Loris Capirossi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Loris Capirossi
Capirossi in 2005
Nationality	Italian
Born	(1973-04-04) 4 April 1973 (age 52) Castel San Pietro Terme, Italy
Motorcycle racing career statistics MotoGP World Championship Active years 1995–1996, 2000–2011 Manufacturers Honda (1995, 2000–2002) Yamaha (1996) Ducati (2003–2007, 2011) Suzuki (2008–2010) Championships 0 2011 championship position 17th (43 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 217 9 42 13 10 1840 250cc World Championship Active years 1992–1994, 1997–1999 Manufacturers Honda (1992–1994, 1999) Aprilia (1997–1998) Championships 1 (1998) 1999 championship position 3rd (209 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 84 12 37 23 18 968 125cc World Championship Active years 1990–1991 Manufacturers Honda Championships 2 (1990, 1991) 1991 championship position 1st (200 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 27 8 20 5 4 382 Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1990–2011 First race 1990 125cc Japanese Grand Prix Last race 2011 MotoGP Valencian Grand Prix First win 1990 125cc British Grand Prix Last win 2007 MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix Championships 3 125cc: 1990, 1991 250cc: 1998 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 328 29 99 41 32 3190

Loris Capirossi (born 4 April 1973) is a famous Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle racer. He now works as a Safety Advisor for Dorna Sports, which manages Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

He won 9 races in the top class of MotoGP. He raced from 1990 to 2011. Loris was the first Grand Prix rider to start at least 300 races. He reached this milestone at the 2010 Qatar Grand Prix.

Capirossi is a three-time World Champion. He won the 125cc World Championship in 1990 and 1991. He also won the 250cc World Championship in 1998. He holds the record for the Youngest World Champion in motorcycle racing history. He won his first title in 1990 at just 17 years and 165 days old!

Loris Capirossi's Racing Journey

Early Career: 125cc World Champion

Loris Capirossi started his World Championship journey in the 125cc class in 1990. He rode for the Polini Honda team. In his first year, he finished on the podium eight times and won three races. These wins were in Britain, Hungary, and Australia.

At only 17 years old, Capirossi became a world champion in his very first full season. This was a huge achievement!

In 1991, he had an even better season. He successfully defended his 125cc title. He was almost always on the front row of the starting grid. He earned five pole positions and four fastest laps. Out of thirteen races, he finished on the podium in twelve of them. He won races in Australia, Malaysia, and three places in Europe. His strong performance helped him move up to the 250cc class.

Moving Up: 250cc World Championship

Capirossi moved to the 250cc class in the 1992 season. In 1993, he won his first 250cc race in the Netherlands. He added two more wins that year in San Marino and the United States. He finished second in the championship, just four points behind the winner.

The 1994 season was similar. He won four races but finished third in the championship.

First Time in the Top Class: 500cc

The 1995 season was Capirossi's first time in the top 500cc championship. He rode a Pileri Honda. He often qualified well and finished sixth in the championship.

In 1996, he had some tough luck with five retirements early in the season. However, he bounced back and won the final race in Australia. He was riding for Wayne Rainey's Yamaha team.

Back to 250cc and a World Title

Capirossi went back to the 250cc championship for 1997. He finished sixth that year. But in the 1998 season, he was much stronger. He battled his Aprilia teammate, Tetsuya Harada, for the championship.

In the final race in Argentina, Capirossi managed to secure second place. This result was enough for him to win the 250cc World Championship!

He then moved to Honda for the 1999 season. He finished third in the championship with three more victories.

Return to the Top: 500cc and MotoGP

Capirossi returned to the 500cc championship in 2000. This class later changed to the MotoGP era. He won his home race in Italy and finished seventh overall.

The 2001 season was even better, with nine podium finishes. This was the last season for the 500cc class. For 2002, the new MotoGP class started. Capirossi faced challenges with his bike and an injury.

In 2003, he joined Ducati. He earned their first-ever MotoGP win at Barcelona. He finished fourth in the championship that year. The 2004 season was a bit tougher. However, in 2005, he became very competitive. He won two races in Japan and Malaysia, thanks to better Bridgestone tires.

Capirossi and Ducati started the 2006 season with a great win in Jerez, Spain. He also finished second in France and Italy. He was even tied for first place in the championship at one point. He had a big crash in Barcelona but was not seriously hurt. He returned to win in Brno, Czech Republic. He ended the season in an impressive third place overall.

The 2007 season was not as strong for Capirossi. After this season, he announced he would join the Suzuki factory team for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

2008 was a challenging year. He had only one podium finish in the Czech Republic. He finished tenth in the season standings. In 2009, he finished ninth without a podium for the first time since 1992.

On 11 April 2010, Capirossi made history. He became the first rider ever to start 300 Grand Prix races! He finished ninth in that race, the Qatar Grand Prix.

For 2011, Capirossi rode for the Ducati Pramac Team. On 1 September 2011, he announced he would retire from MotoGP racing at the end of the season.

After he retired, his race number, #65, was unofficially retired from the MotoGP class. In 2016, it was announced that his number had been officially retired from all Grand Prix motorcycle racing classes.

Personal Life

Loris Capirossi married Ingrid Tence in August 2002. They live in Monaco. Their son, Riccardo Capirossi, was born on 2 April 2007.

Capirossi is part of the 'Champions for Peace' club. This group includes over 90 famous athletes. They work with Peace and Sport, an organization that uses sports to encourage talking and working together.

Books and Movies About Loris Capirossi

Loris Capirossi's life story was published in 2017. The book is called "65 – la mia vita senza paura" (which means "65 – my life without fear"). It was written with Italian writer Simone Sarasso.

Some important parts of Capirossi's career are also shared in the book "Belìn che paddock." This book was written by MotoGP manager Carlo Pernat, who worked with Capirossi for many years.

Capirossi's first year in the 125 GP Italian championship is told in the documentary film Mancini, the Motorcycle Wizard. Loris and his former mechanic Guido Mancini share their stories in the film. Capirossi was also interviewed for the MotoGP documentary Faster.

Career Statistics

Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing

By Season

By Class

Races by Year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

See also

In Spanish: Loris Capirossi para niños