Here we go then. The Sepang Shakedown and Official Test kicked off proceedings as another MotoGP season bursts into life, with 2026 the last of its kind before a new era begins in 2027.<\/p>\n
With the opening Grand Prix of the year in Thailand<\/a> now rapidly approaching, what\u2019s to know ahead of another stint of enjoying the most exciting sport on earth? If you\u2019re a familiar face around here, then you\u2019ll have a very good idea already. But, if you\u2019re a new fan (welcome, first and foremost), then this should give you a good leg up as we strap in for MotoGP to go racing in 2026.<\/p>\n Chasing the eighth <\/p>\n Marc Marquez<\/a> (Ducati Lenovo Team), having completed the greatest sporting comeback in 2025, now sets out to clinch an eighth MotoGP World Championship title in 2026.<\/p>\n And despite undergoing another winter of rehabilitation following the shoulder injury sustained in October\u2019s Indonesian Grand Prix, the #93 will land at the Thai Grand Prix as the rider to beat. After all, Marc Marquez lines up on the grid at Round 1 as the reigning World Champion for the first time since 2020. The target will be on his back, with the numerous chasers setting out to try and beat one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time. A tough ask.<\/p>\n A quintet of MotoGP World Champions<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just the 73-time MotoGP winner who knows how to climb to MotoGP\u2019s summit and conquer the world. Marc Marquez is joined on the 2026 grid, as he was last season, by four other MotoGP Champions. 2024 king Jorge Martin<\/a> (Aprilia Racing), 2023 and 2022 number one Francesco Bagnaia<\/a> (Ducati Lenovo Team), 2021 ruler Fabio Quartararo<\/a> (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), and 2020 master Joan Mir<\/a> (Honda HRC Castrol) have all tasted title-winning success between Marquez\u2019s last two championship wins in 2019 and 2025.<\/p>\n Will a new name be added to that illustrious list in 2026?<\/p>\n The arrival of Toprak <\/p>\n Another name who is well known for World Championship title victories is MotoGP rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu. The three-time WorldSBK champion links up with Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP in 2026 and is set to become the first Turkish rider to compete in MotoGP<\/a>, and while a title victory isn\u2019t likely to come this season, Razgatlioglu\u2019s arrival into the Grand Prix paddock is properly exciting. The #07 is without doubt one of the most talented motorcycle riders on the planet, so once he\u2019s in his groove, expect fireworks from the 29-year-old.<\/p>\n Bem-vindo de volta, Brasil!<\/p>\n While we welcome our first-ever Turkish MotoGP rider to the grid, we also get ready to witness Brazil\u2019s Diogo Moreira<\/a> (Pro Honda LCR) enter the fray. The 2025 Moto2 World Champion became the first from his country to win a Grand Prix title last season, as Moreira picks up the baton left by our last Brazilian rider Alex Barros, who last raced in MotoGP back in 2007.<\/p>\n Oh, and what about that for timing? Because Round 2 takes us back to Brazil for the first time since 1992, and back to Goi\u00e2nia for the first time since 1989.<\/p>\n Hunting a debut victory<\/p>\n Five riders on the 2026 grid are all dreaming of clinching their first MotoGP win this season. There\u2019s of course our two rookies, Razgatlioglu and Moreira. Then there\u2019s 2024 Moto2 World Champion Ai Ogura<\/a> (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), Honda HRC Castrol\u2019s Luca Marini<\/a>, and the one most will be talking about\u2026 Pedro Acosta<\/a> (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).<\/p>\n Is 2026 the year Acosta finally clinches his maiden MotoGP win? The Spaniard is a 10-time podium finisher in the class and finished P4 in the Championship in 2025, and having risen through the ranks as a leading star, Acosta will want nothing more than to collect a Sunday 25-point haul.<\/p>\n Awakening sleeping giants<\/p>\n Honda HRC Castrol are hunting their first victory in five long years. And after Mir was able to climb onto the podium twice in the last six races, coupled with a positive pre-season, HRC are becoming a force once again.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s Yamaha. There may have been a hiccup or two in pre-season, but the Iwata marque are now armed with a bold new V4 engine. A mammoth task still lies ahead in what is a huge change in philosophy for the Japanese manufacturer, but the foundations for success are being laid.<\/p>\n The last dance of MotoGP\u2019s 1000cc era<\/p>\n Contracts expiring, new regulations looming. There\u2019s an almighty shake up coming for 2027 and already, things are getting very, very interesting. Big name moves. Shocks on the cards. Keep your eyes firmly fixed on what\u2019s about to unfold both on and off track in MotoGP.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here we go then. 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