Who holds the record for the most 500cc or MotoGP premier-class motorcycle world titles?

Giacomo Agostini holds the record for the most premier-class motorcycle world titles, with eight championships in the 500cc class. He won those titles between 1966 and 1975 while riding primarily for MV Agusta.

Agostini dominated an era when the premier class was known as the 500cc World Championship, the predecessor of today’s MotoGP premier class. His success came with four-stroke MV Agusta machines, and he also won multiple 350cc world championships during the same period.

The record concerns premier-class championships, not the total number of world titles across every displacement category. Agostini won 15 Grand Prix world championships across the 350cc and 500cc classes, a separate overall achievement.

Valentino Rossi and Marc Márquez are among the leading modern premier-class champions, but neither has surpassed Agostini’s eight premier-class titles.