MotoGP World Championship
Formed in 1949, the World Championship, now known as MotoGP is the oldest motor competition in the world. 63 years ago there were four categories that depended on the power of motorcycles (125cc, 250cc, 350cc and 500cc) and after several attempts with others such as the 80cc, 990cc or 50cc, have now been reduced to three: 250cc ( Moto3), 600cc (Moto2) and 1,000cc (MotoGP).
In the decades of the 50s and 70s the Italian domination of the competition takes shape in the 17 consecutive years in which MV Augusta won in the 500cc. Mostly thanks to Giacomo Agostini, the most successful in the history of competition thanks to his 15 titles achieved between 1966 and 1975, some of them achieved in the same season in different categories. The emergence of Japanese builders such as Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki ended the Italian monopoly to impose a Japanese one: from 1975 until today, the three Japanese brands have won all the championships of the most powerfull discipline except the 2007, when Ducati won.
After the Agostini came the 80s, considered the golden age of motorcycling, when Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Gardner, Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz, Randy Mamola and Mick Doohan competed. The dominance of the latter was in the 90s, when he won five consecutive championships (from 1994 to 1998) came at the same time when Valentino Rossi competed in the lower categories. The Italian, nine times world champion in different categories, emulated Doohan by winning five consecutive World Cups between 2000 and 2005.
Since then, champions like Casey Stoner with two titles, Rossi himself with two others, Nicky Hayden and Jorge Lorenzo have alternated on the podium. The Spanish got it in 2010, when Spanish motorcycling won the titles and runners-up in the three categories. Toni Elías won the first Spanish laurel in the Moto2 category and Marc Márquez got the 125cc one.
The 2011 season, marked by the death of Marco Simoncelli in October in the Sepang circuit, ended with the second world title for Stoner, who climbed the podium in all races of the season except one. Ten triumphs with his Honda in the 18 races of the championship.
In 2012 the Spaniards demonstrated their dominance in the competition and made it clear that they are rivals to fear for the rest of the competitors. Jorge Lorenzo (champion of the Queen category in 2010) won the World Cup (with eight wins in 18 races), in which Dani Pedrosa was second with 20 points below the champion. Marc Márquez took the triumph of Moto 2.
2013 was a historic year that will remain forever in the fan’s heart. Marc Márquez not only became the best debutant of all time in the premier category of motorcycling, he won the title after an exciting year, marked by a handful of precocity records and his battle with Jorge Lorenzo, who defended his 2012 title furiously.
And what he achieved the previous year, he confirmed it with an excellent season and was crowned champion for the second consecutive year in 2014, matching the record: ten consecutive wins, the same motorcycling myths Agostini or Doohan achieved. In addition, he did it with style, aggressively and getting off the bike like nobody else. With the arrival of Márquez to MotoGP a new way of driving is imposed, the skid is the protagonist, and to compete: always risking.
Always battling and not wanting to resign himself, makes him a contender for the 2015 title fight also, in which mistakes happen with a difficult-to-drive Honda. The World Cup is lead by the Yamaha and a mature, very smart Rossi and an erratic Lorenzo at the start, but very fast, he manages to prevail in Jerez and chain four consecutive victories for the first time in his career. The season, with an apotheosis ending and uncontrolled anger between Rossi and Márquez in Malaysia, is decided in Valencia, the last race, with the Italian sanctioned with leaving last. And Lorenzo wins. The race and the championship.
