2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

MotoGP season
Previous = 2001
Current = 2002
Next = 2003

The 2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 54th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season.

eason summary

2002 marked the beginning of the MotoGP era in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing with the arrival of 990 cc four-stroke machines. The change didn't happen at once throughout the grid, and some satellite teams continued using the previous year's 500 cc two-strokes and were given a four-stroke bike later in the season by the factory. The superiority of the 990 cc bikes was clear, and by the end of 2003 there were no 500s left in MotoGP.

Defending champion Valentino Rossi used Honda's new RC211V to devastating effect, winning 11 races and only dropping lower than 2nd in the other rounds when he had a rear tire failure at Brno. The 355 points he earned in 2002 beat the previous record set by Mick Doohan in 1997 with 340. Alex Barros was given an RC211V for the last four rounds and scored two wins and two podiums, a performance that was not forgotten when contract time came up at the end of 2003 and he was offered a place in the Repsol Honda team. The Suzuki factory team began the season on Dunlop tires, but reverted to Michelins after 3 races.cite news |title=Suzuki drop Dunlop |language=English |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2002-05-01 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/motorbikes/1962866.stm |accessdate=2008-09-02]

References

Grands Prix

MotoGP Constructor's Championship