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Amanda Quick·
Motorcycle News
··3 min read

How Much Money Does a MotoGP Racer Make?

More AND Less Than You Might Think.

Dorna's faithful racers, tackling the circuit mid-season. Media sourced from MotoGP.
Dorna's faithful racers, tackling the circuit mid-season. Media sourced from MotoGP.

Maybe you’re a track-happy hooner looking to get into the professional world of leathers and techy leans; Maybe you’re just a fan who spends their free time gauging stats of your favorite teams and racers, looking forward to the season of bisteringly-fast, neck-and-neck heroes astride (or getting back on) their screamers of choice.

Maybe you’re all of the above; either way, at some point you’ve probably joined the rest of the moto populace and wondered the following worldly query: 

How much money can a motorcycle racer make?

Contrary to popular belief, money DOES make the world go ‘round, and we’ve just found an intriguing bit of proof showing off what some of MotoGP’s beloved bike-crazy athletes make per annum. 

Spoiler for the archives: It REALLY matters who you work for. 

The French GP's Brad Binder, who had to finish the race with only now winglet. Media sourced from MotoGP.
The French GP’s Brad Binder, who had to finish the race with only now winglet. Media sourced from MotoGP.

According to the report from Motorcycle Sports, the racer to have made the most in 2022 was onne other than Marc Marquez (riding for Repsol Honda), who made a stunning €12.5 million; contrast this to, say, Aprilia’s Maverick Viñales (reported to have made €10 million last year), and we have a very interesting set of wallets to compare. 

While Marc Marquez hasn’t won a MotoGP championship since 2019, it appears there are benefits to working for a more financially-acquitted brand; Aprilia, meanwhile, hasn’t got near as much to offer, making Maverick’s earnings hefty, though more modest. 

And that’s not even the half of it. 

Dorna's faithful racers, tackling the circuit mid-season. Media sourced from MotoGP.
Dorna’s faithful racers, tackling the circuit mid-season. Media sourced from MotoGP.

Here is the 2022 list of known MotoGP riders’ salaries, from highest to lowest:

See also
  1. €12.5 million Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team)
  2. €10 million Maverick Viñales (Aprilia)
  3. €6 million Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha)
  4. €6 million Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar)
  5. €5 million Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team)
  6. €3.5 million Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team)
  7. €3 million Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar)
  8. €3 million Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha)
  9. €3 million Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team):
  10. €2 million Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing/Ducati)
  11. €1 million Alex Marquez (LCR Honda)
  12. €1 million Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing/Ducati)
  13. €750,000 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) (previously €750 mil…but that’s a typo)
  14. €625,000 Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM)
  15. €500,000 Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM)
  16. €500,000 Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda)
  17. €375,000 Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing/Ducati)
  18. €375,000 Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing/Ducati)
  19. €300,000 Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati)
  20. €250,000 Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team)
  21. €250,000 Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati)
  22. €250,000 Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM)
  23. €250,000 Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM)
Dorna's faithful racers, tackling the circuit mid-season. Media sourced from MotoGP.
Dorna’s faithful racers, tackling the circuit mid-season. Media sourced from MotoGP.

With €250,000 being the apparent minimum to earn at a world-class racing level with Dorna (and €12.5 million currently logged as the ultimate budget, bolstered by MotoGP’s outstanding coverage), the sky’s the limit, really. 

Are you ready for the season’s circuit?

Give us a holler down below, smack that button at the top of our life like your ad-free life depends on it, and as ever – stay safe on the twisties. 

*Media sourced from MotoGP*