How Long is a MotoGP Race?

MotoGP™ races typically last between 40–43 minutes, depending on several factors including track conditions, and are around 110km–120km depending on the circuit and the number of laps undertaken.

When answering the question ‘How Long is a MotoGP™ Race’, there are a number of variables to consider including track length, circuit characteristics, number of laps per circuit, the speed the riders are able to reach, weather conditions and potential safety interruptions.

Every race on the MotoGP™ calendar has a different duration, as they are all run over different distances and on any given Sunday the winning rider’s average speed and the conditions of the day may also vary significantly.

The length of MotoGP™ races has evolved over the years and the current average distance and duration of the races strikes a balance between the television and live viewing spectacle of the most exciting sport on earth and the safety and optimum performance of the riders on track.

In this ultimate guide to how long MotoGP™ races are, we’ll also explore longer historical races, the new shorter MotoGP Sprint format and the race lengths in other World Championship classes such as Moto2™ and Moto3™, in order to provide a complete perspective.

How long is a typical MotoGP™ race?: Standard MotoGP™ race time

The typical time range of a Sunday MotoGP™ Grand Prix is 40–43 minutes for the main race, though this can be slightly longer in wet conditions as the rain and slippery surface slows the riders down.

The race may also finish more quickly or slowly depending on other factors such as interruptions or restarts due to red flags in MotoGP (pauses in races), tyre performance/suitability, ambient and track temperatures, rider performance and track surface variations.

Check out our handy guide to the topic of flags in MotoGP: for more information on red flags, the chequered flag and the other flags you’ll see waved at trackside during a MotoGP™ weekend.

The distances the riders cover in races also vary from track to track. At Austria’s Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, the MotoGP™ race is usually contested over a total distance of just under 122km (121.744km), as the riders lap the 4348m track 28 times before taking the chequered flag.

At the 5900m Silverstone track in the United Kingdom, the riders only cover 20 laps in a race which lasts 118km, whilst at Germany’s tight and twisty 3671m Sachsenring, they only cover 110.13km in a 30 lap race.

In other words, it’s circuit length times the number of MotoGP™ laps which gives you the figure of total race distance. From there, it’s all about the track conditions on the day and the layout of the track (in terms of numbers of turns and corner types) which impacts the speed the riders can achieve and ultimately how long it takes them to finish the race.

How MotoGP™ Race Distance is Calculated

The rules of MotoGP™ state that, ‘The length of races must be determined by the Permanent Bureau after publication of the calendar’. The Permanent Bureau is a body comprised of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and Dorna Sports, the organisers and commercial rights holder of MotoGP.

Having run the World Championship for many decades, the FIM and Dorna have the experience to calculate how long a MotoGP™ race should last in terms of duration, based on the characteristics of each track (length and layout), the typical lap times per circuit and therefore how many laps the races should be contested over.

The MotoGP™ rules also state:

•   The length of a race may only be varied by the Race Direction (a panel of stewards appointed by the Permanent Bureau).
•   A visible countdown board will be shown at the finish line to indicate the number of remaining laps in the race.
•       When the leading rider has completed the designated number of laps for the race, he/she will be shown a chequered flag by an official located at the finish line. The chequered flag will continue to be displayed to the subsequent finishing riders.

Factors That Affect MotoGP™Race Length

As we consider the specific factors that affect how long a MotoGP™ race lasts, let’s look at a table of the 2024 MotoGP™ season results, including race lengths and winning times:

Taking the data from the 2024 season, the average length of a MotoGP™ circuit is 4714.45m and the average number of laps per Grand Prix race is 25. This means the average MotoGP™ race distance in 2024 was 114.7km, with the average race winning time being 40’54”.

At Germany’s Sachsenring – the shortest track on the calendar at 3671m – the 2024 race was won by Francesco Bagnaia with a time of 40'40.063, the Italian rider racing at an average speed of 162.4km/h over the total 110.13km race distance.

At the longest track on the calendar – Silverstone at 5900m – the MotoGP™ race was won in 2024 by Enea Bastianini in a time of 39'51.879, as he travelled at an average speed of 177.6km/h over the 118km total race distance.

However, there are always significant variations per Grand Prix due to the highly varied nature of each circuit’s layout and characteristics. Races can also vary in terms of duration due to track conditions, specifically with rain impacting the riders and slowing them down, or when races are interrupted due to safety reasons and then restarted over a shorter distance.

The shortest race of the 2024 season in terms of both distance and the winning race time was in Malaysia with Francesco Bagnaia taking the win in 38'04.563 over 105.317km. That was a restarted 19 lap race due to a red flag in the initial race, which was due to cover 110.86 km in 20 laps of the 5543m Sepang circuit.

Meanwhile, the longest race of 2024 in terms of distance was in Austria at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, with 121.744km covered by the riders over 28 laps of the 4348m track. The longest race of the season in 2024 in terms of duration was the Grand Prix of Thailand which was won by Francesco Bagnaia in 43'38.108 as the riders covered 118.404km over 26 laps of the 4554m Buriram circuit in wet conditions.

Rules around interrupted and restarted MotoGP™ races

There are also rules around interrupted and restarted MotoGP™ races, specifically regarding the minimum number of laps that have to be completed for a race result to be valid and for World Championship points to be awarded to the top 15 finishers.

Here are the key regulations on race lengths of interrupted and restarted races:

•       In cases of interrupted or restarted races, the number of laps completed refers to the race leader, and a fraction of laps (2/3, 3/4, 50%) is rounded down to the nearest whole number of laps.
•       If the results calculated show that less than three laps have been completed by the leader of the race then the race will be null and void and a completely new race will be run.
•       If three laps or more have been completed by the leader of the race but less than two-thirds of the race distance (Moto2, Moto3) or three-quarters of the race distance (MotoGP), in both cases rounded down to the nearest whole number of laps, then the race will be restarted.
•       If it is found impossible to restart the race, then the results will count and Championship points will be awarded as follows:

o   completed less than 50% of original race distance = half points

o   completed 50% or more of original race distance = full points

•       If the results calculated show that two-thirds of the race distance (Moto2, Moto3) or three-quarters of the race distance (MotoGP), in both cases rounded down to the nearest whole number of laps have been completed by the leader of the race, then the race will be deemed to have been completed and full Championship points will be awarded.

How long MotoGP™ races last vs Moto2™ and Moto3™

The MotoGP™ category is the top level and the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, featuring the most talented riders on the planet, riding powerful 1000cc prototype motorcycles which reach speeds in excess of 365km/h (227mph).

Moto2™, meanwhile, is the intermediate class and Moto3™ is the ‘lightweight’ or entry class in the World Championship. The bikes in Moto2™ (765cc three-cylinder engines, top speed just over 300km/h) are smaller than MotoGP™, and those in Moto3™ (250cc one-cylinder engine, top speed 245km/h) are smaller than Moto2™.

As mentioned above, MotoGP™ races in 2024 were contested over an average of 25 laps, with an average length of 114.7km and an average duration of 40'54". For Moto2, on average races typically last 20 laps, covering 95.6km in around 35’30”, whilst for Moto3, the equivalent average totals are 18 laps, 85.6km race distance and 33’06” race duration.

Moto2 and Moto3 are development classes in which the riders are preparing – if they reach the requisite levels – to make it into the big time in MotoGP. Therefore, the riders in MotoGP™ are generally more experienced, are better prepared and are equipped with higher grade machinery, allowing them to safely race for longer distances over a greater duration of time.

The Sunday MotoGP™ race is the main event of the Grand Prix weekend, with all the other track sessions and races building up to that longer, spectacular showdown.

Saturday Sprint Races vs. Main Sunday Grand Prix Races

The premier class riders do also go racing on Saturdays in the MotoGP™ Sprint, which was introduced to the Grand Prix schedule in 2023. The Sprint increases the intrigue for fans across the Grand Prix weekend, offering them an awesome thrilling Saturday afternoon hit of racing adrenaline, ahead of Sunday’s full-distance race.

The MotoGP™ rules state simply: ‘The MotoGP™ Sprint will in principle be approximately 50% of the number of laps of the MotoGP™ race.’

Let’s look at three examples of 2025 Grands Prix in terms of distances and duration to see how the Sprint compares to the main Sunday GP race: 

The differences are clear to see, with the number of laps in the Sprint vs main race being half, or just under half, whilst the Sprints logically last approximately just under half the duration of the Sunday races.

The MotoGP™Sprint is generally completed in less than half the time of the Sunday race, even when the number of laps is exactly 50% of the Grand Prix race. This is because the bikes carry less fuel (approximately half as much) in the Sprint, meaning they weigh less, whilst the riders can ride even harder/faster as they can put more pressure on their tyres and physically push their bodies harder over the shorter distance.

How MotoGP™ Race Length Has Changed Over Time

In the early years of the motorcycle World Championship racing often took place on closed public roads over circuits/loops which covered in excess of 60km and the races were several hundred kilometres long.

The Isle of Man TT was previously part of the World Championship and its Mountain Course is 60.718 km long.

The longest total race distance ever covered in Grand Prix racing in the World Championship since its formation in 1949 was 485.768km at the 1957 Isle of Man TT. That is over four times longer than distances currently covered in a typical MotoGP™ race!

This table shows the three longest distances covered in races in the history of the World Championship:

Since those early days, racing in MotoGP™ has moved exclusively to closed circuits purposely designed for racing, due to safety reasons. Likewise, the length of races has become standardised at under 125km for safety, logistical, performance and television viewing purposes.

The shortest ever race in the history of premier class Grand Prix competition was at the 2004 Italian GP at Mugello. After the initial race was stopped by rain with 17 laps completed and with Valentino Rossi in the lead, the Italian legend would go on to win the re-started race.

Indeed, the re-started race was the shortest in GP history. Held over 6 laps, at a total distance of just 31.470 km, it was won by Rossi with a final time of 12'06.803, with Sete Gibernau finishing 0.361s behind in second.

Since then, flag-to-flag racing has been introduced to MotoGP™ which means riders can swap bikes, from bikes with slick tyres for dry conditions to rain tyres for wet conditions, or vice versa, rather than races automatically being stopped due to rain.

In recent seasons, MotoGP™ races have become more harmonised over the course of the season to around 40–43 minutes in duration and 110km–120km in length. Weather conditions still impact racing and when it rains the riders are still slowed down somewhat of course!

The modern consistency in race length creates a broadcast-friendly schedule, ensuring races fit neatly into scheduled slots with minimal overruns. The planning and tweaking of race distances by the Permanent Bureau and Race Direction also take into consideration important technical constraints, with fuel and engine rules limiting major distance shifts, with minor lap adjustments being the main variable.

The harmonised durations of MotoGP™ races also provide operational consistency, simplifying Grand Prix weekend logistics, assisting rider preparation and meaning that fans know exactly when to connect and tune in!

Ready to learn more about MotoGP? Here’s our complete guide to flag-to-flag MotoGP races.