The 16th round of the World Road Racing Championship (MotoGP) was held on January 6th at the Mobility Resort Motegi circuit in Motegi, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
With four rounds remaining, David Alonso, an 18-year-old rider from the CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, representing Colombia in the Moto3 class, secured this year’s championship title with a total of 321 points.
It is the first time in MotoGP’s 75-year history that a Colombian rider has won the title and it is the fifth person after 38 years that a rider from Latin America has won the annual championship.
Alonso was born in Madrid, Spain, in 2006. His mother is from Colombia, so he competes in MotoGP as a Colombian rider in honour of his mother’s heritage.
He made his grand prix debut in the Moto3 class in 2021 and has been a regular rider in the Gas Gas Aspar Team since 2023. Last year, despite only being in his first year as a regular competitor, he attracted attention with four wins, and a total of eight podium finishes, and a brilliant third place in the annual championship.
Alonso’s condition for the Japanese Grand Prix was not as good as he would have liked: he qualified third fastest on the fifth day, but he slipped to eighth place at the start of the main race and struggled to catch up with the frontrunners. The race became unpredictable, with barely any gaps between the top 15 riders. Among this group were Japanese riders Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), Ryusei Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) and Taiyo Kozato (Honda Team Asia).
However, by the end of 12th lap, Alonso had passed six riders and moved up to second place. On the 14th lap, he overtook Adrián Fernández González (Leopard Racing), who was leading the race, to claim the top spot. He then came under pressure from Ivan Ortola (T Helmets – MSI), but Ortola eventually crashed out allowing Alonso to cross the finish line in first place with tears streaming down his face.
During the victory lap, after crossing the finish line, Alonso’s childhood clips were shown, including clips of him riding a pocket bike and crashing, was broadcast as part of the performance.
In a post-race interview, Alonso said: ‘Last night I cried when I looked at my face in the mirror. During the race, I couldn’t drive as well as I wanted to and I almost gave up on the championship for the next race in Australia.’ He expressed gratitude to his family, school and all those who had helped him.
When Alonso’s championship was confirmed, many riders came to the race and celebrated his victory with him. Among them were Marc Márquez and Pecco Bagnaia from MotoGP’s premier class, showing that he is a familiar face to his rivals and senior riders.
Alonso has won 10 races this season. Valentino Rossi, the all-time leading rider, has a record of 11 victories in the class. With four races to go, Alonso has the potential to set a new record. Although he has already secured the championship, Alonso’s bid for a new record should not be overlooked.
MotoGP is the premier world championship for motorcycle racing organized by the FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme), It includes three classes: the Moto3 class (250cc displacement) for riders aged 16 to 28, the Moto2 class (765cc), and the MotoGP class (1000cc), featuring bikes with over 300 horsepower that can reach speeds faster than a bullet train. Races are held across Europe, Asia, and other regions.
