A Spaniard, an Italian and a New Zealander will be inducted into the MotoGP™ Legends Hall of Fame in 2020.
The five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, the four-time World Champion Max Biaggi and the four-time World Champion Hugh Anderson will become MotoGP™ Legends legends this season, with the Spaniard due to be inducted into the MotoGP™ Legends Hall of Fame at Jerez, the Italian at Mugello and the New Zealander later in the year.
It was decided on the day he announced his retirement that Jorge Lorenzo would become a MotoGP™ legend this season, and the Majorcan is the first of three riders who will be inducted in 2020. The Circuito de Jerez–Ángel Nieto will therefore welcome the rider , the place where he made his Grand Prix debut on his 15th birthday and where the final corner is named after him.
Lorenzo won for several manufacturers in three categories, taking 68 victories in total
Jorge Lorenzo is one of the most successful riders of all time, taking his first victory in 2003 and his 68th in 2018. 250cc champion twice in a row in 2006 and 2007, taking pole position in his first MotoGP™ race and never will only take three races before triumphing in MotoGP™. Lorenzo achieved his greatest successes there and went on to win the World Championship in 2010, 2012 and 2015. He won these titles with Yamaha, with whom he racked up 44 victories, before moving to Ducati in 2017. Lorenzo won three more wins with the Italian brand before moving to Honda, later announcing his retirement from competition at the end of 2019.
Jorge Lorenzo : " Being named a MotoGP Legend makes me extremely happy. When I started racing in this environment, what I really aspired to do was enter the World Championship. Being able to win races and then five World Championships is something far beyond what I expected, and being a MotoGP Legend is something even more difficult to achieve. Being a Legend means, apart from the titles, that you have left a mark on the people and the history of this sport. I would like to thank Dorna and the FIM for their support over all these years, and for including me in this special group of selected riders. »
Biaggi has reigned in the 250 world four times in a row…
…and subsequently proved to be a key contender in the premier class
Max Biaggi made his first Grand Prix appearances in the 250cc category in 1991, and the Italian established himself the following season by winning his first victory. Two years later, he came close to the title for the first time, and a few years later, he achieved an impressive series of dominations in the category by becoming Champion in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. He then moved up to the premier category and took a first victory in his first season, finishing second overall. From his debut in the premier class in 1998 until his departure in 2005, Biaggi won 13 times and was runner-up three times. When he left Grands Prix, Biaggi moved to WorldSBK and won two World Championships there, in 2010 and 2012, and since his retirement from competition he has returned to the GP paddock leading the team Sterilgarda Max Racing.
Max Biaggi : “I am honored to become a MotoGP Legend and I know that my name will forever be remembered by other important riders like Agostini, Aspar, Nieto, Sheene… I am happy that my racing legacy will be remembered in memory and it's a good feeling to know that all my years of hard work are still recognized even today. I would like to thank everyone who decided to give me this honor. »
Anderson was one of the first to bring serious success to Suzuki's Grand Prix project, winning four titles and bringing the Hamamatsu factory to dominance
Hugh Anderson will be the final inductee in 2020. Anderson made his first GP appearances in the 500cc and 350cc categories in 1960, and reached the podium in the latter category. Two years later he added the 125cc and 50cc displacements to his CV, becoming a race winner in both categories. Thus in 1963, the New Zealander seriously entered the 125cc and 50cc World Championships, winning the crown in each category. He retained the 50cc crown the following year to win back-to-back titles and was third in the fight for the 125cc title, turning things around in 1965 when he regained the 125cc crown and was third in the 50cc class. Anderson retired in 1966 after achieving 25 Grand Prix victories and four titles in just six years.
Source and photo credit: MotoGP.com
