How Fast Are MotoGP™ Bikes? Top Speeds, Records & How They Compare

One of the many factors that makes MotoGP™ the most exciting sport on earth is the sheer outright speed that the bikes reach. The top speed ever recorded in MotoGP™ is an eye-watering 366.1km/h (227.5mph), with the bikes regularly reaching over 360km/h (223.7mph) on track.

So if a friend were to ask you, ‘how fast are MotoGP™ bikes?’ your answer might be, ‘extremely fast, the bikes can go around three times faster than the permitted speed limit on the road in many countries!’ (Don’t write in, Germany, we see you.)

Yet it is not just the top speed which makes the racing in MotoGP™ so spectacular. The incredible braking power of the bikes, the almost incomprehensible lean angles on cornering, the exquisite talent of the riders and the high-speed overtaking also keep fans on the edge of their seats.

In Formula 1 the top speed ever recorded was only marginally faster than in MotoGP™, with Valtteri Bottas reaching 378 km/h (234.9 mph) in qualifying for the 2016 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan. F1 cars have much bigger engines and four wheels on the ground to control their acceleration and braking, so the spectacle of seeing riders reach speeds in excess of 360km/h is quite something.

Top speeds of MotoGP™ bikes

This is the current list of the three fastest recorded top speeds in the history of MotoGP™, with several riders having reached the same highest speeds, all at the Italian circuit of Mugello (records are correct as of start of 2025 season):

The reason why Mugello dominates the list of where MotoGP™ top speed records are set can be attributed to the specific characteristics of the circuit. It is a fast and flowing layout, which features one of the longest start-finish straights on the Grand Prix calendar. The final corner also sets the riders up to be able to get the gas pinned.

As the riders zoom along the 1.14km start-finish straight of Mugello they are propelled by highly efficient engines in their prototype MotoGP™ bikes and they can also benefit from ‘slipstreaming’ (riding just behind) other riders to gain extra speed (less air resistance!) before they slam on their powerful brakes into the San Donato corner, aka Turn 1.

The MotoGP™ top speed records per circuit really vary significantly due to the length of the straights and the layout at each track, with Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Phillip Island (Australia), Circuit Of The Americas (USA) and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (Spain) also allowing the riders and their bikes to produce breathtaking top speeds.

Top speed records by circuit in MotoGP™ in addition to Mugello (records are correct as of start of 2025 season):

Those records and additional statistics on data points such as each circuit’s All Time Lap Record, Best Race Lap and Best Pole time can be reviewed on the motogp.com Records section.

When it comes to average speeds in MotoGP™ races the numbers are also highly impressive, especially when considering the entire race distances covered, the braking for cornering and the on-track battles between the riders as they jostle for position.

For example, at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix at Mugello the average speed of the winning rider Francesco Bagnaia after 23 laps and 120.635km of racing was 177.1km/h (110mph). The consistently quick double-MotoGP™ World Champion Bagnaia was also the winner of the 2024 Grand Prix of Qatar, registering an average speed of 177.2km/h (110.1mph) over the 21 laps and 112.98km of racing.

Meanwhile at Phillip Island for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix the race winner was six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez, who completed the 27-lap race with a stunning average speed of 181km/h (112.5mph) over the total distance of 120.096km.

As with top speeds, average speeds over the duration of a race vary significantly depending on the circuit layout, including the number and the nature of the corners, number of chicanes and the length of the main straights.

For example, at the Circuito de Jerez - Ángel Nieto, where the record top speed is slower than at other circuits at just over 300km/h (186.4mph), the average speed for the race winner Bagnaia at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix was 161.9km/h (100.6mph), considerably down on the aforementioned pace at tracks such as Phillip Island and Mugello.

That is not to say, however, that the racing at tracks which produce lower speeds is any less exciting or spectacular. Loud, passionate crowds, last lap battles, daring overtakes, pulsating drama and memorable victories feature throughout the entire season in MotoGP™, regardless of the outright top speed at each Grand Prix venue.

Factors influencing speed in MotoGP™

MotoGP™ bike speed has evolved significantly over the years with top speeds increasing from around 240km/h (150mph) in 1960, to 305km/h (190 mph) in 1990, to 352km/h (219mph) in 2011 and now to over 365km/h.

This continual increase in top speeds has been brought about by many factors, including massive technological advances, as well as rider technique, better tyres and improvements to circuits.

Engine power and displacement has grown significantly in Grand Prix racing over the decades. MotoGP previously featured 500cc machinery, whereas now riders are equipped with 1000cc bikes, whilst power-to-weight ratio has also increased (e.g. much more power from lighter components).

The electronics, technology and devices on MotoGP™ bikes have also developed considerably over the years, with anti-wheelie devices, traction control, rear ride height devices, advanced braking systems and aerodynamics all playing a part in helping the fastest motorcycles and riders on the planet go even quicker.

The decades of data and experience built up in racing from MotoGP™’s official tyre supplier Michelin means they can provide ever improving compounds to give increasingly better grip, which also enhances the overall performance of the package delivered to the riders.

The racing surfaces of the circuits in MotoGP™ have been consistently maintained and improved over the years, giving the riders more confidence and control on their bikes.

Meanwhile, the data analysis of the teams, combined with the fitness levels, technique, form and strategy of the riders ensures that the competition gets hotter and the pace is driven higher, season after season at the most elite level of motorcycle racing.

Comparing MotoGP™ bike speed to other motorcycles and vehicles

Compared with MotoGP™’s record top speed of 366.1km/h (227.5mph) the fastest ever speeds registered in competition in other motorsports series are interesting to see:

So MotoGP™ top speeds are far quicker than in WorldSBK and car championships such as NASCAR and WRC. Indycar and F1 cars’ top speeds are marginally quicker, driven by far bigger engines and aerodynamic advantages over motorcycles.

Fans might ask, ‘how fast are MotoGP™ bikes in a straight line?’ if pushed to the absolute limit. The manufacturers and teams are focused more on championship performance with their prototypes machines than discovering the answer to that intriguing question.

MotoGP™ safety measures at high speeds

The speed involved in racing some of the fastest motorcycles on earth requires stringent safety measures to protect the riders in MotoGP™, as well as those working or watching at trackside.

MotoGP™ riders wear the most advanced protective gear available, in terms of helmets, racing suits, airbags, boots and gloves. MotoGP™ bikes are highly advanced racing prototypes featuring the very best technology, sensors and safety devices from the world’s leading manufacturers.

Each Grand Prix circuit must meet a strict set of safety standards in order to feature on the MotoGP™ calendar, in terms of track surface, run-off areas, trackside marshal systems, safety barriers and medical facilities.

At each Grand Prix the MotoGP™ Race Direction members, the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards Panel and the Event Management Committee (including the FIM Safety Officer and the FIM Medical Director), closely monitor the action on track, enforcing safety through key MotoGP™ rules and protocols.

Riding at such phenomenal top speeds is clearly highly demanding for those competing in MotoGP™, in terms of heart rate, adrenaline, reflexes and the concentration required to do so safely. Every MotoGP™ rider trains diligently, in order to be able to handle the pressure, the g-forces and the physical exertion of flying over the ground on their racing machines at speeds in excess of 360km/h.

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