Carlo UBBIALI

In the early days of MotoGP, the Italian rider Carlo Ubbiali became the first competitor to truly dominate the 125cc and 250cc classes. Born in Bergamo in 1929, he took part in the first World Championship season in 1949, won his first Grand Prix the following year, took his first title in 1951 and went on to collect nine titles in total in the smaller classes before his retirement in 1960.

John SURTEES

A star of the late 1950s, when he dominated the ‘big classes’, Englishman John Surtees remains the only person to have won the motorcycling World Championship and Formula One titles.

Freddie SPENCER

Freddie Spencer will be forever synonymous with the beginning of the wave of phenomenal American racing talent that dominated the podiums of the premier class through the 1980s and into the 1990s. Spencer’s historic 250cc and 500cc double title winning season in 1985 has also never been repeated and marks his place in the annals of the sport.

Barry SHEENE

Barry Sheene MBE took two 500cc World Championships in 1976 and 1977, though by then his credentials as a racer were well established and he was already hugely popular off-track.

Kevin SCHWANTZ

The sole 500cc title earned in 1993 does not effectively summarise the impact that Texan Kevin Schwantz had on the motorcycle racing world championship. The Suzuki stalwart amassed a huge legion of fans around the world with his flamboyant all-action riding style and propensity for spectacular crashes as he chased victory at each Grand Prix as if each race were his last.

Kenny ROBERTS

Kenny Roberts (Snr.) has made a huge contribution to MotoGP having been involved in the sport for three decades, winning three consecutive 500cc World Championships from 1978 to 1980, going on to become a highly successful team manager and fathering a World Champion son, Kenny Roberts Jnr.

Phil READ

Phil Read’s spectacular career saw him compete in the World Championship over a period of 16 years in the '60s and '70s, winning 52 Grands Prix and seven World titles across four different classes, battling against other great names such as Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood and Barry Sheene.

Wayne Rainey

Wayne Rainey is the last of the great American multi-World Champions to have graced MotoGP. The Californian won three 500cc titles in a row from 1990 to 1992 and joined the ranks of those such as Kenny Roberts Snr., Freddie Spencer and Eddie Lawson in a hefty US legacy that has also been augmented by the likes of Kevin Schwantz, Kenny Roberts Jnr. and Nicky Hayden.

Angel NIETO

Angel Nieto established Spain as a motorcycling force with 13 World Championships, 90 Grand Prix wins and 139 podiums, in the 50cc, 80cc and 125cc classes over a 19 year period from 1967 to 1986.

Anton MANG

A star of the 1980s, Germany’s Anton Mang retired in 1988 after 14 years of Grand Prix participation which had seen him win five World titles, racking up 42 race victories along the way. He was the last man to win the 350cc title, in 1982, when the class was last featured as part of the World Championship.

Eddie LAWSON

The neat and consistent multi World Champion Eddie Lawson claimed his four titles in 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1989, in a golden period for American riders. With the last of his successes Lawson became the first rider in the history of the sport to win the title with two different manufacturers in back-to-back seasons. In 1988 he gave Yamaha their fourth championship of the decade - his third in just six seasons - and the following year he immediately won his fourth onboard the Honda NSR500.

Daijiro KATO

When 2001 250cc World Champion and 17 time Grand Prix winner Daijiro Kato was taken away from the motorcycling world on Sunday April 6th 2003 at the Suzuka circuit, the sport lost one of its major talents. In addition the paddock sadly lost an unassuming and friendly character and Japanese motorsport said goodbye to one of its leading lights.

Mike HAILWOOD

Englishman Mike Hailwood won nine World titles across three different classes during the 1960s and took victory 14 times in the Isle of Man TT, including two remarkable wins at the end of the ‘70s after coming out of retirement following an 11-year absence from the competition.

Wayne GARDNER

Australian Wayne Gardner plied his trade when the 500cc factory bikes were arguably at their hardest to ride and in which the competition in the class involved legendary peers such as Wayne Rainey, Randy Mamola, Kevin Schwantz, Eddie Lawson, Freddie Spencer and Mick Doohan. His 52 podiums, 18 victories and 1987 premier class title win came during one of the toughest decades of competition in the sport.

Geoff DUKE

Known affectionately by fans as The Duke, Englishman Geoff Duke was a six-time World title winner and the first rider whose image was used to promote the World Championship internationally, after he sprang to prominence in the early 1950s.

Mick DOOHAN

Australian MotoGP Legend Mick Doohan won five premier class titles in a period of domination that broke records and defined the sport in the 1990s.

Beginning his career in superbikes Doohan quickly rose to prominence due to his outright speed, unwavering determination and eye-catching style - which saw him hang his lower body off the side of the bike. He joined the World Championship as team-mate to fellow Aussie and MotoGP Legend Wayne Gardner in 1989, at the age of 23.

Giacomo AGOSTINI

Giacomo Agostini is widely regarded as the best rider of all time and his spectacular career in the second half of the 1960s and first part of the 1970s saw him become the first true World star of motorcycle racing.

San Carlo Honda Gresini ride with new livery

The MotoGP team riders Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli both displayed the new livery for the 2010 season at the Sepang test on Thursday.

Two more days of testing for the San Carlo Honda Gresini team began on Thursday with Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli picking up where they had left off in the last session at Sepang three weeks ago.

De Puniet energised by training regime

LCR Honda rider feels the benefits of training with three-time motocross world champion Yves Demaria.

Throughout 2009 French MotoGP rider Randy de Puniet enlisted the help of fellow countryman, friend and thee-time MX3 world champion Yves Demaria to help with his training programme.

Noticeable improvement in GP10 for Kallio

 Pramac Racing’s Finnish rider is pleased with the new Ducati Desmosedici GP10, as Aleix Espargaró also reacts well to his first ride of the new prototype.

Hayden delighted with “big leap forward”

The American improved his best lap time by just over 1.5s on the second day of the Sepang test.

Despite still feeling the slight after effects of arm surgery from two weeks ago, Nicky Hayden made impressive progress on the Desmosedici GP10 of the Ducati Marlboro team at the Sepang test.

Lorenzo has check-up in Barcelona

Following his training injury last Thursday which required an operation on his right hand, the Fiat Yamaha rider is recovering well. His participation at the final pre-season test in Qatar is uncertain however.

Stoner: “We’re starting from a stronger base than last year”

Australian rider is “really satisfied” with the Ducati Desmosedici GP10 after the test at Sepang.

Casey Stoner was the second fastest rider of the second official MotoGP test of the year at the Sepang International Circuit which finished on Friday, and the Australian’s feedback on the Desmosedici GP10 of the Ducati Marlboro team was extremely positive.

Bautista makes strides and Capirossi is positive

The Rizla Suzuki team take encouraging results from the test at the Sepang International Circuit with riders Loris Capirossi and Álvaro Bautista both making progress on the GSV-R bike.

Hiroshi Aoyama achieve test goal

Hiroshi Aoyama and his team leave Malaysia having made a lot of progress at the second official MotoGP test of 2010.

Edwards shine in Malaysia

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team concluded the second of three 2010 pre-season tests in confident mood after Colin Edwards and Ben Spies both finished in the top five on the timesheets at Sepang.

Andrea Dovizioso wrap up Sepang test

Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa completed their second test of 2010 on the RC212V prototype at Sepang on Friday, and are already looking forward to the final pre-season test in Qatar.

Valentino Rossi pole record at Sepang

The final day of the Sepang test concluded with Valentino Rossi not only faster than his pole position time from the 2009 GP, but also extremely happy with the “great shape” of the M1 prototype.