The motorcycle racing championship was renamed MotoGP in 2002 from the 500cc World Championship.
The change accompanied the introduction of new technical rules allowing four-stroke motorcycles with engines up to 990 cc to compete alongside two-stroke 500 cc machines. The premier class therefore became known as MotoGP, while the older 500 cc designation disappeared from the championship’s official identity.
The 2002 season was a transitional year. Two-stroke 500 cc motorcycles could still race under the regulations, but the new four-stroke prototypes quickly became competitive and soon dominated the class. Honda rider Valentino Rossi won the first MotoGP-era premier-class title on the Honda RC211V.
MotoGP is the top category of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme road-racing world championship. The lower classes have changed names and technical rules separately, so MotoGP should not be confused with the entire world championship or with the former 500 cc class as a historical category.