The World Motorcycle Championship, Grand Prix motorcycle racing, or MotoGP for short, is one of the most iconic motorcycle racing events in the history of modern sports. According to the rules of the event organizers, the MotoGP event will be divided into 3 levels according to the engine exhaust: Moto 3 (currently 250cc), Moto 2 (currently 765cc), Moto GP (currently 1000cc), and compete in three levels in each race.
MotoGP, is not only the name of the three group events, in fact, it is also the highest level of synonyms, everyone discussed more naturally the top of the MotoGP event, and only the highest level of motorcyclists can pass the highest level of MotoGP stage and leave their own speed legend on the track.
MotoGP racing has a long history, since its birth in 1949, it has a history of 70+ seasons, including countless drivers. In this article, the author will take the number of annual champions as a reference and comprehensively take stock of the TOP10 legendary drivers in the history of the project.
X. Wayne Rennie
Number of annual champions at the highest level: 3 (1990-1992)
The MotoGP of the early nineties belonged to American rider Wayne Rennie. At that time, Wayne Rennie, who represented the Yamaha team, ended his personal era belonging to Eddie Lawson. In the showdown with another top driver at the time, Kevin Schwantz, Wayne Rennie had the upper hand until the crash in 1993.
After a major accident at the Italian station in 1993, Wayne Rennie was paralyzed in the lower half of his body for life and had to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, and Kevin Schwanz won the championship that year. I believe that to this day, his encounter still makes many fans of the time regret. If there had been no such accident, it is unknown whether Mick Doughan's time would have arrived in the future.
IX. Jorge Lorenzo
Highest level of annual champions: 3 (2010, 2012, 2015)
Jorge Lorenzo from Spain, nicknamed "Lollipop Boy", is arguably the top driver who has impressed modern fans, and has been at the top of the MotoGP world three times before retiring in 2019.
What makes Jorge Lorenzo special is that he was active in the middle and late Rossi era & middle and early Period of the Marquis era. Although he has never tried to win consecutive championships, he has established his own triple crown in the middle of the era of the two invincible kings, and it is also a great hero in the history of MotoGP.
For Lorenzo, the author's deepest impression is his super fighting kung fu and tough guy spirit. Once upon a time, Jorge Lorenzo had to keep going in the game even when he was injured and fractured, and he was in a cast, starting from 12th to 5th. How to evaluate Lorenzo, you may wish to borrow his self-assessment: I am not a great rider, I am a world champion. (I'm not a great driver, I'm a world champion)
VIII. John Setis
Number of annual champions at the highest level: 4 (1956, 1958-1960)
John Setis, from the UK, ended Jeff Duke's time in MotoGP and became the second motorcyclist after Duke to achieve a triple crown. After winning his fourth MotoGP title, the 26-year-old moved to F1 in 1960, playing for Lotus, Ferrari, Laura, Cooper and Honda.
In 1964, John Setis won the F1 title of the year, becoming the only F1 and MOTO GP world champion in the world. There is no doubt that John Setis is a racing wizard, and it is difficult to have a second such figure.
Unfortunately, he won everything on the track and lost a lot. On the journey of life, John Setis had the tragic experience of the white-haired man sending the black-haired man. Under his influence, his beloved son, Henry Setis, started racing at an early age, but died in F2 at the age of 18.
VII. Eddie Lawson
Number of annual winners at the highest division: 4 (1984, 1986, 1988, 1989)
The 1980s were the era when MotoGP racing was the most competitive and the most competitive for the championship, and it was also a brilliant generation of American drivers.
Throughout the 1980s, Kenny Roberts Sr., Marco Lukinelli, Eddie Lawson, Freddie Spencer, and Wayne Gardner won the World Championship of the Year, all of whom were Americans except Marco Lukinelli from Italy.
Eddie Lawson, who played for the Yamaha Team, was the most successful driver of the 1980s, and his green-themed Yamaha chariot and racing jersey were also the most memorable memory ghosts of that era.
6. Mike Herwood
Number of annual champions at the highest division: 4 (1962-195)
In the history of the event, legendary Mike Halwood from the United Kingdom is the first motorcyclist to complete a four-game winning streak. Not only motorcycle racing, but his name and iconic image can be said to be quite important in the entire field of racing. While conquering MotoGP in the early days, he was also the constant winner of the Isle of Man TT.
After experiencing invincibility in the motorcycle field, Mike Herwood moved to Formula in the mid-to-late stages of his career and won the F2 championship in 1972. In the whole F1 career, his best result was third place, and the motorcycle career was relatively large or larger.
Looking back on his life of chasing speed and passion, the most legendary deed is the 1978 Isle of Man TT event, when he returned to the Isle of Man after 11 years of motorcycle racing and successfully won the magical championship in the large displacement category.
V. Jeff Duke
Number of annual champions at the highest level: 4 (1951, 1953-1955)
Jeff Duke from the Uk is the first legendary driver to complete a triple crown feat in MotoGP, an early superstar in MotoGP racing, or the first real top motorcyclist.
Businessman-turned-Jeff Duke has loved motorcycle sports since childhood, and in addition to his amazing MotoGP performance, he also won six championships at the Isle of Man TT, and was almost active in all the well-known motorcycle races at the time. In addition to the outstanding results, Jeff Duke's clever speech and extraordinary conversation can be said to have greatly improved the image of motorcyclists in the hearts of the masses.
4. Mick Doohan
Number of annual winners at the highest level: 5 (1994-1998)
There are very few riders who can complete five consecutive championship feats in MotoGP, and the legendary Australian legend Mick Doohan, who was active in the 1990s, is naturally an unavoidable one who has fascinated thousands of fans.
In addition to his driving skills, Mick Doohan himself is also a proficient motorcycle engineer, very good at debugging his own racing car, which can be described as a legend of the combination of man and car. At the height of the Doohan dynasty, in 1997, he won 12 of his 15 races, leaving fans unable to tell whether that season was a race or his personal performance.
Unfortunately, Duhan was injured shortly after the start of the tournament in 1999, resulting in a fracture of the collarbone of his right knee, left wrist and right shoulder, and the golden period of his career came to an abrupt end, and the MotoGP field entered a two-year era of crowd competition, until it was taken over by the rising Peter Pan Rossi for a long time.
III. Mark Marquis
Highest level of annual champions: 6 (2013, 2014, 2016-2019)
Fast forward to 2013, when the 20-year-old Spanish driver Marc Marquis became the World Champion of the Year as a newcomer in his first season at the highest level of racing, he then began his time on the field and became the dominant driver after Rossi.
Since his fame, Mark Marquis has been known for his aggressive driving style, with particularly fierce competition with other drivers in the cornering positions. As a legendary driver with great courage, Mark Marquis can often put great psychological pressure on opponents in overtaking competition, and sometimes provoke opponents because of aggressive operations.
In 2015, after becoming famous, he had a field conflict with the previous champion Ofsie Rossi, which can be said to be a very famous driver in the history of the project and often used as a talking point by fans. After breaking the humerus of his right arm the year before, Mark Marquis, who was still an active driver, had weakened his dominance.
II. Valentino Rossi
Number of annual winners at the highest level: 7 (2001-2005, 2008, 2009)
I believe that for many modern fans who know or have some degree of knowledge about MotoGP, Valentino Rossi's name is likely to be the first factor in their connection to this event.
Valentino Rossi from Italy came from a family of motorcyclists, and his father Rossi Sr. was also a famous player who crossed the top motorcycle races. Maybe it's fate, or maybe it's genetics, Valentino Rossi embarked on the road of professional motorcycle racing early, and the development was quite smooth, and when he was a teenager, he started from moto3 to climb to the top specifications.
Delicate and daring driving style, iconic looks, strong strength and psychological quality, charming smile, under the addition of various factors, Rossi, who enjoys the reputation of "Peter Pan", has quickly become the top existence of motorcycle hands after entering the new century, even after retiring, his momentum is still quite huge. After entering the 21st century, Valentino Rossi is undoubtedly the most successful motorcyclist.
Giacomo Agostini
Number of annual winners at the highest division: 8 (1966-1972, 1975)
In the field of MotoGP, Giacomo Agostini from Italy is definitely a legend among legends. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Giacomo Agostini was an invincible legend in racing, once completing a seven-consecutive feat at the highest level.
In the first seven championships, Agostini drove the Chariot of the Augusta Team. In 1975, after a few years on the side of the championship, Agostini, who moved to Yamaha Racing, completed his eighth crown. At the same time, he also brought Yamaha Racing the first MotoGP Highest Level Championship in team history.
In addition, in the second level of MotoGP events, this person has won seven championships before and after. Even more amazing is that, in addition to his dominance in MotoGP, Giacomo Agostini has also left a brilliant performance in another well-known and more dangerous Isle of Man event, completing the feat of winning both MotoGP and Isle of Man in the same year. However, after his friend Gilberto Palotti died on the Isle of Man in 1972, Giacóno Agostini never played in the Isle of Man race again, and his enthusiasm for the race declined, and his reign ended in 1972.