British Grand Prix

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone is a riders’ favourite with the race offering a mix of everything, as MotoGP pilots and prototype motorcycles are tested at their limits.

Silverstone has staged every running of the MotoGP British GP since the 2010 season after it prised the race back away from Donington Park. It was also the track for the first-ever British Grand Prix as part of the 500cc world championship in 1977 as Pat Hennen won on a Suzuki.

The 500cc championship continued to visit Silverstone from 1977 until 1986, before moving the British GP to Donington from 1987 to 2009. MotoGP decided to take the British GP back to Silverstone despite Donington planning to invest substantial funds to upgrade its facilities.

Dorna Sports felt Silverstone offered MotoGP a superior future home for the British GP than an upgraded Donington could, despite the Leicestershire circuit remaining very popular with fans. It was so popular, in fact, that fans often faced extreme traffic when leaving Donington.

History of the MotoGP British Grand Prix

Motorsport is a major industry in Great Britain but Formula 1 has largely been the main type of racing across England, Scotland and Wales. It was even at Silverstone that F1 held its first-ever race in 1950 but the 500cc world championship would not stage a British GP until 1977.

Until then, motorcycle fans in the UK got their fix of 500cc world championship action at the Isle of Man TT from 1949 to 1976. British riders also tasted a lot of success at the Isle of Man TT as part of the 500cc world championship, with Mike Hailwood winning a record six times.

It was an American dominance story once the British Grand Prix got going, though, as riders from the USA won all four of the first 500cc races held at Silverstone. After Hennen’s victory in 1977, Kenny Roberts sealed a double in 1978 plus 1979 and Randy Mamola won in 1980.

Roberts, Mamola, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz would even continue the USA’s dominance of the British GP during the 1980s. The 1990s then saw a run of Australian brilliance at Donington as Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan led the way.

The turn of the millennium saw a change in control, too, as Valentino Rossi led a fresh wave of Italian dominance at the British Grand Prix at Donington. Max Biaggi’s win in 2003 joined his five from 2000-05. Andrea Dovizioso even won the final British GP at Donington in 2009.

MotoGP moving the British Grand Prix back to Silverstone in 2010 also then saw the start of another new dominant nation, with Jorge Lorenzo starting a stretch of Spanish riders seeing success. Marc Marquez, Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins and Aleix Espargaro have also had wins.

Kenny Roberts beat Barry Sheene to win a classic British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1979

Despite its initial time on the calendar being brief, Silverstone yielded a classic race in 1979 when Roberts thwarted home favourite Barry Sheene for his second straight British GP win. It also came amid the pair driving efforts to potentially start a breakaway World Series, too.

While discontent rumbled among the 500cc paddock, Sheene and Roberts put on a show to capture the championship’s enlarged audience live on domestic TV in Britain. Sheene knew his title bid was essentially over, so threw all that he could into delaying Roberts’ coronation.

Qualifying was not a success for the home favourite, though, with Sheene only able to come P5 and lap Silverstone 1.7 seconds slower than Roberts’ pole position effort. He struggled to get through the fast Maggots and Abbey anything like the American had but just kept trying.

It was then Roberts’ turn to meet potential disaster head-on when his clutch centre oil seal popped out into Turn 3 on the sighting lap. A quick repair job on the grid meant he took the start of the 1979 British GP and led from Wil Hartog with Sheene quickly chasing from third.

Neither Roberts or Sheene had the pace to break away. Yet the Briton was in a much better position than he was in qualifying and dived down the American’s inside into Woodcote for the lead shortly after half-distance. Sheene even gave Roberts a cheeky signal once in front.

The pair continued to fight for glory and trade positions right until the last laps. Yet Sheene’s chances nearly evaporated when he lost 20 metres to Roberts after they caught backmarker George Fogarty into Woodcote and the crowd favourite was forced out wide on the outside.

But Sheene refused to give up, and pinned the throttle through Abbey to try and catch back up with his rival. Sheene even got back to within five metres of Roberts right in time for the run through Woodcote, but ran out of road before the chequered flag to come a metre shy.

Wayne Gardner and Wayne Rainey produced an all-time classic British Grand Prix in 1992

The 1992 British Grand Prix at Donington also delivered an all-time class race after Gardner and Rainey did battle for glory. It also proved to be Gardner’s final victory in the 500cc class as the Australian retired at the end of that year before returning home to race touring cars.

Gardner displayed the wild boy from Wollongong’s trademark absolute commitment on his Honda mere days after announcing at the 1992 British GP that retirement was coming. The victory was also a personal triumph as Gardner considered the British GP his second home.

After beating Rainey at the 1992 British GP, Gardner said: “What a way to end it! I wanted to win here because I regard it as my home Grand Prix. The British gave me a big chance at the beginning of my career and I wanted to pay them back. So, thanks to the Brits!”

Gardner’s Honda teammate and championship-leading compatriot Doohan was absent from the British GP after breaking his leg. So, it fell on Gardner to hold back Rainey’s charge in the 500cc standings, and the pair would cross the finish line only eight-tenths of a second apart.

Rainey pushed his limits to try and catch Gardner, with the Yamaha rider forced to be helped off the American’s bike after the 1992 British GP and taken straight to the medical centre for cramp and heat exhaustion. Gardner’s victory meant Doohan held a 22-point lead to Rainey.

Schwantz also stole some of the spotlight at the 1992 British Grand Prix as the winner of the previous three Donington meetings briefly became a trackside marshal after crashing out of P2 with five laps left. The American frantically waved an oil flag to suggest it caused the fall.

Valentino Rossi won his first premier class race at the 2000 British Grand Prix at Donington

Legends of the 500cc/MotoGP world championship are strongly intertwined with the history of the British Grand Prix – including the seven-time premier class champion, Rossi. It was at Donington for the 2000 500cc British Grand Prix that Rossi took his first premier class win.

With Doohan serving as Rossi’s rider coach after the five-time 500cc champion’s retirement, the Urbino native qualified in fourth for the 2000 British GP. Rain even hit Donington before the race and Rossi got a poor start yet he started to gain after the leaders bunched on Lap 4.

Despite his slow start, Rossi rallied in the wet conditions and was soon the man on the move as the rain started to ease. But home hero Jeremy McWilliams refused to give in after losing third place to Rossi on L15, and even swept past Kenny Roberts Jr for the lead shortly after.

McWilliams also started to stretch out an advantage over Rossi once the Italian took second from Roberts Jr. But the track continuing to dry started to take its toll on his tyres and gifted the Irishman’s rivals a route back. Rossi would then take the lead at the Melbourne Hairpin.

With three laps to go, the win seemed certain to be Rossi’s as McWilliams fought valiantly to keep Roberts Jr behind after losing the lead. It took the American until the final lap to finally get the Irishman for second place when McWilliams missed a gear on the run to Melbourne.

Rossi’s future fierce rivals Lorenzo and Marquez even put on a spectacular show during their tussle for the top step at the 2013 British GP following the race’s return to Silverstone. Their grudge match started in qualifying and finished just 0.081 seconds apart in Lorenzo’s favour.

Marquez was even on the losing end of a 0.013s-margin as Rins won the 2019 British Grand Prix at Silverstone for Suzuki. The Spaniard latched onto his compatriot’s Honda and pinned the throttle out of Luffield, before Rins cut under Marquez into Woodcote to snatch the win.

What is Silverstone like?

Silverstone is one of the favourite circuits on the MotoGP calendar for many riders thanks to its blend of high-speed turns, technical areas and long straights. It is one of the most perfect tracks in the world to test premier class riders and prototype motorcycles at their real limits.

Being such an ideal circuit for MotoGP rounds, Silverstone is also a fans’ favourite track with the British Grand Prix often delivering exceptional races. Riders love that they can push their machines through Silverstone’s fast and flowing corners, with many overtaking chances also.

Winners of the MotoGP British Grand Prix

Below, MotoGP News has listed every premier class rider to win the British Grand Prix…