Major changes MotoGP 2002:

• introduction of 4 stroke prototype bikes
• return of Aprilia to MotoGP
• Alex Crivillé leaves Honda and joins Yamaha Luis D'Antin team (2 year contract); Criville has since withdrawn from racing due to stress related medical condition
• Pere Riba from world supersport replaces Criville in Yamaha D'Antin team
• Regis Laconi joins Aprilia and switch his citizenship from French to Italian
• Harada moves back to 500cc with the Shell Advance Honda team
• Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki will join Proton KR team
• John Hopkins, age 18, (2000 US AMA 750 Supersport champion) joins Red Bull Yamaha team
• 2001 250cc champion Daijiro Katoh moves up to MotoGP with Honda Gresini team
former world superbike champion John Kocinski will be the factory Yamaha test and development rider
• Muz will introduce new 4 stroke bike from round 4; likely riders are Jose Luis Cardoso and Ralf Waldmann

Changes 250cc, 2002:

• Toni Elias moves up to 250cc
• 16 year old Australian Casey Stoner joins Aprilia 250cc
• new riders 250cc: Casey Stoner (AUS) Aprilia 250cc, Sharol Yuzy (MAL) Yamaha 250cc; Haruchika Aoki (JPN) Honda 250cc; Raul Jara (SPA) Aprilia 250cc; Jason Vincent (UK) Honda 250cc; Vincent Philippe (FRA) Aprilia 250cc; Dirk Heidolf (GER) Aprilia 250cc; Hector Faubel (SPA) Aprilia 250cc; Jarno Janssen (NED) Honda 250cc; Hugo Marchand (FRA) Aprilia 250cc
• Leon Haslam moves down from 500cc to 250cc

  Changes 125cc, 2002:

• new riders 125cc: Stefano Perugini (ITA), Gabor Talmacsi (HUN), Jarno Muller (GER), Klaus Nohles (GER), Jakub Smrz (CZE), Jaroslav Hules (CZE), Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), Stefano Bianco (ITA), Michel Fabrizio (ITA), Mattia Angeloni (ITA), Mika Kallio (FIN), Jorge Lorenzo (SPA), Daniel Pedrosa (SPA), Joan Olive (SPA), Alvaro Bautista (SPA), Chaz Davies (UK), Alex Baldolini (ITA)
• 125cc Italjet team expands to 3 riders
• 125cc Gilera team expands to 3 riders
• 125cc Derbi team expands to 3 riders
• Finnish rider Mika Kallio makes his debut

MotoGP Teams

*change from 2001

HONDA (8 riders)

• Honda Racing Team 1 (4 STROKE) RC211V
  Valentino Rossi, ITA, 4 STROKE
  *Tohru Ukawa, JPN, 4 STROKE
  Shinichi Itoh, JPN - test rider
  Team Manager: Carlo Fiorani
• Honda Racing Team 2 (4 STROKE)
  
  • *Team Gresini - 1 rider
    *Daijiro Katoh, JPN
    
  • *Kanemoto Racing / BRIDGESTONE- 1 rider
    *J Van den Goorbergh, NED
• Team Pons
  Alex Barros, BRA, 2 STROKE 500cc
  Loris Capirossi, ITA, 2 STROKE 500cc
  
• Hardwick Racing
  *Tetsuya Harada, JPN, V-4 (2 STROKE)
  
  

YAMAHA (8 riders)

• Yamaha Racing Team
  Max Biaggi, ITA, 4 STROKE
  Carlos Checa, SPA, 4 STROKE
  *John Kocinksi, USA - test/developement rider
  Team Manager: Geoff Crust
  
• Luis D'Antin Team
  (*Alex Crivillé, SPA) 2 STROKE
  Norick Abe, JPN, 2 STROKE
  *Pere Riba, SPA, 2 STROKE
  
• Tech 3 Team
  Shinya Nakano, JPN
  Olivier Jacque, FRA
  
  
• Red Bull Team / DUNLOP
  Garry McCoy, Australia
  *John Hopkins USA
  

SUZUKI (2 riders - 4 STROKE 990cc)

• Team SuzukI
  Kenny Roberts Jr., US, 4 STROKE 990cc
  Sete Gibernau, SPA, 4 STROKE 990cc

APRILIA (2 riders) 4 STROKE

• Aprilia Racing
  *Regis Laconi, FRA/ITA
  

PROTON (2 riders) 2 STROKE / DUNLOP

• Team Roberts - 2 riders
  *Jeremy McWilliams, UK BRIDGESTONE
  *Nobuatsu Aoki, JPN BRIDGESTONE

MUZ (2 riders) 4 STROKE

• Team MZ - 2 riders
  * Jose Luis Cardoso (SPA)
  

DUCATI WILL JOIN IN 2003

KAWASAKI WILL JOIN IN 2003

250cc Riders

*change from 2001

APRILIA:

Marco Melandri(ITA)
Roberto Locatelli(ITA) 2000 125cc champion,
*Alfonso Nieto (SPA)
*Toni Elias (SPA)
Franco Battaini(ITA)
*Raul Jara SPA
*Vincent Philippe (FRA)
*Casey Stoner (AUS)
*Dirk Heidolf (GER)
*Hector Faubel (SPA)
*David Checa (SPA)
*Hugo Marchand (FRA)
Lorenzo Lanzi(ITA)
Alex Hofmann(GER)
Randy de Puniet (FRA)

HONDA:

*Roberto Rolfo(ITA)
*Alex Debon (SPA)
Emilio Alzamora(ESP) 1999 125cc champion
*Haruchika Aoki (JPN)
*Leon Haslam (UK)
*Jason Vincent (UK)
Katja Poensgen (GER)
*Jarno Janssen NED

YAMAHA:

Naoki Matsudo(JPN),
Sebastian Porto(ARG)
Taro Sekiguchi(JPN),
*Sharol Yuzy (MAL)

FULL FACTORY RIDERS:
APRILIA:
M Melandri
F Nieto
F Battaini
R De Puniet
T Elias
HONDA:
E Alzamora
R Rolfo

125cc Riders

*change from 2001

DERBI: Youichi Ui(JPN), Pablo Nieto(ESP), *Jorge Lorenzo (SPA)

HONDA: Alex de Angelis(RSM), Masao Azuma(JPN), Mirko Giansanti(ITA),
Angel Nieto Jr(ESP), Jarno Muller (GER), *Klaus Nohles (GER), *Jakub Smrz(CZE), *Noboru Ueda (JPN), *Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), *Mika Kallio (FIN), * Daniel Pedrosa (SPA), *Joan Olive (SPA), *Alvaro Bautista (SPA)

APRILIA: Gino Borsoi(ITA), Lucio Cecchinello(ITA), Steve Jenkner(GER), Max Sabatini(ITA), Simon Sanna(ITA), *Angel Rodriguez (SPA), *Jaroslav Hules (CZE), *Stefano Bianco (ITA), *Arnaud Vincent(FRA), *Chaz Davies (UK), *Alex Baldolini (ITA)

GILERA: Manuel Poggiali(RSM), *Michel Fabrizio (ITA), *Mattia Angeloni (ITA)

ITALJET: Gianluigi Scalvini(ITA), *Stefano Perugini (ITA), *Gabor Talmacsi HUN