This article lists

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

riders who have died competing at

motorcycle racing 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. Ot ...

events. This article lists rider deaths in all series, at any level.

Isle of Man TT, Manx Grand Prix and Southern 100

There have been over 275 recorded competitor deaths in the Isle of Man since 1910. Some Isle of Man deaths are included directly below, as the races carried World Championship status until a British Grand Prix was established on short-circuits from 1977.

MotoGP/World Grand Prix Motorcycling Championship

Marco Simoncelli 2009 Valencia (cropped)

Listed are fatalities of riders in the World Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing Championship races since its foundation in 1949. In total, 104 riders have died from incidents that occurred at Grand Prix motorcycle racing events, with

Ben Drinkwater Reuben Thomas "Ben" Drinkwater (13 February 1910 – 9 June 1949) born in Rochdale,''Isle of Man Examiner'' pp4 dated 17 June 1949 Lancashire, England, was a railway signalman and motorcycle racer who competed in the Isle of Man TT races and the ...

being the first in 1949. Three riders died in the 1940s; twenty-nine in the 1950s; twenty-seven in the 1960s; twenty-four in the 1970s; fourteen in the 1980s; two in the 1990s; one in the 2000s; three in the 2010s; and one in the 2020s. The most recent fatal accident occurred in May 2021 when

Jason Dupasquier Jason Dupasquier (; 7 September 2001 – 30 May 2021) was a Swiss motorcycle rider who competed in the Moto3 class in the motorcycle world championship until his death after a crash during qualifying at the 2021 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix. He ...

was killed after a crash during qualifying 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 ...

, while the most recent fatal accident to occur in the 500 cc/MotoGP class happened in October 2011, when

Marco Simoncelli Marco Simoncelli (; 20 January 198723 October 2011), nicknamed Sic (), was an Italian professional motorcycle racer. He competed in the MotoGP World Championship for 10 years from 2002 to 2011. He started in the 125cc class before moving up to ...

was killed after he was struck by

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 ...

and

Colin Edwards Colin Edwards II (born February 27, 1974), nicknamed the "Texas Tornado", is an American former professional motorcycle racer who retired half-way through the 2014 season, but continues in the sport as a factory test rider. He is a two-time Wo ...

during the

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 ...

. Eight Grand Prix motorcycle racing

champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the Victory, victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and w ...

have died while racing or practicing in Grand Prix motorcycle racing:

Dario Ambrosini Dario Ambrosini (March 7, 1918 in Cesena - July 14, 1951 in Albi) was an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed for the Benelli factory racing team. He finished second to Bruno Ruffo in the inaugural FIM 250cc world championship ...

in 1951,

Leslie Graham Robert Leslie Graham (14 September 1911 – 12 June 1953) was a British motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1930s and 1940s. He won the inaugural Grand Prix motorcycle racing 500 cc World Championship in 1949. Early Career (1929 ...

in 1953,

Rupert Hollaus Rupert Hollaus (4 September 1931 – 11 September 1954) was an Austrian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed for the NSU factory racing team. He is the only Austrian to win a road racing World Championship, and the first racer to do so ...

in 1954,

Tom Phillis Thomas Edward Phillis (9 April 1934 – 6 June 1962) was an Australian professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He won the 1961 125cc motorcycle road racing World Championship and was the first person to lap the Isle of Man TT mountain ...

in 1962,

Bill Ivy William David Ivy (27 August 1942 – 12 July 1969) was an English professional Grand Prix motorcycle racer from Maidstone, Kent. He died during practice for a race in East Germany. The Early Years Ivy started racing motorbikes at Brands Hat ...

in 1969,

Jarno Saarinen Jarno Karl Keimo Saarinen (11 December 1945 – 20 May 1973) was a Finnish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. In the early 1970s, he was considered one of the most promising and talented motorcycle racers of his era until he was kill ...

in 1973,

Daijiro Kato was a Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, the 2001 250cc world champion, and the 2000 and 2002 Suzuka 8 Hours winner. He died as a result of injuries sustained after a crash during the 2003 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix at Suzuka Circu ...

in 2003, and Marco Simoncelli in 2011. While Hollaus is often credited as the only rider to win the championship posthumously, he had mathematically clinched the 1954 125 cc world championship title, as he had achieved the maximum number of points possible at the time of his death. ;Footnotes:

By circuit

By decade

Endurance Series

Superbike World Championship

The following riders have been killed in the

Superbike World Championship Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing. The championship was founded i ...

Other international events

British National or Club Series

There have been over 120 recorded deaths in British motorcycle racing series since 1930.

North West 200 and Irish Road Racing

American Road Racing

American Motocross/Supercross

National Series in Continental Europe

Asian National Series

National Series in South America

Speedway

Auto Race

Since the beginning in 1950, 96 riders have lost their lives with the most recent being at December 2021, nine of those since 1993, when the began to replace the numerous competing engines including the ,

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

, , and the HKS produced ; 23 of those since 1967, when it became compulsory for tracks to take place on paved asphalt.

American Flat Track

¹ Eklund's accident happened in 1990. He died in 1991 from his injuries.
² Halbert's accident happened in 2014. He died in 2015 from his injuries.

Enduro

‡ Ahola's accident happened in 2011. He died in 2012, as a result of injuries sustained.

Dakar Rally

Other rallying events

*2001

John Deacon John Richard Deacon (born 19 August 1951) is an English retired musician, best known for being the bass guitarist for the rock band Queen. He wrote several songs for the group, including Top 10 hits " You're My Best Friend", " Another One Bit ...

(GBR) Rally France/Jordan *2004

Richard Sainct Richard Sainct (14 April 1970 – 29 September 2004) was a French rally raid motorcycle rider, best known for his three victories on Dakar Rally, The Paris-Dakar rally in 1999, 2000 and 2003. Biography His other notable achievements include winni ...

(FRA)

Rallye des Pharaons The Rallye des Pharaons (French for "Pharaohs Rally") was a rally-raid event that took place in Egypt between 1982 and 2015. Cairo was both the starting and finishing point at the foot of the pyramids of Giza, and the rally covered roughly around . ...

*2020 Ismael Bonilla (ESP), 41, crashed at

Circuito de Jerez Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto (formerly known as Circuit of Jerez and Circuito Permanente de Jerez), is a racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, south of Seville and deep within the sherry-producing region in th ...

Ismael Bonilla overleden na crash op Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto

References

{{MotoGP

Motorcycle racing 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. Ot ...

Deaths Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...