The technically complex and spectacular prototype motorcycles used in MotoGP™ have numerous qualities which set them apart from the standard bike you can ride on the street. Fuel efficiency is one of the details that is hidden from the eye, but its importance to the operation and performance of MotoGP™ bikes is critical.
Specially developed fuel - which differs significantly from that which is commercially and publicly available - allows MotoGP™ bikes to operate at the elite level necessary to compete in the world’s most exciting sport.
This specialised fuel meets the extremely demanding requirements made by MotoGP™ bikes, all the while enhancing their performance and ability to maximise engine and bike performance.
In this article we will provide the definitive answer to the question, ‘What fuel do MotoGP™ bikes use?’, examining MotoGP™ fuel regulations in detail, and exploring how MotoGP™ biofuels are helping redefine the sport.
What type of fuel do MotoGP™ bikes use?
All fuel has what is known as a Research Octane Number (RON). This number indicates the combustibility of the fuel at low speeds and temperatures, and a higher RON rating indicates greater ability to withstand compression in a spark-ignition engine before igniting. Put simply, fuel with a higher RON is much more responsive.
This is particularly important in a MotoGP™ engine which places much greater demands on fuel, with the higher RON rating also delivering much greater efficiency and performance under idling conditions and during acceleration. High-revving MotoGP™ engines need this level of elite performance fuel to be able to operate at their upper limits.
It is also important to note that the benefits from a higher RON rating are maximised when the fuel in question is used in conjunction with the advanced technological design of a MotoGP™ engine. Fuel with a higher RON in a regular motorcycle would not necessarily yield any performance benefits.
In MotoGP™, multiple fuel suppliers are in operation across the various factories and teams, with KTM working with ExxonMobil, Ducati with Shell, Yamaha with TotalEnergies and Aprilia and Honda with BP.
Each manufacturer has its own fuel developed specifically for them, with the fuel meeting stringent technical regulations as imposed by the sport’s governing body.
There is a sole fuel supplier in the Moto2™ and Moto3™ categories, which is Malaysian energy company Petronas.
How does MotoGP™ fuel compare to regular motorcycle fuel?
The major difference between the fuel MotoGP™ bikes use and commercially available motorcycle fuel is the aforementioned RON rating.
Fuel which can be bought at a normal gas station has a RON that can be anywhere from around 90, with 95 very common and 98 often available. The RON of fuel used in MotoGP™ is permitted to be up to 102.
Fuel regulations in MotoGP™
MotoGP™ fuel regulations are extensive and closely monitored, with very specific conditions to be met by the suppliers and competing manufacturers.
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) lays out a detailed set of rules for the start of each season, to ensure fair and safe competition in the World Championship.
All MotoGP™ motorcycles must be fuelled with unleaded petrol and the fuel must meet specific parameters relating to minimum and maximum levels of:
- RON
- Oxygen
- Benzene
- Vapor pressure
- Density at 15ºC
- Distillation at various temperatures
- Residue
To ensure fair competition, fuels are regularly and randomly tested at each Grand Prix, with over 20 parameters analysed as part of a complex and rigid control programme.
Another key area of MotoGP™ fuel regulations is the limitation on fuel capacity. For a MotoGP™ race, the maximum limit for fuel is 22 litres, and for a Sprint it is 12 litres. With such strict limits on how much fuel can be carried, it is important that MotoGP™ teams and their suppliers refine their fuel consumption to maximise delivery and performance.
For the 2024 season, a new fuel regulation came into place in the MotoGP™, Moto2™ and Moto3™ classes as part of the World Championship’s sustainability initiatives.
No less than 40% of the fuel’s composition needed to be of non-fossil origin, and this will increase to 100% from 2027.
How fuel affects performance in MotoGP™
Fuel has a significant and important impact on performance in MotoGP™, and also greatly influences other critical factors such as engine durability and general mechanical efficiency.
A higher octane rating allows for more efficient combustion of the fuel within the engine. This not only enhances the performance of the engine, but at the same time reduces the wear and tear on it too.
The higher RON rating allows for a better tuning of the engine, enabling an extraction of all the power possible from the fuel in the most consistent, controlled manner possible.
This means that the engine is placed under less stress in an already extremely demanding situation, a hugely important factor given the restriction on the number of engines that may be used during the season.
Fuel management is one of the major areas of race strategy, influencing both how the race is approached by the team and rider from a strategic point of view, as well as how a rider and their team may react to things as they unfold on track during a race.
To maintain fairness, there is a minimum fuel temperature imposed in MotoGP™. The colder the fuel is, the more weight - or volume - fits into the permitted 22 litres for a Grand Prix, so a limit of no more than 15ºC below ambient temperature before the race is allowed.
The more fuel the bike can carry, the more aggressive the rider can be with the throttle, although carrying more fuel influences the handling of a bike in the earlier stages of the race.
Which factors influence fuel consumption in MotoGP™
The amount of fuel used during a race can affect crucial areas such as overall speed, bike handling and engine performance and efficiency. Teams have to find the balance between carrying enough fuel to finish the race, but not so much that the bike becomes heavier and harder to handle.
Race distance and track layout are also two highly influential factors in how fuel is managed for a race. For the 2024 MotoGP™ season, total race distances ranged from 110km (at Sachsenring) to 122km (at Red Bull Ring-Spielberg), thus requiring careful consideration on how to expend fuel in-race.
Circuit layout also plays a part, with some tracks provoking much more aggressive fuel consumption. Motegi, for example, requires explosive acceleration out of low-gear corners, while the Red Bull Ring with its long straights sees riders pinning the throttle and burning through fuel.
Such factors influence the engine mapping that riders and their teams select for the start of races, and which ones they may switch to at certain points of the race, adding another intriguing element to how races can be won - or lost.
Fuel mapping is an intricate management system that requires teams to balance a number of factors, and which takes into account precise analysis of data to calculate the exact amount of fuel that needs to be used at specific points of the race.
Sustainability and biofuel initiatives in MotoGP™
In 2024, MotoGP™ took a big step towards achieving a significant environmental impact when it launched a new global era of zero carbon fuels.
For the 2024 season, fuel in all classes of the World Championship had to be of minimum 40% non-fossil origin. By 2027, that will rise to 100% - MotoGP™ will race completely on biofuel.
These MotoGP™ biofuels will be laboratory-created using components sourced from carbon capture schemes, or they will be derived from municipal waste of non-food biomass.
The environmental impact will see significant savings in greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to fossil-derived fuel, as MotoGP™ aims to take positive advantage of its status as one of the world’s most popular and technologically-advanced sports in order to lead the way in renewable energy.
For more information check out this article on sustainability in the MotoGP™ paddock.