Motorcycle Racing

Cycle World has reported on many of those disciplines since 1962, when Joe Parkhurst—enamored with all forms of motorcycle racing, especially the Isle of Man TT and the Baja 1000—founded the magazine. Today, our editors focus largely on the largest, most popular properties, namely flat track, roadracing, and motocross. Check back here frequently for race results, rider interviews, and updates from inside the paddock.

MotoGP—known officially as the FIM Grand Prix Road Racing World Championship—holds 19 races in 15 different countries, including one event in the US, the Grand Prix of The Americas in Austin, Texas. Competition-wise, Marc Márquez is a two-wheel bulldozer, the 25-year-old Spaniard having won five of the past six titles on Repsol Honda machinery. Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, KTM, Suzuki, and Yamaha currently support factory teams.

Think of the FIM Superbike World Championship as the production-based motorcycle racing version of prototypes-only MotoGP. Both series are run by Madrid-based Dorna Sports, both visit the US annually, and both field 1,000cc four-strokes. Current World Superbike racing superstar Jonathan Rea has earned four consecutive titles on his Kawasaki ZX-10RR, and the 31-year-old Northern Irishman seemingly sets a new series record every race weekend.

American Flat Track—previously known as the AMA Grand National Championship and the AMA Pro Flat Track Series—races exclusively on US soil, literally and figuratively. Four types of mostly left-turn-biased dirt circuits—short track, TT, half-mile, and mile—make up the swelling-in-popularity 18-race series. Flat-track motorcycle racing has three classes: Singles (450cc), Twins (900cc), and the recently added Production Twins (800cc).