From the Andrettis (Mario and Michael) to the Unsers (Al and Al Jr), passing through the Hills (Graham and Damon) and the Villeneuves (Gilles and Jacques), this axiom seems proven.
But even in motorcycling, the cases are numerous, starting with the Everts, with grandfather Harry, a four-time motocross world champion, father Stefan, a ten-time world champion, and son Liam, competing for the Mx2 title.
To establish a ranking that is as objective as possible, we started with the number of World titles won by each family, but we prioritized the cases where both were world champions.
Therefore, if a rider has won 9 (or 13, two values not chosen at random) World titles but his father or son none, their family ranks lower in our classification compared to a pair where both were world champions.
Where only one has been a champion, we favored dynasties with more World titles and, in case of a tie, the one with more GP wins.
From the American school, Kenny Roberts was a trailblazer, the first to win a World Championship and also an innovator in terms of style with his knee touching the ground in corners. He won three World titles in the 500cc class in 1978, 1979, and 1980, all on a Yamaha.
His son, Kenny Roberts Jr., followed in his footsteps in 2000 with Suzuki, the first bike in the premier class to adopt the innovative Brembo radial caliper. In that championship, he won 4 times and, except for one retirement, he never finished a GP lower than 7th place. The father won a total of 24 GPs (22 in 500cc and 2 in 250cc), while the son won 8 (all in 500cc).
Wayne Gardner was the first Australian to win the premier class title, in 1987 with Honda, at the end of a triumphant season: in addition to scoring more points than his competitors, he achieved more victories (7), poles (10), fastest laps (8), and podiums (12, like Randy Mamola).
Although he debuted in the World Championship in 2014, Remy only blossomed in 2019. Five years ago, with the Kalex of the KTM Ajo team equipped with Brembo calipers, pumps, and pads, he took off, winning the Moto2 with 5 victories and 12 podiums.
The father won 18 races in the 500cc class from 1986 to 1992, while the son won 6, all in Moto2.
Despite the 13 World Championships won by Ángel (although he liked to say 12 + 1 for good luck), the Spanish Nietos do not top the ranking because Pablo never came close to his father’s results.
A specialist in the smaller classes, Ángel won 7 World titles in the 125cc, 5 in the 50cc, and one in the 80cc, with the first in 1969 and the last in 1984.
Although he competed in 158 GPs, the son never finished a championship in the Top 5: he was 6th both in 2002 and 2004, with the Aprilia equipped with Brembo braking system.
The father won 90 GPs, while the son won only one (the 2003 Portuguese GP).
Despite having nearly ten World titles in their trophy case, the Rossis are penalized by the absence of World Championships in Graziano’s record.
He came close in 1979, the year Valentino was born, with Morbidelli: after a slow start, he won 3 consecutive GPs but collected only 12 points in the last 4 races. He finished in 3rd place and, despite racing in the 500cc class until 1982, he never managed to reach the top step of the podium again.
Valentino, on the other hand, was a World Champion in 4 different classes (125cc and 250cc with Aprilia, 500cc with Honda, MotoGP with Honda and Yamaha) and won 115 GPs, always using Brembo brakes.
Unlike Formula 1, it is not easy to find German riders among the most successful in motorcycling.
The Bradls are an exception, even though Helmut did not win a World Championship: in 1991 in the 250cc class with Honda, he was the runner-up, beaten by 17 points by Luca Cadalora.
Stefan, on the other hand, was the 2011 Moto2 World Champion with Brembo brakes, beating Marc Marquez thanks to 4 victories, 11 podiums, and only two “zeros”.
The father won 5 GPs, all in 1991 in the 250cc class, while the son won 2 in the 125cc class and 5 in Moto2, from 2008 to 2011, but occasionally takes some wild-card entries in MotoGP with Honda, for which he is a test rider.
A British dynasty could not be missing from the ranking.
Leslie Graham was, in 1949, the first 500cc World Champion with AJS and came close to repeating the feat in 1952, finishing second with MV Agusta. He also achieved third place finishes in 1950 in both the 350cc and 500cc classes, and in 1952 in the 250cc class.
Stuart did not have the same talent as his father, who passed away at the 1953 TT, but despite competing in only about twenty GPs, he finished on the podium in two-thirds of them, ranking 3rd in 1967 in both the 50cc and 125cc classes.
Leslie won 8 GPs (1 in 125cc, 2 in 350cc, and 5 in 500cc), while his son won 2 (in 50cc and 125cc).
The second Italian presence with the Paganis, led by Nello, who was the World Champion in the inaugural 125cc edition with Mondial, thanks to 2 victories in the 3 GPs held.
Not satisfied, in the same year he also won 2 GPs in the 500cc class with Gilera, losing the World title by one point to Graham: without discards, he would have been the champion, having scored 9 more points.
Alberto was also the runner-up in the 500cc class in 1972, but at a considerable distance from Giacomo Agostini.
The father won 4 GPs, while the son won 3, all in the 500cc class with the Italian bikes Linto and MV Agusta.
Peter Ottl competed in the World Championship from 1996 to 1997, achieving 5 victories (2 in the 125cc class, 5 years apart) and reaching the podium 20 times.
His best year was 1989 in the 80cc class, which he raced with a Krauser: that year he won 3 of the 6 GPs on the calendar, but 2 retirements condemned him to third place overall, while Manuel Herreros won the title without any victories.
His son Philipp won only once, at the 2018 Spanish GP in Moto3, narrowly beating Marco Bezzecchi by 59 thousandths of a second. Moving to Supersport, he finished 5th in the 2020 World Championship.