Ducati equals Honda with 22 consecutive wins in MotoGP. Here are the longest winning streaks for each manufacturer.
With Johann Zarco’s win at Le Mans (France) on May 11, riding the Honda for Lucio Cecchinello’s team, the Japanese manufacturer brought Ducati’s winning streak in MotoGP to a halt at 22. At the same time, Honda prevented Ducati from surpassing its record of consecutive wins in the premier class (MotoGP and 500cc), leaving both manufacturers tied at 22.
Despite sharing the record with Honda, this remains an exceptional milestone for Ducati, which is competing with Japanese giants that have been involved in racing since the 1960s. Ducati, by contrast, never raced in the 500cc class and only entered MotoGP in 2003. From the very beginning, it has always used Brembo braking systems — loyal partners on both its production bikes and its World Superbike machines.
This new record of consecutive wins in the 500cc-MotoGP era is a great opportunity to review the longest winning streaks achieved by each motorcycle manufacturer in the premier class. And yes, there are some surprises.
In the 2024 MotoGP season, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer nearly achieved a clean sweep, winning 19 out of 20 Grands Prix. The only exception was the Americas GP, won by Maverick Viñales on the Aprilia. From the following Spanish GP onwards, Ducati claimed the remaining 17 races and the first 6 of the current season, sharing the top step of the podium between 5 riders: Francesco Bagnaia, Marc Marquez, Enea Bastianini, Alex Marquez, and Jorge Martin — who became the 2024 World Champion. A dominant display, driven by the strength of the Desmosedici GP23, GP24, and GP25 — machines that left the competition in the dust. Since 2016, all MotoGP riders have used Brembo brakes.
Loris Capirossi delivered Ducati’s first MotoGP victory in 2003, and in 1996 he ended Honda’s winning streak in the 500cc class by winning in Australia on a Yamaha. That Honda streak had resumed at the Malaysian GP in 1997 and continued through to Assen the following year: 22 consecutive wins, mostly thanks to Mick Doohan, who took the top step 15 times. Also contributing were Alex Crivillé (4 wins), Tadayuki Okada, Max Biaggi, and Carlos Checa (1 each). All of these triumphs came aboard the Honda NSR500, equipped at the time with Brembo axial calipers.
The 1960s were defined by MV Agusta’s dominance in the 500cc class, with Honda’s Mike Hailwood attempting to challenge it. When "Mike the Bike" switched to car racing at the end of 1967, Giacomo Agostini had little opposition. In 1968, Agostini won all 10 GPs of the season, always finishing more than 30 seconds ahead of the closest rival. Not satisfied, he won the first 10 races of 1969 as well. However, the team boycotted the Nations GP — moved that year to Imola — allowing Alberto Pagani on a LinTo to take the win and end MV Agusta’s 20-win streak.
Between 1976 and 1982, Suzuki was the most coveted bike in the 500cc class, earning 4 Riders’ World Championships and 48 race wins. Yet it never managed an extended winning streak. Its longest came in the first 8 rounds of the 1977 championship. The last race of the prior year had been surprisingly won by Agostini on an aging MV Agusta. In 1977, Barry Sheene claimed 6 of the first 8 GPs, taking a strong lead in the championship. The other two races went to Jack Findlay and Wil Hartog, both on Suzuki RG500s. The streak ended in Finland, with Johnny Cecotto winning on a Yamaha ahead of no fewer than 8 Suzukis.
Before Ducati and even MV Agusta, another Italian manufacturer ruled the 500cc class: Gilera. Between 1950 and 1957, it earned 6 Riders’ and 5 Constructors’ World Titles. At the time, the championship included a maximum of 8 races per season, limiting the potential for extended streaks. The peak came in 1955, when Gilera won the first 6 races: 4 with Geoff Duke, 1 with Reg Armstrong, and 1 with Giuseppe Colnago. The streak could have continued at the Ulster GP, but Gilera skipped the race, having already secured both titles. Bill Lomas won at Dundrod with a Moto Guzzi.
The Iwata-based manufacturer secured three consecutive premier-class titles from 1978 to 1980 with Kenny Roberts, again from 1990 to 1992 with Lawson and Rainey, and from 2008 to 2010 with Rossi and Lorenzo. Yet it has never achieved more than 6 straight wins.
That record came in the dramatic 2015 season, marked by the duel between Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi and the final year of Brembo’s aluminum-lithium calipers. Rossi won in Argentina, but Lorenzo took control by winning at Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello, and Montmeló.
Rossi responded by winning Assen, but the streak ended at the Sachsenring, where Marc Marquez won for Honda — also with Brembo brakes.
A 30-year winning streak (and counting)
If you’re wondering what the longest ongoing winning streak in the premier class is by a brand, the answer is: Brembo. With the Le Mans victory, Brembo has now won 513 consecutive races in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing — MotoGP and previously 500cc — without missing a single win for 30 years.
The last premier-class race won by a bike not equipped with Brembo brakes dates back to May 21, 1995. Not because Brembo brakes are mandatory: over the past 30 years, every top rider has chosen Brembo braking systems, knowing that to be fast, you have to brake hard. And this winning streak is set to continue, as all MotoGP riders are currently equipped with Brembo systems.