Franco Morbidelli (born 4 December 1994) is an Italian
Grand Prix motorcycle racer in
MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
, riding for
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team. He became champion in the
2013 European Superstock 600 Championship
The 2013 European Superstock 600 Championship was the ninth season of the European Superstock 600 Championship. Italian Franco Morbidelli was proclaimed champion after winning two races, he beat out fellow Italians Alessandro Nocco and Christian ...
, and the
2017 Moto2 World Championship
The 2017 FIM Moto2 World Championship was a part of the 69th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
The season was marred by the death of Stefan Kiefer, head of Kiefer Racing, in Malaysia. Johann Zarco was the reigning two-time series ...
.
Early life
Morbidelli was born in Rome to a Brazilian mother, Cristina, and an Italian father, Livio Morbidelli. The elder Morbidelli himself was a former motorcycle racer, finishing runner-up in the 80 cc and 125 cc classes of the Italian national championships. Livio Morbidelli recognized his son's potential from a young age but did not have the resources to support a racing career. Through an old racing companion
Graziano Rossi
Graziano Rossi (born 14 March 1954 in Pesaro) is an Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He is the father of 9 times motorcycle World Champion Valentino Rossi.
He began racing in the World Championship in 1977 riding a Suzuki in ...
, father of 9-time world champion
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 ...
, Livio Morbidelli learned of the motorcycle training hotbed in
Tavullia
Tavullia is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italy, Italian region Marche, located about northwest of Ancona and about southwest of Pesaro. Until December 13, 1938 it was known as Tomba di Pesaro.
Tavullia is ...
. The family sold their home in Rome and moved to Tavullia to support Franco's race career ambitions. This training with Rossi became the precursor to what is now known as the VR46 Academy for racers, of which Morbidelli later became the first official member.
Despite the common misconception, he is not related to Giancarlo Morbidelli, manufacturer of the
Morbidelli
Morbidelli was an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded by Giancarlo Morbidelli in Pesaro. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the company was particularly successful in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The team won the 125 cc world champi ...
Grand Prix racing bikes, or his son, former Italian
F1 driver
Gianni Morbidelli
Gianni Morbidelli (born 13 January 1968) is an Italian racing driver. He participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 11 March 1990. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 8.5 championship points. He currently competes in the T ...
. In January 2013, Morbidelli's father committed suicide.
Career
Early career
As a teen, Morbidelli was poised to enter the Spanish CEV 125cc championship, one of the main feeder series for a Grand Prix motorcycle career. However a lack of funding prevented him from entering, and he instead found a ride in the
European Superstock 600 championship for 2011. Staying in the series for 2012, and 2013, Morbidelli got seat at Team Italia aboard a Kawasaki, for a third season in the class in
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, ultimately winning the championship with two wins and three 2nd places.
Moto2 World Championship
Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 (2013)
As a result of his success in the Superstock championship, Morbidelli earned a place as a wild-card entry rider for
Gresini in three rounds of the Moto2 championship.
He did not score any points in the three races, finishing 20th in Misano, 18th in Japan, and 17th in Valencia.
Italtrans Racing Team (2014–2015)
Morbidelli joined the Moto2 class full-time in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
with the Italtrans Racing Team, and outscored his more experienced teammate and former 125cc Champion
Julián Simón
Julián Simón Sesmero (born 3 April 1987) is a Spanish motorcycle racer. He is best known for winning the 2009 125cc World Championship.
Career
125cc World Championship
Born in Villacañas, Toledo, Spain, Simón began his racing career rac ...
, finishing with 75 points compared to Simón's 56.
He stayed with the team in
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, and got his first podium, a 3rd place finish, at the Indianapolis Grand Prix. He ended the season 10th in the standings, with 90 points.
EG 0,0 Marc VDS (2016–2017)
In
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, he joined the
Marc VDS Racing Team
Marc VDS Racing Team is a motorcycle racing team founded by Belgian owner Marc-Oswald van der Straten-Ponthoz, descendant of the founder of the Stella Artois brewery. The team competes in motorcycle racing in the Moto2 World Championship under ...
, partnering
Álex Márquez
Álex Márquez Alentà (born 23 April 1996) is a Grand Prix motorcycle rider from Spain racing for Ducati satellite team Gresini Racing MotoGP. He has competed in MotoGP since the 2020 season, having previously become World Champion in the 2 ...
. After a slow start, he finished the season strongly with five consecutive podium finishes, eight podiums in total (four 2nd places, and four 3rd places), and finished 4th in the standings, with 213 points.
For 2017, he was a favourite for the title and took his first win at the opening race at Qatar accordingly. He won a total of eight races during the season, with another additional four podium finishes, as he won the
2017 Moto2 World Championship
The 2017 FIM Moto2 World Championship was a part of the 69th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
The season was marred by the death of Stefan Kiefer, head of Kiefer Racing, in Malaysia. Johann Zarco was the reigning two-time series ...
with Marc VDS in the Malaysian GP, after his closest championship contender
Thomas Lüthi
Thomas Lüthi (born 6 September 1986) is a Swiss sporting director at Prüstel GP, and former Grand Prix motorcycle racer. He spent 19 years in Grand Prix world championships, becoming one of only six riders to reach 300 race starts, spending m ...
was declared unfit for the Malaysian race, following a crash at qualifying.
MotoGP World Championship
EG 0,0 Marc VDS (2018)
Morbidelli moved up the MotoGP class in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, still with the Marc VDS team on a Honda bike, the 2017-spec
Honda RC213V
The Honda RC213V is a Japanese motorcycle developed for road racing by Honda Racing Corporation to compete in the MotoGP series from the 2012 season and onwards. Rules for 2012 allowed motorcycles up to in capacity, with a limit of 4 cylinders ...
. He was partnered by his 2017 Moto2 title rival Thomas Lüthi, who failed to score a single point that season, on the same machinery. Morbidelli finished the season in 15th place with 50 points, four points ahead of
Hafizh Syahrin
Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah (born 5 May 1994) is a Malaysian motorcycle racer, set to race in WorldSBK in 2022 With MIE Honda. In 2018, he became the first ever Southeast Asian to race in the MotoGP category.
Career Early career
Hafizh was born ...
on the
Tech3
Tech3 is a motorcycle racing team competing in the MotoGP class World Championship under the name Tech3 GasGas Factory Racing. They also compete in the Moto3 World Championship under the name Red Bull KTM Tech3 and the MotoE World Cup under the ...
Yamaha, thus winning rookie of the year.
Petronas Yamaha SRT (2019–2021)
For
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, as Marc VDS left the premier class, Morbidelli signed with the newly formed
Petronas SRT team on a two-year deal to ride an "A-spec" satellite Yamaha alongside rookie
Fabio Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo (; born 20 April 1999), nicknamed El Diablo, is a French Grand Prix motorcycle rider racing in MotoGP for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP. Having won the 2021 MotoGP World Championship, he is the first French World Champion in th ...
.
With 115 points, he finished 10th in the riders' championship, finishing in the top ten point scoring places regularly.
Just before the delayed start to the
2020 season, Petronas SRT announced that Morbidelli had been signed on a further two-year deal, meaning he would stay with the team. In this season, Morbidelli was riding a 2019-spec Yamaha, while his team-mate Fabio Quartararo, rode a factory-spec Yamaha. In August 2020, at the
Austrian Grand Prix
The Austrian Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Österreich) is a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile sanctioned motor racing event that was held in , –, –, and then returned to the Formula One calendar in .
History
The A ...
, Morbidelli's motorcycle collided with that of
Johann Zarco
Johann Zarco (born 16 July 1990) is a French Grand Prix motorcycle racer, best known for winning the and Moto2 World Championships with his 2015 triumph being a record points total for the intermediate class. He rides for Pramac Racing.
Zarc ...
while the two fought through turn 2. Despite the dramatic crash which resulted in a red flag, Morbidelli was unharmed. He achieved his first MotoGP podium at the
Czech round and his first victory just three races later, at his home race in
Rimini
Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...
. He took his second career win at the
Teruel Grand Prix, setting a new track race lap record on the way, and solidifying himself as a contender for the riders' championship. At the following
European Grand Prix
The European Grand Prix (also known as the Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One event that was introduced during the mid-1980s and was held every year from to , except in . During these years, the European Grand Prix was held in a countr ...
, Morbidelli struggled in qualifying and then in the race, battling rising tire pressures, ultimately limping home in 11th, while title rival
Joan Mir
Joan Mir Mayrata () (born 1 September 1997) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer riding for the Repsol Honda Team, who is best known for winning the 2020 MotoGP World Championship with Suzuki. He is the fourth Spanish rider to win the premie ...
took his first career win, all but extinguishing Morbidelli's title hopes. At the
second Valencia round the following week, Morbidelli bounced back to take his second career pole position and converted it to his third career win, staving off a last lap attack from
Jack Miller Jack Miller may refer to:
Military
* Jack Miller (USMC officer) (1920–1942), American marine soldier
* Jack Duppa-Miller (1903–1994), British recipient of the George Cross in World War II, originally called Jack Miller
* USS ''Jack Miller'', ...
. Mir finished in 7th place, sufficient to clinch the championship ahead of Morbidelli. At the final round in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, Morbidelli finished the season with his fifth podium of the season, to end the championship as runner-up to Mir by 13 points.
For
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, Morbidelli's teammate was the VR46 Academy owner
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 ...
. During the first half season, Morbidelli rode the 2020 "A-spec" Yamaha and took his first podium at Jerez, finishing third. After the German Grand Prix, Morbidelli injured his knee in a training accident and was unable to race at
Assen
Assen () is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in 1809. Assen is known for TT Circuit Assen, the ...
when he was substituted by Yamaha World Superbike rider
Garrett Gerloff
Garrett Gerloff (born August 1, 1995) is an American motorcycle racer who has competed in the Superbike World Championship since 2020. He rides a Yamaha YZF-R1.
He was a two-time champion MotoAmerica in the Supersport class after taking first pla ...
, and the
Styrian event in Austria by Yamaha factory tester
Cal Crutchlow
Cal Crutchlow (born 29 October 1985) is an English professional motorcycle racer who retired from regular competition after the 2020 season. He is contracted as a test rider for Yamaha Motor Racing, which he is expected to continue in 2022 and 2 ...
.
[MotoGP 2021 Styrian GP](_blank)
motorsport.com Retrieved 18 August 2021 Morbidelli's recovery was slow and he was replaced by
Jake Dixon
Jake Curtis Dixon (born 15 January 1996) is a British Grand Prix motorcycle racer competing for GasGas Aspar Team in the 2022 Moto2 World Championship. Dixon is best known for finishing runner-up in the 2018 British Superbike Championship, and ...
who rode Morbidelli's machine for the British Grand Prix race in August, and again at Aragón in September.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP (2021–present)
During Morbidelli's rehabilitation, it was announced that he would move up to the factory
Yamaha Motor Racing
Yamaha MotoGP Racing or Yamaha Factory Racing is the official Italian-Japanese factory team of Yamaha in MotoGP.
The team was founded in 1999 following the retirement of Wayne Rainey, who had run a factory-supported team in the 500 cc class ...
team for the rest of 2021 (starting from Misano), and also through 2022, officially replacing the vacated seat left by
Maverick Viñales
Maverick Viñales Ruiz (; born 12 January 1995) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer. Viñales is the 2013 Moto3 World Champion, currently riding in MotoGP for the Aprilia Racing team, after five seasons as a MotoGP factory rider with the ...
who was abruptly sacked by the team in August 2021. Morbidelli’s seat at the satellite Yamaha team was taken over by Andrea Dovizioso, who returned to the sport after a racing break and some test riding with Aprilia. After Morbidelli was deemed healthy enough to race by doctors, he returned to the championship on an unfamiliar bike, after missing five race weekends. This showed in his results, finishing in the points just twice in the season's last five races, ending the year 17th in the standings, with 47 points.
For the
2022 MotoGP World Championship
The 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 74th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Fabio Quartararo came into the season as the defending World Champion. Ducati secured the constructors' championship, wit ...
, Morbidelli was partnered by old teammate, the reigning World Champion
Fabio Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo (; born 20 April 1999), nicknamed El Diablo, is a French Grand Prix motorcycle rider racing in MotoGP for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP. Having won the 2021 MotoGP World Championship, he is the first French World Champion in th ...
at the Yamaha Motor Racing team.
Career statistics
FIM European Superstock 600 Championship
By season
By class
Races by year
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
By season
By class
Races by year
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
World Rally Championship results
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morbidelli, Franco
1994 births
Living people
Italian people of Brazilian descent
Italian motorcycle racers
Moto2 World Championship riders
Sportspeople from Rome
Marc VDS Racing Team MotoGP riders
Sepang Racing Team MotoGP riders
MotoGP World Championship riders
Yamaha Motor Racing MotoGP riders
21st-century Italian people
Moto2 World Riders' Champions