Since 2001, MotoGP has been mostly a story of dominance by two riders; Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez, the two of them winning a total of 13 Championships between them. Sure, some other riders have won in the championship a handful of times in those years, but very few managed to repeat the feat.
Updated September 2021: MotoGP is considered the pinnacle of two-wheel motorsport. If you're a fan of MotoGP and motorcycle racing in general, you'll be happy to know that we've updated this list with more riders and information.
Such has been their dominance in the sport that many have been quick to say one of these riders is the greatest of all time, and in many ways that might be true. If you were to look at history though, you will quickly find out although these riders have been dominant in the modern era, there is only one rider who stands alone at the top, and it isn’t either of them.
11 Kenny Roberts: 3 Titles
Roberts was the first American Grand Prix champion, he would go on to win the championship a total of three times, leaving him in joint 6th overall.
Hugely successful as a dirt track rider, he would take his less elegant riding style to Europe where he found immediate success, changing the way race bikes of that era were ridden. He would later also experience success as a team owner, where he employed another dirt track rider in the form of Wayne Rainey.
10 Wayne Rainey: 3 Titles
Rainey, although riding for Roberts, had a completely different and much smoother riding style that suited the newer bikes.
If it were not for a career-ending crash in 1993, which paralyzed him from the chest down, he would likely be very near the top of this list. He had an incredible record of winning, or sitting on the podium, in pretty much every race he finished. Rainey refused to give up racing despite his disability, though, and kept racing in a hand-controlled Superkart in the World SuperKart series based in Northern California.
9 Jorge Lorenzo
In 2008, Jorge Lorenzo secured himself a MotoGP seat in the Yamaha team alongside Valentino Rossi, after winning the 2006 and 2007 250cc World Championships. In the 2010 season, which was just his third season in MotoGP, Lorenzo finished on the podium in all but two races, securing him his first MotoGP World Championship. In 2012, the Spaniard repeated the feat, finishing no less than second in every race where he actually crossed the finish line, taking home the championship by 18 points.
In the 2015 season, MotoGP fans got to witness an intense battle between the two Yamaha riders throughout the season. Lorenzo drew the longest straw and won the championship by taking the win at the final race of the season in Valencia — he was only five points ahead of Valentino Rossi.
8 Eddie Lawson: 4 Titles
Nicknamed “Steady Eddie” because of his remarkable consistency, he would eventually finish in the points enough times to win four titles in a glittering career.
It was a career that saw him race against the greats of the previous era like Kenny Roberts, and future great Mick Doohan. After winning the 1988 season, Lawson shocked both fans and teams when he announced his move from Yamaha to Rothmans Honda. He then went on to win the 1989 title for Honda, becoming the first rider to win back-to-back championships on machines from different manufacturers until Valentino Rossi did so in 2004.
7 Mike Hailwood: 4 Titles
Another in the long list of multiple champions, sitting in joint 5th with 4 titles is Hailwood, arguably more famous for his Isle of Man exploits.
Few riders could come close to Hailwood in the early 60s, who might have won a few more Grand Prix titles if he didn’t shift over to racing four-wheeled vehicles instead.
6 John Surtees: 4 Titles
Surtees will go down in racing folklore, being the only person to win championships in Motorcycle Grand Prix racing as well as Formula 1.
It is a unique achievement that will likely never be repeated, especially in the modern era where everyone is so specialized.
5 Geoff Duke: 4 Titles
Part of the original class who pretty much founded Grand Prix racing, Duke was the most successful rider of the early years.
He set the standard others would follow, experiencing success in the Isle of Man TT as well as trying his luck at Formula 1 at one point.
4 Mick Doohan: 5 Titles
Although he would go on to win 5 titles, it was very nearly none at all. After comfortably leading the 1992 championship by 50 points, he crashed and broke his leg.
After a botched surgery and rushing his comeback he lost the title fight by a mere 4 points, he then broke his shoulder the following year and was never fully fit for the duration of the 1993 season. After finally regaining full fitness, he went on to win his 5 titles between 1994 and 1998.
3 Marc Marquez: 6 Titles
He is the latest and arguably most impressive champion, having already gotten within one championship of the famed Rossi.
Up until two short years ago, it seemed like he was well and truly on course to eclipse both Rossi and go on to become the greatest ever rider. That could well still happen, but after a season-ending injury in 2020 the road to recovery has been a long one. All the while, his Repsol Honda team has also struggled to find any pace at all, with riders struggling to just keep the machine on the track.
2 Valentino Rossi: 7 Titles
After dominating the 00s it seemed history beckoned for the Italian, who has the honor of winning the last 500cc championship as his first.
Sadly it just wasn’t meant to be for the man many still rate as the greatest ever, now in his twilight, he is likely in his final season as he struggles to make the top 10, let alone fight for victories.
1 Giacomo Agostini: 8 Titles
After winning his 5th title over 50 years ago, he has held the record for most Grand Prix title wins.
In an astonishing career that saw him dominate for two decades with two different manufacturers, he finally accumulated 8 titles. A record many thought was in danger as Rossi hit his stride, then again more recently with Marquez, but he remains the most-winning rider of all time.