Of the eight Grands Prix held since the start of the 2023 MotoGP season, four circuits have seen the top speed record improve. The first was the Circuit of the Americas, where the GP of the Americas was held, with a new reference of 356.4 km/h set by Maverick Vinales on the Aprilia.
Then at Le Mans, Brad Binder made his mark for the first time with a top speed of 325.8km/h on his KTM. The South African then set a record of 366.1 km/h at Mugello, the fastest ever on a MotoGP bike!
And the Ducati? The Italian manufacturer, championship leader, is no less and dominated at the Sachsenring, a much shorter track, with a top speed of 305.0 km/h which seemed almost weak for Marco Bezzecchi’s Desmosedici. Also because Ducati still has a clear advantage over the other manufacturers on all circuits on the calendar.
The maximum speeds on the MotoGP tracks
Track | Full speed | Author | Year |
Mugello | 366.1 km/h | B. Binder | 2023 |
Losail | 362.4 km/h | J. Zarco | 2021 |
Austin | 356.4 km/h | M. Vinales | 2023 |
Phillip Island | 356.4 km/h | E. Bastianini | 2022 |
Barcelona | 355.2 km/h | J. Miller | 2021 |
Portimao | 351.7 km/h |
A. Dovizioso J. Zarco E. Bastianini P. Bagnaia TO. Márquez |
2020 2021 2022 2022 2022 |
Termas de Rio Hondo | 345.5 km/h |
P. Bagnaia J. Martin |
2022 2023 |
Silverstone | 340.6 km/h | E. Bastianini | 2022 |
Sepang | 339.6 km/h | A. Iannone | 2015 |
Buriram | 337.5 km/h |
J. Zarco J. Zarco E. Bastianini |
2022 2021 2022 |
Valencia | 337.0 km/h | A. Dovizioso | 2020 |
Le Mans | 325.8 km/h | B. Binder | 2023 |
Assen | 320.8 km/h | A. Dovizioso | 2019 |
Motegi | 317.6 km/h | E. Bastianini | 2022 |
Mandalika | 315.7 km/h | M. Bezzecchi | 2022 |
Red Bull Ring | 315.7 km/h | B. Binder | 2022 |
Sachsenring | 305.0 km/h | M. Bezzecchi | 2023 |
misano | 305.0 km/h | J. Zarco | 2021 |
Jerez | 300.8 km/h | J. Zarco | 2021 |
Brad Binder set a new top speed record during the Mugello Sprint.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
New absolute maximum speed record in MotoGP
The absolute record was broken by Brad Binder (KTM) at Mugello, with a top speed of 366.1 km/h reached during the Sprint of the Italian GP. The previous record was 363.6 km/h, set last year by Jorge Martin on a Ducati, also at Mugello. Three riders have already broken the previous record at the start of the championship: Binder, but also Bastianini on Ducati (364.8 km/h) and Vinales on Aprilia (363.6 km/h), again at the Italian GP.
The top speeds of the builders
This raising of standards extends well beyond the record holders. Mugello, the fastest track on the MotoGP calendar, has seen all the current MotoGP manufacturers break the 360km/h barrier. This parameter has now been democratised, two years after this milestone was passed for the first time in an official MotoGP context, and Yamaha and Honda, currently in great difficulty, have also achieved it.
The Records of each builder
builder | Full speed | Pilot | Grand Prix |
KTM | 366.1 km/h | Brad Binder | Italian GP 2023 |
Previous record: 362.4 km/h (Brad Binder, 2021 Italian GP) | |||
Ducati | 364.8 km/h | Aeneas Bastianini | Italian GP 2023 |
Previous record: 363.6 km/h (Jorge Martin, 2022 Italian GP) | |||
Aprilia | 363.6 km/h | Maverick Vinales | Italian GP 2023 |
Previous record: 357.6 km/h (Aleix Espargaro, 2021 Italian GP) | |||
Yamaha | 360.0 km/h | Fabio Quartararo | Italian GP 2023 |
Previous record: 358.8 km/h (Darryn Binder, 2022 Italian GP) | |||
Honda | 360.0 km/h | Marc Marquez | Italian GP 2023 |
Previous record: 356.4 km/h (Alex Marquez and Pol Espargaró, 2022 Italian GP) |
Eleven riders in the current MotoGP championship have reached 360 km/h.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The maximum speeds rider by rider
The general increase in top speeds is even more evident when considering the 22 regular drivers for the season. Few of them didn’t improve their personal reference in this first part of the championship – or, better to say, during the Italian GP – and now one out of two has reached 360 km/h.
Curiously, this is not the case of World Championship leader Pecco Bagnaia… Proving that top speed isn’t everything!
Pilot | Speed | Motorcycle | Grand Prix |
Brad Binder | 366.1 km/h | KTM | Italian GP 2023 |
Aeneas Bastianini | 364.8 km/h | Ducati | Italian GP 2023 |
Maverick Vinales | 363.6 km/h | Aprilia | Italian GP 2023 |
Jorge Martin | 363.6 km/h | Ducati | Italian GP 2022 |
Fabio Di Giannantonio | 363.6 km/h | Ducati | Italian GP 2023 |
Johann Zarco | 362.4 km/h | Ducati | Italian GP 2023 |
Jack Miller | 362.4 km/h | KTM | Italian GP 2023 |
Fabio Quartararo | 360.0 km/h | Yamaha | Italian GP 2023 |
Aleix Espargaro | 360.0 km/h | Aprilia | Italian GP 2023 |
Marco Bezzecchi | 360.0 km/h | Ducati | Italian GP 2023 |
Marc Marquez | 360.0 km/h | Honda | Italian GP 2023 |
Alex Marquez | 358.8 km/h | Ducati | Italian GP 2023 |
Miguel Oliveira | 358.8 km/h | Aprilia | Italian GP 2023 |
Raúl Fernandez | 357.6 km/h | Aprilia | Italian GP 2023 |
Joan Mir | 357.6 km/h | Suzuki | Qatar GP 2022 |
Alex Rins | 357.6 km/h | Suzuki | Italian GP 2022 |
I’m sorry Bagnaia | 357.6 km/h | Ducati | Italian GP 2022 |
Luca Marini | 356.4 km/h | Ducati | Italian GP 2023 |
Pol Espargaro | 356.4 km/h | Honda | Italian GP 2022 |
Franco Morbidelli | 355.2 km/h | Yamaha | Italian GP 2023 |
Takaaki Nakagami | 352.9 km/h | Honda | Italian GP 2023 |
Augusto Fernandez | 352.9 km/h | KTM | Italian GP 2023 |
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