Rider Profile: Stefan bradl
Stefan Bradl
THE EARLY DAYS
Stefan Bradl first jumped on a motorbike at the age of four when his dad, former Grand Prix race winner Helmut Bradl, put him on a Honda QR50 Minimoto he brought back from Japan to the family home in Augsburg, Germany.
After an early interest to football, Stefan’s motorcycle racing career started in 2003 following one year preparation as he debuted in the ADAC Red Bull Rookies Cup. While becoming German Champion in 2005, he also had three wild-card rides in the 125cc World Championship, before taking on a full season the following year.
THE ARRIVAL ON THE WORLD STAGE
The first impact on the world stage was not an easy one for Stefan who, after suffering a bad tibia injury at the end of 2006, decided to take a step back and join the Spanish CEV 125 Championship in 2007 which he went on to win.
His return to the MotoGP™ paddock in 2008 was a much more rewarding experience for Stefan as he finished fourth overall in the 125cc World Championship. After one more difficult year in the eighth-litre category, the young German rider stepped up to Moto2 in 2010 and as the final leg of the season approached, he managed to step atop the podium in the Portuguese race at Estoril.
The momentum he gained at the end of 2010 carried fully into 2011, with Bradl able to seal the Moto2 title to become the first German World Champion in fifteen years courtesy of four race wins and an overall tally of 11 podium finishes.
Bradl joined the LCR Honda squad for his debut season in MotoGP in 2012, and he raced with the factory supported team run by former Grand Prix rider Lucio Cecchinello for three full seasons. He then swapped teams and had two more years in MotoGP before deciding to make the switch to World Superbike and a return to the Honda Racing family.
Date of birth 29 November 1989
Nationality German
Birthplace Augsburg, Germany
Bike Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2
Race number #6
Rider career
First Grand Prix race 2005 – Catalunya, Spain (125cc)
Total 125cc races 54
First 125cc podium 2008 – Qatar
Total 125cc podiums 6
First 125cc win 2008 – Brno, Czech Republic
Total 125cc wins 2
Total Moto2 races 33
First Moto2 podium 2010 – Estoril, Portugal
Total Moto2 podiums 12
First Moto2 wins 2010 – Estoril, Portugal
Total Moto2 wins 5
Total MotoGP races 86
First MotoGP podium 2012 – Laguna Seca
Total MotoGP podiums 1
2006 26th 125cc World Championship
2007 CHAMPION CEV 125cc
2007 18th 125cc World Championship
2008 4th 125cc World Championship
2009 10th 125cc World Championship
2010 9th Moto2 World Championship
2011 CHAMPION Moto2 World Championship
2012 8th MotoGP World Championship
2013 7th MotoGP World Championship
2014 9th MotoGP World Championship
2015 18th MotoGP World Championship
2016 16th MotoGP World Championship