Ducati’s first MotoGP winner is to be honoured as a legend at Misano

Loris Capirossi is to receive a special honour. As part of the upcoming MotoGP weekend at Misano, the three-time world champion will be officially named a ‘MotoGP Legend’. The ceremony honouring the 53-year-old Italian will take place on Saturday.

By inducting him into the ranks of MotoGP legends, the World Motorcycle Championship is recognising not only Capirossi’s sporting achievements but also his long-standing contribution to Grand Prix racing. The Italian can look back on an extraordinary career spanning more than two decades.

Youngest Motorcycle World Champion in history

Capirossi caused a sensation as early as his rookie season in 1990. At the age of just 17, he became 125cc World Champion at the first attempt. At the time, he raced for Team Pileri on a Honda and was a team-mate of former world champion Fausto Gresini. A year later, he successfully defended his title before moving up to the 250cc class in 1992.

After moving up to the 500cc class, Capirossi secured his first victory in the premier class in 1996. He then returned to the 250cc category once more and clinched his third world title in 1998. The controversial season finale against his then Aprilia team-mate Tetsuya Harada remains particularly memorable.

Loris Capirossi auf der ersten MotoGP-Ducati

Foto: Gold & Goose

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For the 2000 season, Capirossi returned permanently to the premier class. In his very first year with Pons-Honda, he won a race and finished the 500cc World Championship in third place behind Kenny Roberts Jr and Valentino Rossi.

Capirossi enjoyed a dream start with Ducati

Capirossi subsequently played a special role in Ducati’s MotoGP history. After having to hold his own against the increasingly powerful four-stroke machines on a two-stroke in 2002, Ducati signed him up for its new MotoGP project.

MotoGP Barcelona 2003: Rossi und Gibernau feiern Sieger Capirossi

Foto: Gold & Goose

His big breakthrough came as early as his debut season in 2003. At the Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona, Capirossi secured the Desmosedici’s first-ever MotoGP victory. The Italian thus played a decisive role in building the Ducati project that would later prove so successful.

In the 2006 MotoGP season, Capirossi was once again in contention for the World Championship title and finished the season in third place overall. He celebrated his seventh and final MotoGP victory for Ducati in 2007 at Motegi – ironically, on the very weekend that his team-mate Casey Stoner secured the first MotoGP World Championship title for the Borgo Panigale-based manufacturer.

Emotional MotoGP farewell in Valencia

After moving to Suzuki for the 2008 season, Capirossi secured his final podium finish at Brno. In 2011, he returned to a Ducati with Pramac for one final season.

Valencia 2011: Loris Capirossi fährt beim Abschied mit der Nummer 58

Foto: Gold & Goose

His 328th and final Grand Prix in Valencia was a particularly emotional affair. Instead of his traditional race number 65, Capirossi rode with the number 58, paying tribute to his compatriot Marco Simoncelli, who had been killed in a crash at the previous Grand Prix in Sepang.

However, Capirossi did not bid farewell to the MotoGP paddock when he retired from active competition. For more than a decade, the three-time world champion has served as a safety advisor for the Motorcycle World Championship, contributing his decades of experience to safety-related matters.

Now, Capirossi’s life’s work is to be honoured on home soil. At the San Marino GP in Misano, the 53-year-old will join the ranks of Italian MotoGP legends, which include Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi, Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli, amongst others.

Loris Capirossi

Foto: Gold & Goose