What is the Difference Between MotoGP™, Moto2™ and Moto3™?

MotoGP™ is the most exciting sport on earth and the premier motorcycle racing championship in the world, consisting of three classes: MotoGP™,  Moto2™ and Moto3.

So, ‘What is the Difference Between MotoGP™, Moto2™ and Moto3™?’ Essentially the MotoGP™ category is the pinnacle and the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, featuring the most talented riders on the planet, riding powerful 1000cc prototype motorcycles which can reach speeds in excess of 365km/h (227mph). It’s the big show.

Meanwhile, Moto2™ is the intermediate class and Moto3™ is the ‘lightweight’ or entry class in the World Championship. The bikes in Moto2™ are smaller than MotoGP™, and those in Moto3™ are smaller than Moto2™.

The logical and standard path through the three MotoGP™ classes to the top is for the best young riders from around the world to join Moto3™ from a national or junior championship, often via the Road to MotoGP then progress to Moto2™ and if they are lucky and talented enough, finally graduate to MotoGP™.

An overview of the three MotoGP™ classes

The FIM Grand Prix World Championship, now known as MotoGP, began in 1949, with the Isle of Man hosting the first Motorcycle Grand Prix. Decades later, in 2002 the modern era of motorcycle racing commenced, as MotoGP™ was born, to replace the 500cc premier class. MotoGP™ is the name of the sport and the name of the class. Now, we use it to refer to the sport overall throughout history too.

Four-stroke machines have ruled the premier class and the Czech Grand Prix of the 2003 season marked the end of an era with the last participation of two-stroke machines in MotoGP™.

The rider who wins the MotoGP™ title at the end of the season can rightfully claim to be the very best rider in the world that year.

Moto2™ and Moto3™ are important training grounds for developing future MotoGP™ World Champions, and winning titles there is an amazing achievement in itself.

The Moto2™ class was formed in 2010 to replace the 250cc category. Moto2™ riders compete on 765cc three-cylinder engines - all the same, supplied by Triumph, with different chassis around them - and the intermediate category is pretty much equidistant between the lighter machines in Moto3™ and the behemoths of MotoGP™. Those who master this class have a chance of making it to the big time in MotoGP™.

The Moto3™ category took the place of the 125cc class in 2012, with the focus of the teams at this entry level being on developing the world’s best young talent on more lightweight bikes. 

So, what is the Difference Between MotoGP™, Moto2™ and Moto3™ bikes?

MotoGP™ bikes are the top level racing machines, pure prototypes and with more outright performance than their counterparts from Moto2™ and Moto3™, with technical features which include aerodynamic winglets, advanced carbon braking systems, holeshot devices, ride-height devices and seamless gearboxes. All of it is designed just to compete in MotoGP™.

The chassis used in all three classes are prototypes, whilst the engines in the MotoGP™ and Moto3™ classes are also prototypes, whereas Moto2™ bikes use the Triumph 765cc engine as standard.

These are the technical specifications of the bikes in MotoGP™ vs Moto2™ vs Moto3™

MotoGP™ bike specifications and performance

•       Full prototypes
•       1000cc four-cylinder engine
•       Approximately 250hp
•       6 gears
•       Minimum weight: 157kg (rider weight not accounted for in premier class)
•       Top speed: 366.1km/h
•       Each rider in MotoGP is allocated with seven engines per season
•       MotoGP™ bikes must not carry more than 22 litres of fuel in any session or race.

Moto2™ bike specifications and performance

•       765cc three-cylinder engine
•       138hp (more than double the horse power of Moto3™ machinery)
•       6 gears.
•       Minimum weight in Moto2™: 217kg bike & rider
•       Top speed: Over 300km/h (301.8km/h)

Moto3™ bike specifications and performance

•       250cc one-cylinder engine
•       60hp
•       6 gears
•       Minimum weight: 152kg bike & rider
•       Top speed: 245km/h

Moto3™ motorcycles run narrow tyres and are lightweight, lower horsepower machines than Moto2™ and MotoGP™ bikes. However, they still deliver significant power when considering the weight of the bike and the size of the engine.

 The Moto3™ and Moto2™ categories use standard throttle management electronics to prepare riders for more complex systems in MotoGP™.

Race formats and competition structure

The racing in MotoGP™ is the most demanding of the three classes in terms of the talent level of the riders, the total race distance, the time on the bike and the average speed required to win the race.

Let’s look at a sample of three Grands Prix from the 2024 season and compare the key numbers from the respective race formats in each class:

2024 Grand Prix of Qatar

2024 British Grand Prix

2024 Grand Prix of Malaysia

 These are the key characteristics of the racing and the main riding points in Moto3™:

•       Extremely competitive, action-packed racing with many bikes and packages on a similar technical level
•       Carrying corner speed is vital
•       Riders must use the slipstream well
•       Riders must strive for accuracy with the correct racing line
•       In some corners Moto3™ bikes have a higher apex speed than a MotoGP™ bike!
•       Approximately 26 riders on the grid in each race

These are the key characteristics of the racing and the main riding points in Moto2™:

•       From Moto3™ to Moto2™ there is a big increase in horsepower and bike weight
•       Riders must deal with increased movement from the rear tyre compared with Moto3™
•       Block passing, tyre conservation and race strategy increasingly important
•       Riders must be adept at stopping and turning a heavier machine from 300km/h
•       Approximately 28 riders on the grid in each race

These are the key characteristics of the racing and the main riding points in MotoGP™:

•       As riders step up from Moto2™ to MotoGP™ they must prepare for handling the huge 250hp output of premier class prototypes
•       Riders must manage the massive stopping power of front carbon brakes
•       Riders must effectively combine all the knowledge they have gathered in junior classes, other series, Moto3™ and Moto2™
•       Cornering at extreme lean angles
•       Racing at top speeds in excess of 360km/h
•       Battling with the very best riders on the planet
•       Saturday Sprint in MotoGP™, none in Moto2™ and Moto3™
•       Longer races (laps/total distance/time on bike)
•       22 full-time riders on grid in each race

In each class the results of every race (and in the MotoGP™ class every Sprint on Saturday) count towards the World Championship standings.

In each class in the races on Sunday the points are awarded to the first 15 finishers on the following scale:

In the MotoGP™ Sprint the first nine riders to finish are awarded with World Championship points as follows:

Over the duration of the season the points are tallied up in the championship standings and the rider with the most points becomes the World Champion in their respective class.

MotoGP™, Moto2™ & Moto3™ rider profiles and experience levels

In the Moto3™ class is typically where riders make their Grand Prix debut and carry out their first full season of Grand Prix racing, though there are exceptions to this trend.

The structure of the World Championship classes is set up so that riders gain experience first in Moto3™, then progress to Moto2™ and potentially MotoGP™ depending on their talent and performance levels. That’s after many riders have also honed their craft on the Road to MotoGP™.

The minimum age for new riders in all classes is now 18, which is a newer rule and means some old records for 15 or 16 year olds are nearly guaranteed to be all-timers now!

In Moto3™ the following exception applies to this minimum age rule whereby: ‘The top three finishers overall in both the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and the FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship may compete in the Moto3™ class from such time as they are mathematically guaranteed a top three finish in the Rookies Cup or JuniorGP™, even if they do not reach the minimum age of 18. Nonetheless, an absolute minimum age of 17 applies.’

There is also a maximum age limit of 28 in Moto3™ to encourage riders to move up to Moto2™ or on to other paths in racing, keeping the overall average age in the lightweight class down.

Meanwhile in the Moto2™ category an exemption can be given to the winner of the FIM European Moto2™ Championship to compete in the Moto2™ World Championship, even if they are below the minimum age of 18. Again, an absolute minimum age of 17 applies.

As the intermediate class, the riders in Moto2™ typically tend to be older and more experienced than Moto3™ riders, though still younger and less experienced than the big guns in MotoGP™.

The prestige and combined experience of the riders in the MotoGP™ class speaks for itself. At the start of the 2024 MotoGP™ World Championship the premier class grid included 13 World Champions, with those riders boasting 26 World titles between them in Grand Prix racing as the season commenced.

As they started their 2024 campaigns, all 22 MotoGP™ riders had at least one Grand Prix win from one of the three classes to their names, with a remarkable combined total of 347 GP victories between them.

Historical context and riders who have progressed through Grand Prix classes

Many highly notable riders have progressed through Moto3™ and Moto2™ to achieve success in MotoGP™.

MotoGP™ Legend and one of the best riders of all time, Valentino Rossi progressed through the smaller classes before they were updated to become Moto3™ and Moto2™. ‘The Doctor’ won the 125cc and 250cc World Championships in 1997 and 1999 respectively before moving up to the premier class, where he would go on to amass seven more World titles.

Rossi’s former teammate and rival Jorge Lorenzo spent three years in the 125cc class, before twice winning the 250cc title in 2006 and 2007 and then going on to become a three-time MotoGP™ World Champion.

Marc Marquez was the 125cc champion in 2010 and then spent the next two seasons in Moto2™, winning the intermediate class title in 2012, before sensationally winning the MotoGP™ title in 2013 as a rookie. Marquez has built on his experience in the smaller classes to become one of the most successful riders in history, with six premier class titles to his name.

Australian MotoGP™ star Jack Miller is something of an exception to the rule of gradually moving up the classes, as he made the move directly from Moto3™ at the end of the 2014 to MotoGP™ in 2015. After a decade of entertaining fans in the premier class Miller has racked up 23 podiums and four Grand Prix victories.

The 2013 MotoGP™ title winner Maverick Viñales finished third in the 2014 Moto2™ World Championship, before joining MotoGP™. Viñales had achieved 10 race wins and 35 podiums in the top tier by the start of the 2025 season.

MotoGP™ race winner and multi-time podium finisher Johann Zarco got his start in Grand Prix competition in the old 125cc class, then went on to win two Moto2™ titles in 2015 and 2016 before his move up. 

Francesco Bagnaia served his apprenticeship in Grand Prix racing in Moto3™ from 2013 to 2016, then won the Moto2™ title in 2018, before becoming a double MotoGP™ World Champion in 2022 and 2023.

The 2024 MotoGP™ World Champion Jorge Martin was the king of the Moto3™ category in 2018 and he also spent two seasons in the intermediate class before making it to the big time.

Meanwhile, 2024 MotoGP™ Rookie of the Year Pedro Acosta sensationally won the 2021 Moto3™ World Championship as a rookie on the Grand Prix scene. Acosta then secured the Moto2™ crown in his second year in that class in 2023, underlining his credentials to become one of the current stars of MotoGP™. Hype? Yessir.

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