Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of the twentieth century and large national events were often given the title Grand Prix, The foundation of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme as the international governing body for motorcycle sport in 1949 provided the opportunity to coordinate rules and regulations in order that selected events could count towards official World Championships. It is the oldest established motorsport world championship. The current top division is known as MotoGP since 2002 when the four-stroke era began. Prior to that, the largest class was 500cc, both of which form a historical continuum as the official World Championship, although all classes have official status.
Jean-Pierre Maurice Georges Beltoise was a French Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver who raced for the Matra and BRM teams. He competed in 88 Grands Prix achieving a single victory, at the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix, and a total of eight podium finishes.
Daniel Pedrosa Ramal is a Spanish former Grand Prix motorcycle racer who retired from competition at the end of the 2018 season. He grew up in Castellar del Vallès, a village near Sabadell. He was a 125 cc world champion in 2003, and is the youngest world champion in 250 cc Grands Prix in the 2004 season. In 2019, the former Curva Dry Sac, a corner at the Jerez racetrack in Spain was renamed Pedrosa Corner after him.
Casey Joel Stoner is a retired Australian professional motorcycle racer, and a two-time MotoGP World Champion, in 2007 and 2011. Stoner served as a test and development rider for Ducati from 2016 to 2018.
Jeremy McWilliams, is a motorcycle road racer. Until Scott Redding's win at the 2008 125cc British Grand Prix, he was the only rider from the British Isles to win a race or pole in an FIM MotoGP World Championship class in the 2000s.
The 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 53rd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
Scott Christopher Redding is a British Grand Prix motorcycle racer and former MotoGP rider.
Marc Márquez Alentà is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and 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 MotoGP class. Márquez races for Honda's factory team since his MotoGP debut in 2013, his most recent contract running until 2024. He is nicknamed the 'Ant of Cervera' worldwide 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. Márquez is often considered one of the greatest innovators of modern MotoGP racing, due to his comparatively exaggerated cornering technique of leaning so far over the bike he seems to be “in constant danger of sliding out”.
The 2009 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix was the second round of the 2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 24–26 April 2009 at the Twin Ring Motegi, located in Motegi, Japan. The MotoGP race was the 700th premier class race in the history of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Jorge Lorenzo won the MotoGP race ahead of teammate Valentino Rossi to take the overall lead in the world championship.
