Epic 23-year-old Valentino Rossi record matched by triumphant Jorge Martin

Jorge Martin is 2024 MotoGP World Champion, and he’s joined Valentino Rossi in an exclusive club of premier class riders.

In winning the title for the ‘Independent’ Pramac Racing team, Martin has equalled Rossi in winning the premier class title for a satellite, or non-factory, team.

Rossi’s title came in 2001, the final year of the 500cc era of Grand Prix racing, when he won for the Nastro Azzuro Honda team on a factory-spec NSR500.

Like Rossi, Martin won on factory machinery inside the Pramac team, with a Ducati Desmosedici GP24 of equal specification to that of main title rival Francesco Bagnaia of the factory Ducati Lenovo Team.

Martin clinched the title in the season-closing Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona, finishing third in the race behind Bagnaia, who took his 11th GP win of the season, and second-placed Marc Marquez, who Ducati chose over Martin to join Bagnaia in the factory Ducati team in 2025.

Martin took nine race wins on his way to title glory in 2024, including three Grand Prix victories and six Sprint wins.

The real key to Martin’s title, though, was his podium hit rate. 

From 40 races, Martin was on the podium 32 times in 2024, finishing off the podium in only four Grands Prix all season: Americas, where he was fifth; Spain, where he crashed out; Germany, where he crashed out; and San Marino, where he switched bikes in changeable conditions while others stayed out and ultimately finished 15th.