion, having won his second consecutive title in 2014. He had been undefeated in championships throughout his MotoGP career and won a record breaking 13 wins in a season.
Valentino Rossi led the championship for almost the entire season as he chased a tenth world title, but ultimately, the honours went to his Yamaha Motor Racing teammate Jorge Lorenzo,[1] who took his third MotoGP title and a fifth world title overall.[2] Lorenzo started the season quietly with three finishes off the podium,[2] Rossi took wins in Qatar and an eventful win in Argentina, with Rossi chasing Márquez down for the lead before the two riders collided on the penultimate lap.[3][4] Rossi stayed upright but Márquez was unable to rejoin the race, with Rossi calling Márquez voicing his displeasure in the press conference after the race, beginning an estrangement between the two riders that would impact the season and Lorenzo's eventual championship.[5][6]
Thereafter, Lorenzo took four successive wins for the first time in his career to bring himself back into the championship race, before Rossi won at Assen.[7] Lorenzo did not win again until Brno, taking the championship lead on countback,[8] but ceded it back to Rossi, when he won at Silverstone.[9] Lorenzo crashed out at Misano,[2] while Rossi finished fifth ending a 16-race streak of podium finishes after both Yamaha riders were caught out by wet weather.[10]
Rossi and Márquez again collided at Assen on the final lap; Rossi rejoined the circuit through the gravel and went on to win the race, while race direction deemed the incident as a racing incident.[7]
At San Marino, Rossi was given a penalty point on his licence, for impeding Lorenzo in qualifying, an incident that would cause implications later on in the season.[11]
The Australian Grand Prix was won by Márquez, with Lorenzo in second and Rossi finishing fourth, in a race that is considered to be one of the greatest in MotoGP's history.[12] With the top three in the championship, along with Andrea Iannone's Ducati going head to head, with over 50 overtakes between the top four throughout the race, 13 lead changes and Márquez setting the fastest lap on the final lap to ensure victory.[13] Despite the incredible response from fans about the race, Rossi was not happy with how the race unfolded and made comments about Márquez, making accusing Márquez of helping Lorenzo in his title aspirations at Phillip Island in the pre-event press conference at Malaysia, a claim that Márquez refuted, leading up to one of the most infamous races in the sports history one week later.[14][15]
The Malaysian race, was originally at risk of being cancelled due to smoke from fires in Indonesia impacting the track, however the race would go ahead with Rossi and Márquez colliding for a third time during the season. After a series of 18 overtakes and exchanges of positions between the two, during the seventh lap of the race, Rossi made a move on Márquez at Turn 14, pushing Márquez to the outside of the circuit. The two riders made contact and Márquez fell from his bike. He remounted and returned to the pits but had to retire from the race. Rossi maintained the third place that the pair had been battling over until the end of the race.[16] The incident divided fans, pundits and the riders on the grid, with Lorenzo made a gesture showing his disapproval at the move and deemed the penalty as "inadequate" and was booed off the podium, with race winner Pedrosa criticising Rossi's reaction to the incident by calling it a contradiction based on his previous comments on racing incidents.[15][17] Race Direction reviewed the incident and deemed Rossi at fault for the collision, and three penalty points were added to his licence.[18] With this, it meant that Rossi was forced to start the final race in Valencia from the back of the grid, despite appealing the penalty to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the penalty was ultimately upheld; with Lorenzo submitting a statement towards the appeal and later apologised for his actions on the podium.[19] Rossi voiced his regret at his move on Márquez, but did not apologise for the incident occurring while Márquez stood his ground on his riding style in Malaysia.[15][20]
Following the fallout from Malaysia, which included a clash between the Márquez family and Italian television reporters who invaded the family property in Barcelona, Lorenzo being wrongfully accused of storming race direction demanding a penalty for Rossi, which the members of the media would later retract the story and Rossi's protest being overturned being met with hostile reactions from some fans; FIM president Vito Ippolito deemed the events as a "damaging effect on the staging of our competitions and poisoned the atmosphere around the sport", with Ippolito and Dorna Sports boss Carmelo Ezpeleta calling a private meeting for all riders and crew chiefs in Valencia, cancelling the pre-event press conference, also meeting with Lorenzo, Márquez and Rossi privately before the race weekend began.[20][21][22][23][24]
In the final five races, Rossi finished ahead of Lorenzo once, as Lorenzo continued to close the points gap; at a maximum of 23 after San Marino, Lorenzo pulled it back to 7 going into Valencia with the champion to be determined at the final race of the season for the first time in nine years when Nicky Hayden defeated Rossi for the title at Valencia.[25]
At the final race, Lorenzo took his seventh win of the season and won the world title by five points, leading the world championship for the first time all season while Rossi could only finish fourth gaining over 10 positions throughout the race.[1][26][27]
Third place in the final riders' championship standings went to Márquez, who won five races during the season, but six retirements during the campaign stopped him from challenging the Yamaha pair in the championship run-in. The only other rider to win a race during the season was Márquez's Repsol Honda teammate, Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa missed three races at the start of the season, after electing to undergo surgery to alleviate issues with arm-pump. Upon his return, he did not podium until Catalunya, and ultimately, took two wins in the closing four races at Motegi,[28] and Sepang.[16]
Other championship standings
In the other championships, the eleven wins for Rossi and Lorenzo were enough for Yamaha to take the teams' title by over 200 points ahead of Repsol Honda,[29] and the manufacturers' title by 52 points ahead of Honda.[30] Amongst the class of rookies, Suzuki rider Maverick Viñales took the IRTA Cup, finishing in twelfth place overall,[31][32] while Héctor Barberá of Avintia Racing was the best-placed Open class rider, in fifteenth.[31][32]
The British Grand Prix had been scheduled to return to Donington Park for the first time since 2009, ahead of a planned move to the brand-new Circuit of Wales in 2016.[36] However, Donington Park pulled out of hosting the event on 10 February 2015, citing financial delays.[37] The following day, it was announced that Silverstone would host the British Grand Prix in 2015 and 2016.[38]
Teams and riders
As in 2014, the MotoGP class was divided into two categories: Factory and Open. Manufacturers who had not won a dry race since the start of the 2013 season or were new to the class could enter the Factory category with all the Open concessions.
Suzuki returned to MotoGP as a constructor after a four-year hiatus.
Aprilia made an official return to the championship entering two factory-supported bikes with Gresini Racing. The Italian team ended its long partnership with Honda, having raced their bikes since 1997.
Marc VDS Racing expanded its operations to enter a Honda bike in the MotoGP category, having taken on the Factory class bike previously run by Gresini.
LCR Honda entered a second bike in the Open category.
Avintia Racing left its Kawasaki-based machinery to switch to Ducati bikes.
Eugene Laverty returned to the championship– having last competed in 2008 in the 250cc class– racing with the Aspar Team.
Marco Melandri returned to MotoGP with Gresini Racing, the same team he competed with during his last appearance in the category in 2010. Before the German Grand Prix, Melandri left Aprilia, and was replaced by Michael Laverty.[44] Bradl replaced Laverty afterwards.
Hiroshi Aoyama moved from the Aspar Team to become a test rider for HRC. Aoyama returned to the series on two occasions during the 2015 season, to replace injured riders.
Valentino Rossi is an Italian racing driver, former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Of Rossi's nine Grand Prix World Championships, seven were in the premier 500cc/MotoGP class. He holds the record for most premier class victories and podiums, with 89 victories and 199 podiums to his name. He won premier class World Championships with both Honda and Yamaha. He is also the only road racer to have competed in 400 or more Grands Prix. He rode with the number 46 for his entire career.
Marco Melandri is an Italian retired motorcycle road racer who is a five-time premier class race winner. He is the 2002 250 cc World Champion and runner-up in 125 cc, MotoGP and Superbike World Championship. He competed in the MotoGP class from 2003 to 2010 and then a brief return with Aprilia in 2015.
Andrea Dovizioso is an Italian former professional motorcycle racer. He raced with WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team for the 2022 season but announced his intended-retirement after the Misano round in September. Dovizioso was the 2004 125cc World Champion, but is best known for his time with the Ducati Team in the MotoGP class, finishing championship runner-up to Marc Márquez for three consecutive seasons in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Stefan Bradl is a German professional motorcycle racer, best known for winning the Moto2 World Championship in 2011. He then moved to MotoGP in 2012 with LCR Honda. While in MotoGP, Bradl is best known for his performance at Laguna Seca getting the pole position and finishing second in the race behind Marc Marquez, ahead of Valentino Rossi. Bradl finished the 2013 season 7th, despite missing two races due to injury. This proved to be his highest ever MotoGP finish.
Marc Márquez Alentà is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who races for the satellite Ducati team Gresini Racing MotoGP. He previously raced for Honda's factory team from his MotoGP debut in 2013 until 2023. Born in Cervera, Catalonia, Spain, he is nicknamed the 'Ant of Cervera' worldwide (due to his height of 5' 7", and 'el tro de Cervera' in his hometown, meaning the 'Thunder of Cervera'. He is one of four riders to have won world championship titles in three different categories, after Mike Hailwood, Phil Read and Valentino Rossi, and is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with eight Grand Prix World Championships to his name, six of which are in the premier class. Márquez became the third Spaniard after Àlex Crivillé and Jorge Lorenzo to win the premier class title, and is the most successful Spanish rider in MotoGP to date, with 61 wins. In 2013 he became the first rider since Kenny Roberts in 1978 to win the premier class title in his first season, and the youngest to win the title overall, at 20 years and 266 days of age.
The 2011 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 63rd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 2011 season was also the final season for 800cc engines in MotoGP, and also for 125cc machinery, as both MotoGP switched back to 1000cc engines and a new four-stroke Moto3 class was also introduced in 2012. Casey Stoner was crowned as MotoGP World Champion for the second time, following his ninth victory of the season at the Australian Grand Prix. Stoner, who was champion previously in 2007, finished 16 of the 17 races to be held in the top three placings – equalling a premier class record held by both Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo – including ten wins to become the final 800cc champion before the premier class reverted to 1000cc engines in 2012. As of 2022, this was the last time the premier class was won by a non-European rider, and also the only season in the 2010s decade that the premier class was won by a rider other than Marc Márquez or Jorge Lorenzo. The Moto2 title was decided before the final race of the season at the Valencian Grand Prix. Stefan Bradl became Germany's first motorcycle World Champion since Dirk Raudies won the 1993 125cc World Championship title after Marc Márquez, the only rider that could deny Bradl of the championship, was ruled out of the race due to injuries suffered during free practice at the Malaysian Grand Prix. The final 125cc world championship title went to Spain's Nicolás Terol, after he finished second in the final race of the season in Valencia, and his only title rival Johann Zarco crashed out during the early stages of the race. Terol, who finished third in the class in 2009 and second to Márquez in 2010, ended the season 40 points clear of Zarco, with Maverick Viñales 14 points further behind, after winning the final two races of the season. The season was marred by the death of Marco Simoncelli at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The 2012 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 64th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Casey Stoner started the season as the defending World Champion, while Honda was the defending Manufacturers' Champion.
The 2013 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 65th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
The Honda RC213V is a Japanese motorcycle developed for road racing by Honda Racing Corporation to compete in the MotoGP series from the 2012 season and onwards. Rules for 2012 allowed motorcycles up to 1,000 cc (61 cu in) in capacity, with a limit of 4 cylinders and a maximum 81mm cylinder bore.
The 2014 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 66th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Marc Márquez started the season as the defending riders' champion in the MotoGP category, with Honda the defending manufacturers' champions.
The 2016 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 68th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
The 2014 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix was the sixteenth round of the 2014 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Phillip Island on 19 October 2014.
The 2015 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix was the first round of the 2015 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Losail International Circuit in Lusail, Qatar on 29 March 2015.
The 2015 German motorcycle Grand Prix was the ninth round of the 2015 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Sachsenring in Hohenstein-Ernstthal on 12 July 2015.
The 2015 Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix was the tenth round of the 2015 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on 9 August 2015.
The 2015 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix was the seventeenth of eighteen motorcycle races of the 2015 MotoGP season. It was held before a crowd of 88,832 people at the Sepang International Circuit in the Malaysian district of Sepang in Selangor on 25 October 2015. Dani Pedrosa of Honda won the 20-lap race from pole position. Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo finished second and his teammate Valentino Rossi came in third. In the junior classes, Johann Zarco won the Moto2 race on a Kalex bike and KTM's Miguel Oliveira won in Moto3.
The 2017 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 69th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
The 2018 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 70th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Marc Márquez entered the season as the reigning champion, with Repsol Honda being the reigning team champions and Honda the reigning constructors' champions.
The 2019 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 71st F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
The 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 74th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Fabio Quartararo came into the season as the defending World Champion. Ducati secured the constructors' championship, with the factory Ducati Lenovo Team securing the teams' championship and factory rider Francesco Bagnaia achieving the riders' championship. In total, seven different riders and five manufacturers won Grands Prix during the season. As the only manufacturer without a victory, the season saw Honda finish in last place of the manufacturers' standings for the first time in the modern MotoGP era.
↑ "Intervista a Paolo Ciabatti". Motograndprix.motorionline.com/ (in Italian). Motorionline. 30 August 2014. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
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