Every rider in MotoGP’s brand new Hall of Fame including Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo

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MotoGP has revealed a brand new Hall of Fame, which sees some of the sport’s biggest names immortalised in history.

During a star-studded event in Rimini, 17 legends were revealed as the first to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, with a further three riders announced for induction in 2026

MotoGP CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta shared that riders who have been inducted must have had either two championships or 24 victories during their careers in the MotoGP class

Alongside the new Hall of Fame, MotoGP also announced a new look for The Tower of Champions, which is being described as an ‘evolution’ of the previous trophy and bringing it into ‘the faster, forward, fearless era’.

MotoGP News has taken a look at the 17 riders who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame and their iconic careers.

Who are the MotoGP Legends inducted into the Hall of Fame?

17 MotoGP riders were named as the first Legends to be inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame, with six being named posthumously. Ahead of the formal event to announce the riders, Ezpeleta met with the 11 living Legends to reveal the special achievement.

Giacomo Agostini – 8 world championships

Giacomo Agostini was the first rider announced as a Legend in the new MotoGP Hall of Fame, having won eight 500cc world championships and 68 Grand Prix. The Italian began competing in the 500cc class in 1965 and saw a well-decorated career until his retirement in 1977.

Agostini was extremely dominant, especially during his time with MV Agusta, where he won both the 350cc and 500cc championship titles consecutively between 1968 and 1972.

Kenny Roberts – 3 world championships

Kenny Roberts was the first American champion, claiming his first title in 1978 and taking consecutive victories in the following two years. He made his 500cc debut with Yamaha at the 1978 Spanish Grand Prix, despite previously being denied entry for having no experience.

Roberts started the race from pole position and led the majority of the race until an issue with his throttle saw him passed by Pat Hennen, resulting in a second-place finish. During his six-year career, the American achieved 22 victories and 39 podiums.

Freddie Spencer – 2 world championships

Freddie Spencer became the youngest-ever world champion at the time when he took the 1983 500cc world title at 21 years old. His first race victory in Spa the previous year made him the youngest premier class winner, with both records being broken by Marc Marquez in 2013.

Spencer is one of the most accomplished motorcycle racers of the early 1980s, before a crash in Silverstone broke his collarbone in 1985 and began a series of health issues for the rider.

During a meeting with the other MotoGP legends, Spencer said: “It’s a privilege to be included with this group of individuals.”

Eddie Lawson – 4 world championships

Eddie Lawson dominated the late 1980s and was part of the ‘golden period for American riders’. The Californian became the first rider in history to take championships with two different manufacturers in back-to-back seasons.

Lawson was known for his consistent speed, not crashing and dominant point scoring streak, which earned him the nickname ‘Steady Eddie’.

Wayne Rainey – 3 world championships

Wayne Rainey is the last of the American multi-world champions, having taken the title consecutively between 1990 and 1992. The Californian is known for his fierce rivalry with Kevin Schwantz, which began during their time in the Superbike National Championship in 1987.

Rainey competed in one 250cc season in 1984, before joining the premier class in 1988, where he took his maiden win at Donington Park, just four races before the end of the year. The American competed in all six 500cc seasons with Yamaha and saw him stand on the podium 64 times from 83 races.

Kevin Schwantz – 1 world championship

Rainey’s arch-rival, Kevin Schwantz, has also been named as one of MotoGP’s latest Hall of Fame inductees. The Texan native competed in 10 seasons with Suzuki and at the time of retiring had taken 25 race victories, one more than his rival.

Despite only taking one championship victory, his impressive number of race wins means he is the second most successful American rider behind Eddie Lawson. Schwantz was incredibly popular with fans around the world, being known for his ‘flamboyant all-action riding style’, according to MotoGP, where he was also described as chasing every Grand Prix ‘as if each race were his last’.

Mick Doohan – 5 world championships

Mick Doohan is considered one of the greatest riders of the 500cc era, breaking a number of records, including most wins in a single season and the most pole positions in a single year, 12 each in 1997.

During his 11-year career, he remained loyal to Honda, amassing an impressive 54 victories for the team. Doohan was known for rarely crashing, however, the Australian was known for some horrible crashes, including grinding his hand down to the bone on his Australian Grand Prix debut in 1989 and almost having to have his leg amputated after a practice crash at Assen in 1992.

Dani Pedrosa – 0 world championships

Dani Pedrosa is the only rider in the MotoGP Hall of Fame who hasn’t taken a world championship during their career. Despite this, the Spanish rider took an impressive 112 podiums and came runner-up in 2007, 2010 and 2012, making him one of the most successful MotoGP riders of modern times.

Pedrosa is a multiple-time 250cc world champion with wins in 2004 and 2005, making him the youngest rider to take the title at 19 years and 18 days old. The Spaniard spent 18 seasons across the classes with Honda before a shock announcement in late 2018 saw him announce he would move to KTM as a development test rider.

Jorge Lorenzo – 3 world championships

Pedrosa’s ‘bitter rival’ Jorge Lorenzo, also joined the MotoGP Hall of Fame. The Spaniard took back-to-back 250cc world championships in 2006 and 2007, before moving up to MotoGP the following year.

Lorenzo spent a successful nine years with Yamaha, taking the title in 2010, 2012 and 2015, and finished runner-up a further three times between 2009 and 2013. Also known as ‘The Spartan’, he previously held the record for the most wins in one season without taking the title, having taken eight in 2013.

The record has since been broken in 2024 by Francesco Bagnaia, who finished second with 11 wins.

Valentino Rossi – 7 world championships

Valentino Rossi was the final living rider to be announced into MotoGP’s Hall of Fame. The Italian, nicknamed ‘The Doctor’ is widely considered the greatest motorcycle rider of all time, being the only rider in history to have victories in 125, 250, 500 and MotoGP world championships.

Rossi holds several impressive MotoGP records, including the most premier class wins (89), most world championships (seven) and most podiums (199) and is the only driver to have surpassed 400 races in all classes.

Riders who have been inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame posthumously

During the MotoGP Hall of Fame ceremony, six riders were given the legendary title posthumously. Umberto Massetti, Geoff Duke, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Phil Read and Barry Sheene, were all revealed to be inducted into the hall of fame for their success during their careers.

Who are the three new MotoGP Legends inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2026?

MotoGP have revealed three further riders will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2026, after the announcement of the first 17 legends who were inducted this year.

The 1949 champion Leslie Graham, 1957 champion Libero Liberati and 1961 champion Gary Hocking will all become MotoGP Legends next year, meaning that every MotoGP champion will have been inducted into the brand new Hall of Fame.

The three riders will be inducted posthumously and will join six other late riders who were inducted during the 2025 award ceremony.