Biographical rider entry list for MotoGP in 2013
By Dan Moakes
April 5 2013
The 2013 FIM MotoGP World Championship series: The new season of racing starts with the Qatar night race in April, where Yamaha factory rider Jorge Lorenzo, from Spain, will start the defence of his second MotoGP title. Here are the essential details on who’s who among the riders this year.
The 2013 FIM MotoGP World Championship:
The year ahead in Grand Prix motorcycle racing will see the second season of the 1000cc four-stroke MotoGP engine formula; as well as the second and final run-out for the more affordable machinery in the Claiming Rule Teams division, with their range of custom-made chassis powered by production-based Superbike engines.
As ever, there is no shortage of experience and talent amongst the latest contingent of riders, even accouting for the retirement of 27-year-old double champion Casey Stoner, forty-five times a GP winner. All of the other top riders remain in the series, led by reigning title holder Lorenzo, former champions Rossi and Hayden, and regular contender and race winner Pedrosa - who is joined in the Honda team by hotshot Marc Márquez.
In all, the line-up includes seventeen GP winners and twelve World Champions. One man returns to the MotoGP class (Aoyama), with four men moving up from the Moto2 class (Corti, Iannone, Márquez and Smith), joined by a former two-stroke regular (Pešek), and with two GP rookies in the form of Bryan Staring (with a single wildcard 125cc GP appearance nine years ago) and Michael Laverty. Here is a biographical rundown for all the contenders.
Valentino Rossi, Italy
age 34 · first GP 1996
racing number: 46
GP entries: 278, total points: 4561
GP wins: 105 (125cc, 250cc, 500cc, 990cc, 800cc)
GP podium results: 177
World Champion: 125cc 1997 · 250cc 1999 · 500cc 2001 · MotoGP 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009
National Champion*: Italian 125cc 1995
also: a race winner in World Endurance
Randy de Puniet, France
age 32 · first GP 1998
racing number: 14
GP entries: 236, total points: 1344
GP wins: 5 (250cc)
GP podium results: 24
best MotoGP result: 2nd
best season in MotoGP: 9th 2010
best season in GPs: 3rd 2004 250cc
National Champion*: French 125cc 1998
Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan
age 31 · first GP 2000
racing number: 7
GP entries: 137, total points: 1266
GP wins: 9 (250cc)
GP podium results: 27
best MotoGP result: 4th
World Champion: 250cc 2009
best season in MotoGP: 10th 2011
National Champion*: All-Japan 250cc 2003
Dani Pedrosa, Spain
age 27 · first GP 2001
racing number: 26
GP entries: 199, total points: 2928
GP wins: 45 (125cc, 250cc, 990cc, 800cc, 1000cc)
GP podium results: 112
World Champion: 125cc 2003 · 250cc 2004, 2005
best season in MotoGP: 2nd 2007, 2010, 2012
Andrea Dovizioso, Italy
age 27 · first GP 2001
racing number: 4
GP entries: 187, total points: 2201
GP wins: 10 (125cc, 250cc, 800cc)
GP podium results: 63
World Champion: 125cc 2004
best season in MotoGP: 3rd 2011
European Champion: 125cc 2001
Jorge Lorenzo, Spain
age 25 · first GP 2002
racing number: 99
GP entries: 181, total points: 2491
GP wins: 448 (125cc, 250cc, 800cc, 1000cc)
GP podium results: 98
World Champion: 250cc 2006, 2007 · MotoGP 2010, 2012
Héctor Barberá, Spain
age 26 · first GP 2002
racing number: 8
GP entries: 175, total points: 1501
GP wins: 10 (125cc, 250cc)
GP podium results: 32
best MotoGP result: 6th
best season in MotoGP: 11th 2011, 2012
best season in GPs: 2nd 2004 125cc & 2009 250cc
National Champion*: Spanish 125cc 2002
Álvaro Bautistá, Spain
age 28 · first GP 2002
racing number: 19
GP entries: 170, total points: 1518
GP wins: 16 (125cc, 250cc)
GP podium results: 48
best MotoGP result: 3rd
World Champion: 125cc 2006
best season in MotoGP: 5th 2012
National Champion*: Spanish 125cc 2003
Lukáš Pešek, Czech Republic
age 27 · first GP 2002
racing number: 52
GP entries: 119, total points: 507
GP wins: 2 (125cc)
GP podium results: 9
best season in GPs: 4th 2007 125cc
Colin Edwards, United States
age 39 · first GP 2003
racing number: 5
GP entries: 171, total points: 1190
GP podium results: 12
best MotoGP result: 2nd
World Champion: Superbike 2000, 2002
best season in MotoGP: 4th 2005
National Champion*: AMA 250cc 1992
also: race wins in World Endurance
Nicky Hayden, United States
age 31 · first GP 2003
racing number: 69
GP entries: 170, total points: 1508
GP wins: 3 (990cc)
GP podium results: 28
World Champion: MotoGP 2006
National Champion*: AMA Supersport 600cc 1999 · AMA Superbike 2002
Michele Pirro, Italy
age 26 · first GP 2003
racing number: 51
GP entries: 65, total points: 132
GP wins: 1 (600cc)
GP podium results: 2
best MotoGP result: 5th
best season in MotoGP: 15th 2012
best season in GPs: 9th 2011 Moto2
European Champion: 125cc 2004
National Champion*: Italian Superstock 2007, 2008
also: a race winner in World Supersport and in FIM Superstock 1000 Cup
Aleix Espargaró, Spain
age 23 · first GP 2004
racing number: 41
GP entries: 125, total points: 448
GP podium results: 1
best MotoGP result: 8th
best GP result: 3rd (Moto2)
best season in MotoGP: 12th 2012
best season in GPs: 12th 2008 250cc & 2011 Moto2
National Champion*: Spanish 125cc 2004
Bryan Staring, Australia
age 25 · first GP 2004
racing number: 67
GP entries: 1, total points: 0
best GP result: 29th (125cc)
best season in GPs: no points 2004 125cc
National Champion*: Australian Superbike 2010
Karel Abraham, Czech Republic
age 23 · first GP 2005
racing number: 17
GP entries: 130, total points: 372
GP wins: 1 (600cc)
GP podium results: 2
best MotoGP result: 7th
best season in MotoGP: 14th 2011, 2012
best season in GPs: 10th 2010 Moto2
Andrea Iannone, Italy
age 23 · first GP 2005
racing number: 29
GP entries: 128, total points: 862
GP wins: 12 (125cc, 600cc)
GP podium results: 24
best season in GPs: 3rd 2010, 2011, 2012 Moto2
Stefan Bradl, Germany
age 23 · first GP 2005
racing number: 6
GP entries: 108, total points: 822
GP wins: 7 (125cc, 600cc)
GP podium results: 18
best MotoGP result: 4th
World Champion: Moto2 2011
best season in MotoGP: 8th 2012
National Champion*: German 125cc 2005
Bradley Smith, England
age 22 · first GP 2006
racing number: 38
GP entries: 115, total points: 947.5
GP wins: 3 (125cc)
GP podium results: 23
best season in GPs: 2nd 2009 125cc
Marc Márquez, Spain
age 20 · first GP 2008
racing number: 93
GP entries: 80, total points: 1042
GP wins: 26 (125cc, 600cc)
GP podium results: 39
World Champion: 125cc 2010 · Moto2 2012
Ben Spies, United States
age 28 · first GP 2008
racing number: 11
GP entries: 56, total points: 469
GP wins: 1 (800cc)
GP podium results: 6
World Champion: Superbike 2009
best season in MotoGP: 5th 2011
National Champion*: AMA Formula Xtreme 2003 · AMA Superbike 2006, 2007, 2008 · AMA Superstock 2007
Claudio Corti, Italy
age 25 · first GP 2010
racing number: 71
GP entries: 47, total points: 117
GP podium results: 1
best MotoGP result: retired
European Champion: Superstock 2005
best GP result: 2nd (Moto2)
best season in MotoGP: no points 2012
best season in GPs: 14th 2012 Moto2
Yonny Hernández, Colombia
age 24 · first GP 2010
racing number: 68
GP entries: 47, total points: 103
best MotoGP result: 9th
best GP result: 6th (Moto2)
best season in MotoGP: 17th 2012
Cal Crutchlow, England
age 27 · first GP 2011
racing number: 35
GP entries: 36, total points: 221
best MotoGP result: 3rd
World Champion: Supersport 2009
best season in MotoGP: 7th 2012
National Champion*: British Supersport 2006
also: race wins in World Superbike
Danilo Petrucci, Italy
age 22 · first GP 2012
racing number: 9
GP entries: 18, total points: 27
best MotoGP result: 8th
best season in MotoGP: 18th= 2012
also: a race winner in European Stocksport 600
Martin Bauer, Austria
age 37 · first GP n/a
racing number: 45
GP entries: 0, total points: 0
National Champion*: German Superbike 2007, 2008, 2011
Michael Laverty, Northern Ireland
age 31 · first GP n/a
racing number: 70
GP entries: 0, total points: 0
National Champion*: British Supersport 2007
also: a race winner in European Superstock
Blake Young, United States
age 25 · first GP n/a
racing number: 79
GP entries: 0, total points: 0
Pirro, Bauer and Young due to appear as wildcard entries
* Winner of a national championship title at the most senior level