Stefan Bradl (born 29 November 1989) is a German professional
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 ...
. Bradl is best known for winning the
Moto2 World Champion. Then he made the move to
MotoGP in 2012 with
LCR Honda
LCR Team is a motorcycle racing team currently competing in the MotoGP World Championship under the name LCR Honda Castrol with rider Álex Márquez and LCR Honda Idemitsu with rider Takaaki Nakagami, as well as the MotoE World Cup under the n ...
. While in
MotoGP, Bradl is best known for his performance at
Laguna Seca Laguna Seca may refer to:
* Laguna Seca Formation, a geologic formation in California
* Laguna Seca (Mexico), see Convention of London
* Laguna Seca (Santa Clara County), a seasonal lake in California
* Laguna Seca, Texas, United States
* Rancho ...
getting the pole position and finishing second in the race behind
Marc Marquez Marc or MARC may refer to:
People
* Marc (given name), people with the first name
* Marc (surname), people with the family name
Acronyms
* MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging,
* MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...
, ahead of
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 ...
. Bradl finished the 2013 season 7th, despite missing two races due to injury. This proved to be his highest ever MotoGP finish.
Bradl is the son of former racer
Helmut Bradl. He is contracted as a test rider for
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 ...
in MotoGP and makes occasional
wild card appearances and acts as an injury replacement.
Career
125cc World Championship (2005–2009)
Born in
Augsburg
Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, Bradl started his 125cc World Championship career in
2005 as a wild card for three races, competing in the 125cc German Championship with
KTM
KTM AG (Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, formerly KTM Sportmotorcycle AG) is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and sports car manufacturer owned by Pierer Mobility AG and the Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto. It was formed in 1992 but traces ...
. He took more wild card races in
2006, still with KTM. He had a terrible fracture when he was hit by another rider during practice for the 2006
Malaysian GP. Later that year he was competing again at the
Red Bull KTM Junior.
Bradl was offered by
Alberto Puig to ride his
Repsol
Repsol S.A.
El Nuevo Herald, 2012-05-31[Originally an init ...]
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 ...
factory 250cc team for
2007; he withdrew after a couple of tests, but did not stop racing. Later, he joined the 125cc Spanish Championship with
Blusens Aprilia, winning the title just five points ahead of his teammate
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 ...
. Later he took a couple of wild card World Championship races, with the same team. Additionally, from the
2007 Portuguese GP onwards Blusens Aprilia Team principal Raúl Romero placed him on a second bike with veteran
Pablo Nieto, replacing
Dutchman Hugo van den Berg
Hugo van den Berg is a Grand Prix motorcycle racer from the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, es ...
.
For
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; ...
, rather than stay with Blusens Aprilia, he decided to ride for the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing, on an official factory
Aprilia RSA 125
The Aprilia RS 125 is a race motorcycle manufactured by Aprilia to race in the Grand Prix motorcycle World Championship, built to replace the old Aprilia AF1. It was debuted in , and it had many upgrades since. The bike won ten World Champions ...
. He took his first win at Brno, fittingly a track his father won at in 1991.
Moto2 World Championship (2010–2011)
![Stefan Bradl 2010 Assen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Stefan_Bradl_2010_Assen.jpg)
After moving up to the Moto2 class of Grand Prix racing in 2010, he went on to claim ninth in the championship, with one victory at
Estoril
Estoril () is a town in the Municipality of Cascais, Portugal, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a tourist destination, with luxury hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numerous royal families and celebrities, and has h ...
.
2011 saw Bradl win four of the first six races, and maintained a healthy lead in the championship until
Marc Márquez
Marc Márquez Alentà (born 17 February 1993) is a Spanish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, who has raced for Honda's factory team since his MotoGP debut in 2013. Born in Cervera, Catalonia, Spain, he is nicknamed the 'Ant of Cer ...
found significant speed halfway through the season. The championship seemed to be going down to the wire, with both Bradl and Márquez having a fair shot at the title with two rounds remaining. Márquez, however, suffered a heavy fall during free practice for 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 ...
, and was unable to race for the remainder of the season, due to eyesight problems. Bradl was therefore crowned the World Champion at the final race of the season in
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
MotoGP World Championship (2012–2016)
LCR Honda (2012–2014)
Bradl was signed by the LCR Honda team for 2012. He had a good season, running consistently in the top-10, with a best result of fourth place obtained 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 ...
. He completed the season in eighth place, winning the Rookie of the Year award.
Bradl battled consistently among the second group of riders in 2013, along with
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
Álvaro Bautista
Álvaro Bautista Arce (born 21 November 1984) is a Spanish motorcycle road racer. He won the 2022 Superbike World Championship, with Ducati factory team.
After the 2019 World Superbike season with the factory Ducati team, for 2020 and 2021 h ...
. The highlight of his season was a pole-position at the
United States Grand Prix, at Laguna Seca, where he also finished second, achieving his first MotoGP podium. A crash towards the end of the season at 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 ...
– in which he broke an ankle – took him out of contention in the battle for fifth place with Bautista and Crutchlow. He closed the season in seventh place with 156 points.
In 2014, Bradl continued to ride for LCR Honda. However, on 2 August 2014, it was announced that
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 ...
would join LCR Honda for the 2015 season and ride the factory-specification Honda RC213V. Bradl subsequently announced a move to the
Forward Racing
Forward Racing is a motorcycle racing team competing in the Moto2 World Championship.
History
The team started competing in the MotoGP class as the Hayate Racing Team, a scaled down version of the Kawasaki factory team that withdrew from MotoGP ...
team for 2015, riding an open-specification bike.
Athinà Forward Racing (2015)
For the 2015 season, Bradl moved to
Forward Racing
Forward Racing is a motorcycle racing team competing in the Moto2 World Championship.
History
The team started competing in the MotoGP class as the Hayate Racing Team, a scaled down version of the Kawasaki factory team that withdrew from MotoGP ...
, riding a Yamaha Forward – where he was joined by
Loris Baz
Loris Baz (born 1 February 1993) is a French motorcycle racer. He is competing for satellite BMW team Bonovo in the 2022 Superbike World Championship, together with Eugene Laverty.
Baz has previously competed in World Superbikes for Ten Kate Rac ...
, moving into the series from 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 ...
. At the midway point of the season, Bradl had collected 9 points, despite missing his home race at the
Sanchsenring due to injury. After the summer break, Bradl parted company with the team, following the arrest of team boss Giovanni Cuzari.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini (2015–2016)
In August, Bradl joined
Aprilia Gresini Racing
Gresini Racing is a motorcycle racing team competing in the MotoGP World Championship under the name Gresini Racing MotoGP as a Ducati satellite team, in the Moto2 World Championship as Team Gresini Moto2, and the MotoE World Cup as Felo Gresin ...
for the remainder of the 2015 season. His partnership with Gresini started with a 20th at
Indianapolis, and scored his first points for the team, with 14th at
Brno.
For the 2016 season, Bradl was partnered by Spanish rider
Álvaro Bautista
Álvaro Bautista Arce (born 21 November 1984) is a Spanish motorcycle road racer. He won the 2022 Superbike World Championship, with Ducati factory team.
After the 2019 World Superbike season with the factory Ducati team, for 2020 and 2021 h ...
. He collected 63 points, with no poles, fastest laps and podiums. He finished the season ranked 16th overall.
Superbike World Championship (2017)
For the 2017 season, Bradl moved from
MotoGP to 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 ...
, riding a Honda of the
RedBull Honda Team. He only raced 6 full rounds and 4 half-rounds; taking up 67 points and ranked 14th in the list.
Return to MotoGP (2018–present)
EG 0,0 Marc VDS, HRC Honda Team & LCR Honda (2018)
In 2018, Bradl returned to
MotoGP as a replacement rider for an injured
Franco Morbidelli
Franco Morbidelli (born 4 December 1994) is an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer in MotoGP, riding for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team. He became champion in the 2013 European Superstock 600 Championship, and the 2017 Moto2 World Champio ...
at
EG 0,0 Marc VDS Racing in his home race at the Sachsenring. He made two wildcard entries for
HRC Honda Team at the Czech Republic and San Marino rounds. Bradl replaced the injured Cal Crutchlow at
LCR Honda
LCR Team is a motorcycle racing team currently competing in the MotoGP World Championship under the name LCR Honda Castrol with rider Álex Márquez and LCR Honda Idemitsu with rider Takaaki Nakagami, as well as the MotoE World Cup under the n ...
for the final two rounds, finishing 13th in Malaysia and 9th in Valencia. He collected 10 points total on the season, and was ranked 24th overall.
Repsol Honda Team (2019–present)
![Stefan Bradl 2021 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Stefan_Bradl_2021_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In 2019, he was contracted as a test rider for the Honda works MotoGP team. He raced in the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez as a wildcard entry and in the German, Czech Republic and Austrian Grand Prix as a replacement for the injured Jorge Lorenzo. Bradl finished 10th at Jerez as a wildcard rider. In his second outing as replacement for Jorge Lorenzo he finished 10th in Germany, 15th at Brno and 13th in Austria.
In 2020, Bradl was called up as a replacement rider for
Marc Márquez
Marc Márquez Alentà (born 17 February 1993) is a Spanish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, who has raced for Honda's factory team since his MotoGP debut in 2013. Born in Cervera, Catalonia, Spain, he is nicknamed the 'Ant of Cer ...
from the Czech Republic round onwards, while Márquez was recovering from injuries sustained in an August crash at 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 2021, Bradl was a replacement rider for injured Marquez in the early season. He finished in positions 11 and 14 with two consecutive weekend races at
Losail, Doha. Bradl also had a wild card ride in 2021 at Jerez, finishing in position 12.
For 2022, in the third race of the season at Argentina on 3 April, Bradl finished in position 19 when deputising for Marc Márquez, who was injured in March a few hours before the Indonesian Grand Prix at
Mandalika.
Indonesian MotoGP: Quartararo tops warm-up, Marc Marquez suffers horror highside
crash.net, 20 March 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022
Career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
By season
By class
Races by year
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Superbike World Championship
Races by year
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
External links
*
Profile on MotoGP.com
Profile on WorldSBK.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradl, Stefan
1989 births
Living people
German motorcycle racers
125cc World Championship riders
Moto2 World Championship riders
Sportspeople from Augsburg
Gresini Racing MotoGP riders
Superbike World Championship riders
LCR Team MotoGP riders
Marc VDS Racing Team MotoGP riders
Repsol Honda MotoGP riders
MotoGP World Championship riders