Pramac Racing is a
motorcycle racing team competing in the
MotoGP and
MotoE World Championships. The team was created in
2002 by Italian company Pramac. In
2005 Pramac Racing joined forces with Spanish d'Antin MotoGP to form "Pramac d'Antin" and in 2007 the team became part of the Pramac Group. After Luis d'Antin left the team in 2008, the team became known as "Pramac Racing". Their base is i
United Kingdom
History
d'Antin MotoGP
The d'Antin MotoGP Team was created in 1999 by
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
former
motorcycle racer
Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Oth ...
Luis d'Antin and was based in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
. Beginning in the team raced in the 250 cc Spanish and World Championships with
Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below).
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...
bikes and
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
riders
Fonsi Nieto
Alfonso González Nieto (born 2 December 1978 in Madrid, Spain), better known as Fonsi Nieto, is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and the nephew of successful Grand Prix motorcycle road racer Ángel Nieto. After success in the 250cc c ...
and
David García. In the same season the team ran in the 500 cc class with
Japanese rider
Norifumi Abe
, or was a Japanese professional motorcycle road racer who was previously a 500 cc/MotoGP rider. He died in a road traffic crash in October 2007.
Career
Abe was born to , a paved flat track rider, in Tokyo. When he was eleven, Abe began raci ...
aboard a
Yamaha YZR500
The Yamaha YZR500 was a for 500cc Grand Prix racing motorcycle made by Yamaha from 1973 through 2002.
Racing history
The YZR500 was ridden by championship winners Giacomo Agostini (1975), Kenny Roberts (1978, 1979, 1980), Eddie Lawson (1984, ...
. Abe took a win in at 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 World Championship. Historically, Japan has been one of the last races of the season, and as such the Japanese Gran ...
at
Suzuka.
José Luis Cardoso
Jose Luis Cardoso Lobo (born 2 February 1975 in Seville, Spain) is a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. During the 2006 season, he rode for the Pramac d'Antin Ducati squad, his second time with this team.
Early career
His first success was ...
joined the team in as second rider alongside Abe. A podium finish was the team's best result.
In the 500 cc class became MotoGP and the D'Antin team continued with the same riders and the same Yamaha YZR500. The 500 cc
2-stroke
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...
motorcycle was not able to compete against the more powerful 990 cc
4-strokes and top 10 finishes were the team's best results. D'Antin got the new
Yamaha YZR-M1
The Yamaha YZR-M1 is an inline-four motorcycle specifically developed by Yamaha Motor Company to race in the current MotoGP series. It succeeded the YZR500 by the 2002 season and was originally developed with a engine. Since then, the YZR-M1 ...
in , with
Shinya Nakano
is a retired Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Superbike rider. He is not related to the former Formula One racer Shinji Nakano.
Career
Early career
Nakano was All-Japan 250cc champion in 1998, the highlight of a long career in b ...
as the team's only rider. The team switched to
Ducati motorcycles in using the previous season's
Desmosedici GP3 and signing
Superbike World Champion Neil Hodgson
Neil Stuart Hodgson (born 20 November 1973) is a British former motorcycle racer, who won the 2000 British Superbike Championship, and the 2003 Superbike World Championship titles. He then went on to have a moderately successful four years in t ...
and runner-up
Rubén Xaus
Rubén Xaus (born 18 February 1978 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain) is a retired motorcycle road racer. During his career he competed in both the Superbike World Championship and the MotoGP. He is nicknamed ' Spider-Man', as his lanky frame leads ...
, Ducati's factory riders for the 2003 World Superbike Championship season. The team ran into financial difficulties mid-season and was not able to run a test program; their best result was a third place for Xaus in Qatar.
Pramac Racing
Pramac Racing entered
MotoGP in
2002, taking over the activities of
Hardwick Racing, relocating to
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and using the
Honda NSR500
Japanese Grand Prix 1993 ">1993 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix">Japanese Grand Prix 1993
The Honda NSR500 is a road racing motorcycle created by HRC ( Honda Racing Corporation) and debuted in 1984 for the Grand Prix motorcycle racing's 500 ...
with
Tetsuya Harada
is a Japanese former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was the 1993 FIM 250cc World Champion.
Early years
Born in Chiba, Japan, Harada won the Japanese 125cc Junior championship in 1988, and was runner-up to Tadayuki Okada in the A ...
as a rider. In September 2002 Pramac signed a three-year deal with
Max Biaggi
Massimiliano "Max" Biaggi (; born 26 June 1971) is an Italian former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who achieved six World Championships. With four 250 cc road race titles and two in World Superbikes, he is one of only two ri ...
and
Honda Racing Corporation
Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is a division of the Honda Motor Company formed in 1982. The company combines participation in motorcycle races throughout the world with the development of racing machines. Its racing activities are an important ...
to enter a
Honda RC211V
The Honda RC211V is a 990 cc (60 cu in) four-stroke race motorcycle from HRC ( Honda Racing Corporation) developed in 2001 to replace the two-stroke Honda NSR500.
It was developed as a direct result of major changes to the regulations for the Wor ...
.
Two months later Pramac and
Pons Racing
Pons Racing is a motorcycle and auto racing team owned by the British company Pons Racing UK Limited. The team principal is former 250 cc world champion, Sito Pons. In motorcycle road racing world championships, Pons has fielded riders su ...
reached an agreement whereby Biaggi would have competed for Pons while still under contract with Pramac.
In
2003 Pramac also entered his own team with a
Honda RC211V
The Honda RC211V is a 990 cc (60 cu in) four-stroke race motorcycle from HRC ( Honda Racing Corporation) developed in 2001 to replace the two-stroke Honda NSR500.
It was developed as a direct result of major changes to the regulations for the Wor ...
for
Makoto Tamada
(born November 4, 1976 in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan) is a former Japanese professional motorcycle racer currently working as a rider instructor in Suzuka Racing School. He is one of the few riders to win races in both MotoGP and Superb ...
, being the only
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
team to use
Bridgestone tyres. A podium in Brazil was the team's best result, while Biaggi scored two wins and finished the championship in third place.
For
2004 Pramac Racing ran alongside
Pons Racing
Pons Racing is a motorcycle and auto racing team owned by the British company Pons Racing UK Limited. The team principal is former 250 cc world champion, Sito Pons. In motorcycle road racing world championships, Pons has fielded riders su ...
under the name Camel Honda. Tamada and his team, led by Luca Montiron, joined Sito Pons' structure. Tamada still raced on Bridgestone tyres while Biaggi used
Michelin tyres. Tamada finished the season with two wins and sixth place in the final championship standings; Biaggi clinched a win and the third place overall. Many changes happened at the end of the season: Biaggi terminated his contract with Pramac and joined the
Repsol Honda
Repsol Honda is the official factory team of the Honda Racing Corporation in the MotoGP class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing (World Championship road racing), backed by principal sponsor Repsol.
History 1990s
In the team entered a three r ...
works team, Luca Montiron also left the team and founded
JiR with Tamada as a rider while Pramac ended its relationship with Pons Racing to start a new project with Ducati and d'Antin.
Pramac d'Antin
In
2005 d'Antin MotoGP and Pramac Racing merged to form Pramac d'Antin. The team used the previous season's
Desmosedici GP4 with
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
Roberto Rolfo
Roberto 'Roby' Rolfo (born 23 March 1980) is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer. He had his best season in 2003, when he finished in second place in the 250cc World Championship. Rolfo competed in the MotoGP class for one year ...
as a rider. The team used
Dunlop tyres and usually finished races near the back of the grid. For
2006 the team was given use of the
Desmosedici GP6. the same motorcycles the
factory team
A works team (sometimes factory team, company team) is a sports team that is financed and run by a manufacturer or other business. Sometimes, works teams contain or are entirely made up of employees of the supporting company.
Association footb ...
was using.
Alex Hofmann
Alexander Hofmann (born 25 May 1980) is a retired Grand Prix motorcycle racer, who now works on German television coverage of the sport. He is nicknamed 'The Hoff' in English-speaking countries, a nod to David Hasselhoff.
Early years
He succes ...
and
José Luis Cardoso
Jose Luis Cardoso Lobo (born 2 February 1975 in Seville, Spain) is a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. During the 2006 season, he rode for the Pramac d'Antin Ducati squad, his second time with this team.
Early career
His first success was ...
were the team's riders. The
Dunlop tyres the team used were not competitive and once again the team finished races near the back of the grid.
Prior to the start of the
2007 season, Pramac and d'Antin reached an agreement that saw the d'Antin team becoming an integral part of the Pramac Group. The team used the new 800 cc
Ducati Desmosedici GP7 and
Bridgestone tyres, and
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
ian
Alex Barros
Alexandre Barros (born October 18, 1970) is a Brazilian former professional motorcycle road racer who is a 7-time 500cc/ MotoGP race winner and also a race winner in Superbike World Championship. After a long Grand Prix career, in 2006 he move ...
joined the team alongside
Alex Hofmann
Alexander Hofmann (born 25 May 1980) is a retired Grand Prix motorcycle racer, who now works on German television coverage of the sport. He is nicknamed 'The Hoff' in English-speaking countries, a nod to David Hasselhoff.
Early years
He succes ...
. Barros had a strong season finishing regularly in the top ten and taking a podium finish at the
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...
, beating works rider
Casey Stoner
Casey Joel Stoner (born 16 October 1985) is an Australian retired professional motorcycle racer, and a two-time MotoGP World Champion, in and . During his MotoGP career, Stoner raced for the factory teams of Ducati and Honda, winning a tit ...
into fourth place. Hofmann had a more average season and he injured his hand in practice at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) is a paved road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, built in 1957 near both Salinas and ...
. He was replaced by
Chaz Davies
Chaz Davies (born 10 February 1987 in Knighton, Powys, Wales), is a former motorcycle racer who announced his retirement from competition in September 2021. For 2022, Davies is to become a rider-coach working with Ducati and Feel Racing, mento ...
for the remainder of the weekend, and by
Iván Silva at
Brno. Hofmann returned to racing at
Misano but he was fired by the team following the
Portuguese Grand Prix
The Portuguese Grand Prix (''Grande Prémio de Portugal'') is a motorsports event that was first held in 1951 as a sportscar event, and then intermittently disappearing for many years before being revived again. In 1964 event was held as a spo ...
, after pulling out of the race while in with a chance of scoring points, due to a lack of motivation. Davies returned to complete the season.
Alice Team
In
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, the team continued using the
Ducati Desmosedici GP8 and
Bridgestone tyres.
Sylvain Guintoli
Sylvain Guintoli (born 24 June 1982 in Montélimar) is a French professional motorcycle racer. He was FIM World Superbike Champion in 2014. He is contracted to the Suzuki MotoGP team as a test rider with occasional race entries, as a wild card ...
and
Toni Elías
Antonio "Toni" Elías Justícia (born 26 March 1983) is a Spanish professional motorcycle racer and inaugural champion of the Moto2 World Championship. He is the third member of the Elías family to compete in motorcycle racing. He currently ride ...
were the team's riders, while the team was sponsored by Alice –
Telecom Italia
Gruppo TIM, legally TIM S.p.A. (formerly Telecom Italia S.p.A.), also known as the TIM Group in English, is an Italian telecommunications company with headquarters in Rome, Milan, and Naples, (with the Telecom Italia Tower) which provides fixed ...
's DSL service – and was renamed the Alice Team. Luis d'Antin resigned from the team midway though the 2008 season, at the
German Grand Prix
The German Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Deutschland) was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history; the Nürburgring in Rh ...
at the
Sachsenring
The Sachsenring () is a motorsport racing circuit located in Hohenstein-Ernstthal near Chemnitz in Saxony, Germany. Among other events, it features the annual German motorcycle Grand Prix of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world champ ...
.
Pramac Racing
For the
2009 season, the team competed under the name of Pramac Racing, using the
Ducati Desmosedici GP9 and
Bridgestone tyres with
Mika Kallio
Mika Kallio (born 8 November 1982) is a Finnish Grand Prix motorcycle racer, currently serving as the lead test and development rider for the Red Bull KTM team in MotoGP. He debuted in the 125cc World Championship with the Finnish rookie team ...
and
Niccolò Canepa
Niccolò Canepa (born 14 May 1988 in Genoa) is an Italian professional motorcycle road racer contracted from 2022 to RNF Racing in the MotoE World Cup aboard an Energica Ego Corsa. Canepa won the 2007 European Superstock 1000 Championship on a ...
as the team's riders. On 19 August 2009 it was announced
Aleix Espargaró
Aleix Espargaró Villà (born 30 July 1989) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was thSpanish 2004 FIM CEV 125cc International Champion and currently competes in the MotoGP class for Aprilia Racing team.
Career
Espargaró was b ...
would race for Pramac in Indianapolis and Misano, the seat having been filled by
Michel Fabrizio
Michel Fabrizio (born 17 September 1984) is a former professional motorcycle road racer. From to , he raced in the Superbike World Championship. In 2021 he competed in the Supersport World Championship aboard a Kawasaki ZX-6R, before retiring o ...
at
Brno. He temporarily replaced Kallio who in turn filled in
for
Casey Stoner
Casey Joel Stoner (born 16 October 1985) is an Australian retired professional motorcycle racer, and a two-time MotoGP World Champion, in and . During his MotoGP career, Stoner raced for the factory teams of Ducati and Honda, winning a tit ...
at the
Ducati works team. Kallio and Espargaró raced for Pramac for the
2010 season.
The Pramac team competed in the championship with riders
Loris Capirossi
Loris Capirossi (born 4 April 1973) is an Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, currently serving as Safety Advisor to Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
He is a 9-time Premier Class race wi ...
and
Randy de Puniet
Randy de Puniet (born 14 February 1981) is a road racer of motorcycles from France. He competed in Grands Prix racing between 1998 and 2014, where he achieved five wins in the 250cc class. He also competed in the Superbike World Championship d ...
and achieving a sixth place as a best race result.
Damian Cudlin and
Sylvain Guintoli
Sylvain Guintoli (born 24 June 1982 in Montélimar) is a French professional motorcycle racer. He was FIM World Superbike Champion in 2014. He is contracted to the Suzuki MotoGP team as a test rider with occasional race entries, as a wild card ...
entered some races replacing an injured Capirossi. In Pramac Racing fielded only one bike for
Héctor Barberá
Héctor Barberá Vall (born November 2, 1986) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He competes in MotoAmerica aboard a BMW S1000RR.
Career
Born in Dos Aguas, Valencia Province, Barberá began his World Championship career at the ...
. For
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 fa ...
, Pramac Racing received ''Factory supported team Ducati'' status and fielded two factory-specification Desmosedici for works riders
Andrea Iannone and
Ben Spies
Ben Spies (; born July 11, 1984), is an American former professional motorcycle road racer. He was sometimes nicknamed "Elbows" due to his riding style, in which his elbows protruded outward. Spies won the AMA Superbike Championship for Yoshimur ...
. Spies was injured for all but the first two races of that season and was replaced by
Michele Pirro
Michele Pio Pirro (born 5 July 1986) is a motorcycle road racer from Italy, He was 2007 and 2008 the ''Italian CIV National Champion in the Superstock class'' and a test rider for Ducati factory racing in MotoGP and rides occasionally as a wil ...
and later
Yonny Hernández, who ended up securing a ride for the team in the season
alongside the confirmed Iannone. During 2014 Iannone still raced a factory-supported GP14 bike, while Hernandez rode a GP13 bike.
For Iannone was promoted to the
factory Ducati team, to replace
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 ...
. Iannone was replaced by
Danilo Petrucci
Danilo Carlo Petrucci (born 24 October 1990) is an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer who has competed in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship with Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York. After losing his KTM ride in MotoGP at the end of the ...
at Pramac. Hernández retained with the team, both of them were riding with the Ducati Desmosedici GP14. In 2016,
Scott Redding
Scott Christopher Redding (born 4 January 1993) is a British motorcycle racer. For 2022 he is contracted to ride in Superbike World Championship with BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team after the 2020 and 2021 seasons with Ducati factory WSBK team ridi ...
joined the team. Petrucci retained with the team, both of them were riding with the Ducati Desmosedici GP15.
In , the Pramac team received a factory-specification Ducati Desmosedici for Petrucci - as his championship standing was ahead from Redding in 2016 - while Redding riding with a one-year old Ducati Desmosedici. In ,
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'', ...
joined the team to replacing Redding, who was moved to the
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. As usual, Petrucci riding with GP18 bike while Miller riding with GP17 bike.
In Petrucci was promoted to the factory Ducati team, to replace
Jorge Lorenzo
Jorge Lorenzo Guerrero (; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish former professional motorcycle racer. He is a five-time World Champion, with three MotoGP World Championships (, and ) and two 250cc World Championships ( and ).
After winning the 2006 a ...
. Petrucci was replaced by
Francesco Bagnaia
Francesco "Pecco" Bagnaia (born 14 January 1997) is an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer competing in MotoGP for the Ducati Lenovo Team. He is the current MotoGP World Champion and a previous Moto2 World Champion. He is the first rider fro ...
- the 2018 Moto2 World Champion - at Pramac. Miller was promoted to riding a Ducati Desmosedici GP19, whilst Bagnaia riding with a Ducati Desmosedici GP18. For , for the first time since 2013, the Pramac Racing fielded two factory-specification Ducati Desmosedici GP20 bike for works riders Miller and Bagnaia - both riders are riding with the same bike for the first time since 2016.
For ,
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.
Zar ...
and
Jorge Martín
Jorge Martín Almoguera (born 29 January 1998), nicknamed the Martinator, is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer riding for Pramac Racing. In 2021 Martín moved up to the premier class with Pramac Racing, and won the 2021 Styrian motorcycle G ...
joined the team after their last season with
Esponsorama Racing
Esponsorama Racing is a motorcycle racing team competing in the MotoE World Championship under the name Avintia Esponsorama Racing.
The team was established in 1994 by Raúl Romero and Josep Oliva as By Queroseno Racing, also known as Team BQR. ...
and Moto2 respectively. Both riders riding the new Ducati Desmosedici GP21. The team scored its first ever premier class victory at the Styrian GP by Jorge Martin.
MotoGP results
By rider
By season
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Pramac d'Antin
Motorcycle racing teams
Motorcycle racing teams established in 1999
1999 establishments in Spain