Top 10 Racers Who Never Won It All

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

Always a bridesmaid...

An idea struck me after reading Tom’s Top 10 lists about 500cc/MotoGP and World Superbike champions. There are so many great riders who come through both series, and yet, at the end of the year, only one of them can be crowned champion. The rest? They get the unfortunate distinction of bridesmaids (hence the lead photo above from the movie with the same name). It’s often said in professional sports that nobody remembers second place, but in this Top 10 I’m doing just that – paying tribute to the top riders who were never able to bring home a world title.

This list will consist of five riders from World Superbike and five from 500cc/MotoGP who achieved great things in their World Championship careers and yet failed to win the big prize. In compiling a list like this there are bound to be many names who don’t make the cut, just like there are bound to be many riders from the early days of Grand Prix racing who are simply forgotten. This isn’t intentional, of course, and if you have a rider you think is deserving of the list, feel free to mention him in the comments section below.

10. Jonathan Rea

It’s not a record any racer wants, but Jonathan Rea has a history of “almosts.” As a child, he almost won a junior motocross championship, then, when he switched to road racing, he almost won championships in British Superbike, World Supersport and World Superbike. Having spent most of his career on Hondas, his talent has never been in question. Instead, the past few seasons it’s been acknowledged that Rea rode the wheels off his Ten Kate CBR1000RR Fireblade, winning four races in 2014 on a bike that had no reason being up front.

For 2015, Rea has switched to the factory Kawasaki squad where he has won six out of the eight races run so far. His talent is finally being put to use on a bike capable of winning it all, and should he continue this form for the rest of the year, this might be the last time you see him on a list like this.

9. Sete Gibernau

This photo really says it all about Sete Gibernau. After the infamous Jerez bump by Valentino Rossi, Sete fulfilled Rossi’s spell of never winning another race again. But Gibernau’s career shouldn’t be defined by his most famous entanglement. He impressed in other classes of racing, scoring podium finishes during the two-stroke era on a number of 250cc and 500cc machines. However, the peak of Gibernau’s career came in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, where he won four races each year aboard his Movistar Honda RC211V, but ultimately finished second in the championship standings. The champ? One Valentino Rossi who, ironically, is now sponsored by Movistar.

8. Pierfrancesco Chili

Long considered a fan favorite due to his “win-it-or-bin-it” style, Pierfrancesco “Frankie” Chili raced both Grand Prix machines and in World Superbike, though he found greater success in the latter series, which he competed in from 1995 until his retirement from racing in 2006. His record includes 17 wins, 29 fastest laps, 10 pole positions, 61 podiums and 276 career starts riding Suzukis, Ducatis and Hondas. Though Chili’s best championship finish was only fourth, he lined up against stiff competition with names like Fogarty, Edwards, Corser and Bayliss, often pushing his privateer machinery to the limits to keep up with the factory guys.

7. Graeme Crosby

The Graeme Crosby story is a little different than the others on this list, as his motorcycle racing career was rather short (he’d later race cars) but definitely action packed. The Kiwi won the Daytona 200 (back when that actually meant something), Imola 200, the Suzuka 8 Hours, took top honors at the Isle of Man, and was a Formula 1 TT champ. He entered the 500cc Grand Prix scene in 1980 aboard a Suzuki RG500, facing competition in the likes of Roberts, Lucchinelli, Sheene, and Rossi (the elder). By 1982 he was riding a Marlboro Yamaha for Giacomo Agostini, finishing on the podium five times en route to taking second place in the overall standings that year. And then, he was done. Citing a distaste for the politics of racing, he left the sport. Had he stayed, who knows where his talent would have taken him.

6. Aaron Slight

Another Kiwi on the list, Aaron Slight’s story is similar to Frankie Chili’s in that he had strong performances – winning 13 races and getting on the podium 87 times during his 12-year career in World Superbike – but never won it all. He came close, however; finishing second in the points standings in 1996 and 1998, and third in 1997. A strong rider who was often overshadowed by the incredible talent surrounding him on the grid, his last motorcycle race was aboard an AMA Superbike in 2001, at Daytona. From there he too turned to car racing to satisfy his competitive urges. Today, he’s a television host in New Zealand.

5. Anthony Gobert

The Anthony Gobert story is one of incredible ups, followed by equally incredible downs, culminating in a question of “what if?” When Gobert was on a motorcycle he was pure magic, taking underpowered Kawasakis and Bimotas to the top step of the podium. He seemingly took pride in shaking up the establishment in both the Grand Prix and World Superbike paddock, and his bravado on track was evidence he didn’t hold his competition in very high regard. The record books will say he “only” won eight World Superbike races, but his immense talent was unquestionable. He would later race Yamaha and Ducati machinery in the States, consistently at the pointy end, though never able to win it all. Unfortunately, it was around this time that his life unraveled and he got caught up in drugs and substance abuse, famously falling from grace as a motorcycle racer, at one point making sandwiches at a local Subway franchise.

Had his life followed a different, more focused path, the world could have been his oyster. To see the kind of guts the guy had on two wheels, check out the video below.

4. Max Biaggi

It stands to reason that anyone who wins the 250cc Grand Prix title four times is destined for success in the premier 500cc/MotoGP class. Such was the case for Max Biaggi, and in fact his rookie season in 500cc Grand Prix racing (1998) was quite impressive. He won two races aboard his Honda, including earning pole position, setting the fastest lap and winning his very first 500cc race at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. That year he would eventually finish second in the points standings to Mick Doohan. A switch to Yamaha in 1999 wasn’t as fruitful as he had hoped, and by 2000 a fresh upstart and another 250cc champ, Valentino Rossi joined the premier ranks. The battles between the two are legendary – who can forget Biaggi pushing Rossi into the dirt and the subsequent middle finger from The Doctor? – and though Biaggi would win 13 times in 500cc/MotoGP, he’d never go on to win the premier class title. Yes, we know he twice won it all in World Superbike, but he’s included here for his premier-class Grand Prix career.

3. Nori Haga

If it weren’t for a failed drug test during the 2000 World Superbike season, Noriyuki Haga wouldn’t be on this list. The ruling is still questioned today, as the substance found in Haga’s bloodstream, Ephedrine, is a naturally occurring substance in some herbal remedies Haga was taking at the time. As it stands, “Nitro Nori” is credited with finishing in second place in the World Superbike championship three times, twice losing out to Americans: first Colin Edwards, then Ben Spies.

Known for his smooth, yet fearless and aggressive style, Haga wasn’t afraid to stay inches away from his competitors. His determination endeared him to the hearts of many, and after competing in WSBK off and on from 1994 until 2011, he racked up 312 starts, 43 victories, 116 podiums and seven pole positions. Today, Haga is competing in the Asian Road Racing Championship aboard a Suzuki GSX-R600.

2. Randy Mamola

Unfortunately for him, Randy Mamola’s Grand Prix career can almost be summed up in this picture. Loose and on the edge, if Randy wasn’t winning he was highsiding himself to the heavens. This hard-charging style, however, was what endeared him to fans. Despite earning 13 wins and 57 podium finishes in his 13-year Grand Prix career, Mamola has the unpleasant record of being runner-up in the championship four times. It almost seems fitting that he’s also second place on this list (sorry, Randy). Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, to many Randy Mamola is considered the greatest rider never to win it all.

1. Dani Pedrosa

Speaking of multi-time 250cc champs who never found success in the big show, we round out this list with Dani Pedrosa. A premier class rider since 2006, riding factory Repsol Hondas his entire MotoGP career, Pedrosa was supposed to be Honda’s golden child. Then a strange thing happened: he became overshadowed and outperformed by his teammates. First Nicky Hayden won it all in 2006, then Casey Stoner won his second championship in 2011, and now he’s teamed up with the prodigy that is Marc Marquez. He’s finished second in the championship three times and won 26 races so far, but with recent reports of severe arm pump limiting his capabilities on the bike, one has to wonder whether Pedrosa’s best days are behind him. The answer to this question remains to be seen, but considering the depth of the MotoGP field today, Dani will need his arm to cooperate and the stars to align if he ever hopes to be removed from the list of bridesmaids.

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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  • Tavares Tavares on May 18, 2015

    I consider Haga 2000 WSBK Champion.

  • Tavares Tavares on May 18, 2015

    Biaggi is a 4 time 250 Champion, and a 2 time WSBK Champion. He wasn't a MotoGP Champion, but a lot of talented riders weren't either.

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