The 1999 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 51st F.I.M.

Road Racing Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

World Championship season.

Season summary

The dominant reign of Honda's

Mick Doohan Michael Sydney Doohan (born 4 June 1965) is an Australian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion, who won five consecutive 500 cc World Championships. Biography Originally from the Gold Coast, Queensland, Doohan attended ...

came to an end with serious injuries suffered in practice for the

Spanish Grand Prix The Spanish Grand Prix ( es, Gran Premio de España, ca, Gran Premi d'Espanya) is a Formula One motor racing event currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race is one of the oldest in the world still contested, celebrating it ...

. In his absence, his Honda teammate

Àlex Crivillé Àlex Crivillé Tapias (born 4 March 1970) is a Spanish former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. In 1992 he became the first Spaniard to win a 500cc Grand Prix and, in 1999 he became the first Spaniard to win the 500cc World Championship. Bio ...

stepped forward and claimed Spain's first-ever 500cc world championship. Kenny Roberts, Jr. gave a strong performance to finish in second with four victories including an outright victory over Doohan in Japan. A young

Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi (; ; born 16 February 1979) is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed ''The Doctor'', he is widely considered to be one of the greatest motorcyc ...

continued to impress for

Aprilia Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded immediately after World War II in Noale, Italy, by Alberto Beggio. The company started as a manufacturer of bicycles and moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. ...

, winning nine races and claiming his second world championship, this time in the 250 class. Honda's

Emilio Alzamora Emilio Alzamora Escardibul (born May 22, 1973 in Lleida, Spain) is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was the 1999 F.I.M. 125cc world champion. He is the second rider to win a Grand Prix motorcycle world championship without having ...

became only the second rider to win a world championship without winning a race when he captured the 125 crown from

Marco Melandri Marco Melandri (born 7 August 1982) is an Italian retired motorcycle road racer who is a five-time premier class race winner. He is the 2002 250 cc World Champion and runner-up in 125 cc, MotoGP and Superbike World Championship. He ...

and

Masao Azuma Masao Azuma (born March 24, 1971 in Kōchi, Japan) is a Japanese former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed in the 125cc class from 1996 to 2003. During his eight years in the 125 class he rode exclusively for Honda and used Bridgesto ...

who split five victories between them.

1999 Grand Prix season calendar

The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1999: †† = Saturday race

Calendar changes

* The

Japanese Grand Prix The Japanese Grand Prix ( ja, 日本グランプリ, Nihon-guranpuri) is a motor racing event in the calendar of the Formula One, Formula One World Championship. Historically, Japan has been one of the last races of the season, and as such the ...

and

Malaysian Grand Prix The Malaysian Grand Prix (officially the Malaysia Grand Prix from 1963–1965 and 2011–2017 and Malayan Grand Prix in 1962) was an annual auto race held in Malaysia. It was part of the Formula One World Championship from 1999 to 2017 and it ...

swapped places, with Malaysia hosting the opening round Grand Prix, instead of Japan. * The

was moved from

Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan ...

to the newly built

Sepang International Circuit The Sepang International Circuit ( ms, Litar Antarabangsa Sepang) is a motorsport race track in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located approximately south of Kuala Lumpur, and close to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It hosted the For ...

. * The Madrid Grand Prix was taken off the calendar, in favour of the newly built

Circuit Ricardo Tormo Circuit Ricardo Tormo, also known as ''Circuit de Valencia'' and officially named ''Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo'', is a motorsport race track located in Cheste (Valencian Community, Spain) and built in 1999. The track is n ...

, which would host the first Valencian Grand Prix this year. * Both the

South African Grand Prix The South African Grand Prix was first run as a Grand Prix motor racing handicap race in 1934 at the Prince George Circuit at East London, Cape Province. It drew top drivers from Europe including Bernd Rosemeyer, Richard "Dick" Seaman, Richa ...

and Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix were added to the calendar. The Rio Grand Prix was removed last year due to organisational problems, whilst South Africa had not been in the calendar since 1992. The race back then, was held at Kyalami. * The

Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix The Japanese Motorcycle Grand Prix (日本グランプリ) is a motorcycling event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. The main venue who held the races for years was the Suzuka Circuit, until it permanently was replaced b ...

moved from

Suzuka Circuit The , more famously known as the , is a long motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka, Mie, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Honda Mobilityland, a subsidiary of Honda, Honda Motor Co, Ltd. It has a capacity of 155,000. Int ...

to the new

Twin Ring Motegi Mobility Resort Motegi (モビリティリゾートもてぎ) is a motorsport race track located at Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Originally named Twin Ring Motegi (ツインリンクもてぎ), the circuit's name came from the facility hav ...

circuit due to lack of the bids.

1999 Grand Prix season results

†† = Saturday race

Participants

500cc participants

Standings

Riders' standings

500cc

;Scoring system Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.

250cc

;Scoring system Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.

125cc

;Scoring system Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.

Manufacturers' standings

500cc

250cc

125cc

References

* Büla, Maurice & Schertenleib, Jean-Claude (2001). ''Continental Circus 1949-2000''. Chronosports S.A. * {{DEFAULTSORT:1999 Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing Season Grand Prix motorcycle racing seasons Grand Prix motorcycle racing season