The 6 best siblings in MotoGP history

De Jesus Sanchez Santos / Motosan.es

We live in a time when brothers race on the same track, and what used to be an unusual occurrence, we now find normal. We'll look at the numbers to see who are the best brothers in MotoGP history.

While in other sports we find pairs of siblings who tend to stand out together, in an expensive sport like motorcycling where families have to make a very significant economic investment, there are hardly any cases in history despite the fact that certain names are very present. Names like Axel and Edgar Pons, under the guidance of their father Sito Pons, double 250cc champion and Moto2 team owner. The Lowes twins, one in Moto2 and the other in search of performance in the SBK World Championship. Brad Binder, Moto3 champion, and his brother Darryn who, until now, has not been accompanied by results in the small category. And of course, the Márquez, Espargaró or Rossi, who have an important place in this article.

In the past we have found other pairs of brothers with illustrious last names, but where only one of them stood out. Agostini, Doohan, Roberts Jr or Hayden, 500cc/MotoGP champions, had as brothers and sisters riders who, despite their efforts, could not take off like them, remaining practically forgotten by most fans. We're going to look at the six best pairs of brothers in World Championship history.

6. The Espargaró brothers

Today only 22 motorcyclists compete in the premier category and two of them are brothers, a unique case with so many years; Pol and Aleix Espargaró. Their sporting careers were totally different since while Pol progressed normally, gradually gaining experience in each category with victories and even a title in Moto2, Aleix experienced a roller coaster. At the age of 20 and without a podium, he had the opportunity to move up to MotoGP with the Ducati Pramac. As his performance was good, he started again, but he had to return to the intermediate category to make his first podium. The tablets are written with Pol figures, but at present both brothers are the fastest drivers of their respective brands, Aprilia with Aleix and KTM with Pol, who put their trust in them to continue to progress.

I will espargaro	Securities	Victories	Podiums
Pol	1	15	45
Aleix	0	0	2

5. The Sarron brothers

They were the first illustrious brothers to distinguish themselves in the World Championship and even shared the 500cc grid in 1989. Their family name is linked in our memory to a glorious era of two-stroke motorcycle racing, the 80s. They became big names of a great French generation hit by the tragedy. The oldest, Christian, won the 250cc title in 1984, then moved up to the 500cc, and was the only European for years who could fight regularly against the Americans and Australians. In 1985 and 1989, he finished third in the championship. His only victory in 500cc was legendary, at Hockenheim '85 against the almighty Spencer on his Honda NSR. Loyalty was part of its identity, always linked to the Yamaha-Sonauto team and its blue colors.

Dominique arrived later and was strong at the start, being a tough rival for Sito Pons in the late 80s. A few 250cc victories adorn his record and a third place as best position, although every time we go to the Assen chicane I recalls that the Spanish champion had been taken off the track because he did not know how to lose. A few points that could be decisive in this historic 1988 match against Garriga.

Sarron	Securities	Victories	Podiums
Christian	1	7	37
Dominique	0	4	16

4. The Aoki Brothers

We arrived at a legendary case from the 90s, approaching the Sarron siblings. In this case, it was not two but three brothers who raced at the same time, thus setting a historic record at Suzuka 95 . Haruchika won in 125cc, Nobuatsu finished second in 250cc and takuma , guest rider, took third place in 500cc. For the first and only time in history, 3 brothers got on the podium the same week-end , also adding to the anecdote the fact of doing it in the 3 contested categories.

Haruchika, the youngest, was the most successful of the three, winning the 125cc titles in 1995 and 1996 with some credit. He promised a lot and great success was expected of him in the 250cc category, but he never found the same level again in the following years, with more disappointments than glory. His brother Nobuatsu won a race and podiums in 250cc, which earned him an official Honda for the 1997 500cc season, where he recorded his best final result, third behind Doohan and his generation partner, Okada. Later he was linked to Suzuki as a rider and test rider. Family tragedy happened with Takuma Aoki, who in 1997 as a "rookie" was in charge of the 2cc Honda NSR V500, adding 3 podiums and finishing fifth in the championship. During the 1998 pre-season, he had a serious accident in which he fractured his spine, which left him in a wheelchair.

Aoki	Securities	Victories	Podiums
takuma	0	0	4
Nobuatsu	0	1	7
Haruchika	2	9	20

3. The villa brothers

We reached the Top 3 and the Italians Francesco and Walter Villa also occupy an important place in history, although, in this case, most of the sporting successes were achieved by the cadet. Francesco made some sporadic appearances in the World Championship with two podiums under his belt, although he decided to concentrate more on motorcycle design. For his part, Walter, whose first experiences were with his brother's motorcycles, ended up winning 4 world titles in 250cc and 350cc with the legendary American brand Harley Davidson.

Villa	Securities	Victories	Podiums
Francesco	0	0	2
Walter	4	24	36

2. The Marquez brothers

It's getting hot, because this brothers ranking comes to two very important last names that are synonymous with MotoGP today. Brothers Márquez are the only case in the history of the World Championship in which both are world champions. For greater emphasis, both achieved it in the same season with a breathtaking final meeting in Valencia in 2014, where the young Álex played for the title against the Australian Jack Miller.

It's common for people to compare the two drivers when it's unfair. If we talk about numbers and results, Marc Márquez breaks all precocity records and propelled the MotoGP category into a new era, with battles on the limit and impossible catches. For his part, Alex is evolving at a different pace, having won the Moto3 title at just 18 years old, and at the age of 23 faces the challenge of obtaining the Moto2 title before moving on to MotoGP. His strategy is different from the rush we are experiencing today to reach the premier category and I think it is the right one.

It's not easy being the brother of a living legend like Marc, but in Álex's favor, and the numbers prove it, he is the best brother of a champion Of the history of MotoGP. In addition to their titles already acquired, and given their age, how many more victories and podiums will they both be able to achieve...

Marquez	Securities	Victories	Podiums
Marc	7	70	117
álex	1	7	28

1. The Rossi/Marini brothers

We thus reach the TOP of the brothers ranking, with Vale and Luca. In this case, there is the particularity of being both from the same mother and from a different father. We believed that the genetic inheritance of the talent of Valentino came from his father, Graziano , when it finally turned out that his mother, Estefania, had played a key role. Separated from each other when he was 18, Valentino's sporting longevity means both riders can compete at the same time, and who knows if they won't be able to compete in MotoGP if the Luca's evolution is rapid.

After a good finish during the 2018 season, Marini starts as one of the favorites in Moto2 despite having experienced a Qatar Grand Prix difficult, where he could only finish eighth. Without a doubt, he sees in his brother Valentino a model to follow, like all the boys of the "VR46 Academy", although the closest relationship between the two is a very important support to continue improving. If the goal of both is the title in 2019, Valentino is aiming for his tenth, but what if Rossi gets one as owner of his Moto2 team with his brother as the protagonist? About this, he was asked during a press conference last season: “Valentino, would you trade your tenth title for one for your brother? » After a few seconds of doubt, he answered a meaningful “no”, punctuated with a big laugh.

Rossi/Marini	Securities	Victories	Podiums
Valentino	9	115	232
Luca	0	1	5

Without a doubt, Rossi and Márquez not only stand out individually, but together with Luca and Álex they are respectively the best brothers in history. Another ranking in which they compete for the highest performance... Will this change in a few years? What is clear is that this will evolve, and that this data will surely be obsolete after the next Grand Prix.