// Plain English · 42 terms
A–Z Glossary
Every MotoGP term, flag and bit of tech — explained in a sentence. The plain-English A–Z for complete beginners.
A
- Apex
- The innermost point of a corner — the tightest part of the turn that a rider aims to clip to carry the most speed onto the next straight. Read the full guide →
C
- Carbon brakes
- Brake discs and pads made of carbon — lighter and more powerful than steel, but they only work properly when very hot, roughly 200 to 800°C. Read the full guide →
- Chicane
- A quick sequence of tight, alternating corners (left-right or right-left), often built to slow the bikes down. Read the full guide →
D
- Double yellow flags
- Two yellow flags waved together: the hazard is partly or wholly blocking the track — slow down, no overtaking. Read the full guide →
- Dry line
- The strip of track that dries first as rubber and warmth build up, giving the most grip. Read the full guide →
F
- Flag-to-flag
- A race where the weather changes and riders pit to switch bikes without the race stopping. Read the full guide →
H
- Hairpin
- A very tight, slow corner that almost doubles back on itself. Read the full guide →
- Highside
- A violent crash where the sliding rear tyre suddenly grips again and flicks the rider up and over the top of the bike. Read the full guide →
- Holeshot
- Getting to the first corner in the lead off the start line. Read the full guide →
- Holeshot device
- A gadget that squats the bike down at the start for a harder launch off the line, then releases. Read the full guide →
I
- Intermediate tyres
- In-between tyres for a damp track. MotoGP dropped them after 2016, so riders choose between slicks and rain tyres. Read the full guide →
J
- Jump start
- Moving before the lights go out at the start — it earns a penalty. Read the full guide →
L
- Lean angle
- How far the bike is tipped from vertical through a corner — MotoGP riders pass 60°. Read the full guide →
- Long lap penalty
- A penalty that sends a rider through a longer detour off the racing line, typically costing two to four seconds. Read the full guide →
P
- Paddock
- The fenced-off working area behind the pits where teams, hospitality and motorhomes are based. Read the full guide →
- Parc fermé
- A controlled area where the top bikes are held after the session for checks, with no team work allowed. Read the full guide →
- Pit board
- A hand-held board teams hang out at the track wall to signal gaps and messages to their rider. Read the full guide →
- Pit crew
- The crew chief, mechanics and engineers who prepare, set up and repair a rider's bikes in the garage. Read the full guide →
- Pit lane
- The slow lane beside the track where teams work on the bikes and riders enter and exit. Read the full guide →
- Pit stop
- In MotoGP, coming into the pit lane mid-race to swap to a second bike — usually because the weather has changed. Read the full guide →
- Pole position
- First place on the starting grid, earned by the fastest qualifying lap. Read the full guide →
- Practice
- Sessions before qualifying where riders set up the bike; the top ten in Friday afternoon's Practice go straight to Q2. Read the full guide →
Q
- Qualifying
- The timed sessions that set the starting order, split into Q1 and Q2 for the front rows. Read the full guide →
R
- Racing line
- The fastest path through a corner — usually wide on the way in, clipping the apex, then wide again on the way out. Read the full guide →
- Red flag
- A flag that stops the session immediately, usually for a crash or weather. Read the full guide →
- Ride-height device
- A system that lowers the bike on corner exit and straights for better drive and lower drag. Read the full guide →
S
- Safety car
- A car that follows the riders on the warm-up lap and the whole first lap, ready to help after a crash — unlike in F1, it never leads the race. Read the full guide →
- Sandbagging
- Deliberately hiding your true pace in practice so rivals underestimate you. Read the full guide →
- Slick tyres
- Completely smooth dry-weather tyres — no tread, so the maximum amount of rubber touches the track for grip. Read the full guide →
- Slipstream
- The pocket of calmer air directly behind another bike. Sitting in it means less wind resistance — so you can carry more speed for free. Read the full guide →
- Sprint race
- A short Saturday race over half the distance, awarding points to the top nine finishers. Read the full guide →
- Swingarm
- The pivoting arm that connects the rear wheel to the bike and lets the suspension move. Read the full guide →
T
- Teams' Championship
- The title for teams: the points of a team's two riders are added together after every Sprint and Grand Prix. Read the full guide →
- Test rider
- A rider employed by a manufacturer to develop the bike away from race weekends, who sometimes races as a wildcard or a replacement. Read the full guide →
- Top speed
- The fastest a bike goes on a lap, reached at the end of the longest straight — over 360 km/h at the quickest circuits. Read the full guide →
- Track limits
- The painted edges of the track; running beyond them can cancel a lap time or earn a warning. Read the full guide →
- Tyre degradation
- The gradual loss of grip as a tyre wears and overheats through a race. Read the full guide →
W
- Warm-up lap
- The lap to the grid before the start, used to heat the tyres and brakes. Read the full guide →
- Wet tyres
- Grooved tyres that channel water away so the bike can grip a wet track. Read the full guide →
- White flag
- A flag signalling that riders may swap to a second bike — usually as rain arrives. Read the full guide →
- Winglets
- Small wings on the bodywork that create downforce to keep the front wheel down and improve stability. Read the full guide →
Y
- Yellow flag
- A warning of danger ahead — slow down and do not overtake in that zone. Read the full guide →