HISTORY
Pramac Racing made its debut in the MotoGP World Championship in 2002 and, for two consecutive years, was known as Pramac Honda Racing. Initially collaborating with Tetsuya Harada with his Dunlop-tired Honda NSR500, the team continued with Makoto Tamada in 2003 with Bridgestone-tires on the RC211V. Starting from this year, Pramac Honda Racing also supported Sito Pons’ team, which, in 2004, achieved its first success with Tamada, using Bridgestone tires. From 2005 to 2007, Pramac and D’Antin MotoGP Team merged into a single entity, becoming Pramac d’Antin and competing with Ducati motorcycles. Initially, Roberto Rolfo was entrusted with the bike, later replaced by Alex Hofmann, José Luis Cardoso, and Alex Barros, who, in 2007, secured a podium in the Italian Grand Prix and placed the team in sixth position in the team standings.
For the 2008 season, the team’s name changed to Alice Team, with Sylvain Guintoli and Toni Elias as riders. Elias achieved two consecutive podiums at the Czech Republic and San Marino Grands Prix, making it the only team to step onto the podium twice during the season.
In the 2009 MotoGP season, the team goes back to being ‘Pramac Racing’, with headquarters in Casole d’Elsa, Italy. Mika Kallio, the standout rookie of the season, and test rider for Team Ducati Corse Niccolò Canepa, along with Aleix Espargarò, who alternately replaced the two riders, were part of the lineup. In 2010, Espargarò and Kallio defended the team’s colors, finishing in eighth place for the third consecutive year. In 2011, Pramac Racing celebrated its tenth year in the MotoGP with Loris Capirossi’s return to Ducati, alongside young talent Randy De Puniet, concluding the season in sixth place. In 2012, the team competed with only one motorcycle, with Héctor Barberá as rider achieving a top-ten finish in 11 races, despite an injury, and giving away the start from the front row at Mugello.
The 2013 season marked a stronger partnership with Ducati, officially designating Pramac Racing as the Factory-supported Team. This allows the Pramac Racing Team to have everything developed by Borgo Panigale and the two riders Andrea Iannone and Ben Spies to compete directly with official teams. In its 12th year of activity, Pramac Racing confirmed Italian talent Andrea Iannone and signed the first Colombian MotoGP rider, Yonny Hernandez.
In the 2016 season, the OCTO Pramac Yakhnich team retained riders Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding on the Ducati Desmosedici GP 2015. Scott Redding’s promising start included a sixth-place finish and the Best Independent Team award at the Austin Grand Prix in the United States. Redding achieved his first podium with Pramac Racing at Assen and continued to impress with a fourth-place finish in Germany. In Austria, Redding secured another strong result with an eighth-place finish, earning the Best Independent Team award. Danilo Petrucci faced challenges at the beginning of the season due to an injury in Australia, leading Michele Pirro to replace him in the first four races. Petrucci returned to his Ducati Desmosedici 2015 at Le Mans, securing his best result of the season (7th place, repeated in the Czech Republic). Octo Pramac Yakhnich finished the season in sixth place in the team standings. Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding secured the 14th and 15th positions, respectively.
The 2017 season was extraordinary for Octo Pramac Racing. Danilo Petrucci emerged as one of the season’s main characters, achieving four podiums with an impressive third place at Mugello and narrowly missing victories at Assen and Misano. Petrucci also qualified in the front row in Barcelona, Germany, Misano, and Japan. Octo Pramac Racing finished sixth in the team standings. At the end of the 2017 season, the team signed Jack Miller.
In the 2019 season, the team reconfirmed Jack Miller, riding a GP19, and Francesco Bagnaia, the 2018 Moto2 champion, on a GP18. Miller achieved five third-place finishes during the season, while Bagnaia’s best result was a fourth place in the Australian Grand Prix, contributing to Pramac’s sixth-place finish in the team standings. In the 2020 season, the team continued with the same riders, Miller and Bagnaia, who secured several podiums, contributing to Ducati’s Constructor’s Title.
In 2021, the team signed with Johann Zarco and Jorge Martín. Due to an injury sustained during free practice for the Portuguese Grand Prix, Martín was replaced by Esteve Rabat in the Spanish and French Grands Prix and by Michele Pirro in the Italian Grand Prix. In the Styrian Grand Prix, the team achieved its first MotoGP victory with Jorge Martín, who had also secured the pole position. The season ended with the team finishing fourth in the team standings, contributing to Ducati’s Constructor’s Title, and once again earning the title of Best Independent Team. Additionally, Zarco finished as the top rider among independent teams, and Martín was awarded Rookie of the Year.
In 2022, the team continued with the same riders as the previous year. Zarco secured a pole position (at the Portuguese Grand Prix) and stood on the podium four times, finishing eighth overall. Martín achieved five poles and stood on the podium four times, once again finishing ninth overall. The team closed the season in fourth place in the team standings and retained the title of Best Independent Team.
In 2023, Gino Borsoi became the team manager, replacing Claudio Calabresi. In 2023, the team retained the previous season’s riders: Zarco won his first MotoGP Grand Prix in Australia, while Martín battled for the title until the final race in Valencia. At the end of the season, Prima Pramac won MotoGp Teams’ Championship Title, marking the first independent team to achieve this milestone.
In 2024, the Prima Pramac team will feature Jorge Martín and Franco Morbidelli.