Miguel Oliveira (motorcyclist)
Miguel Ângelo Falcão de Oliveira is a Portuguese professional motorcycle racer, competing in the MotoGP World Championship for KTM Tech3, a satellite-team to KTM Factory Racing.
He finished as runner-up in the 2018 Moto2 World Championship.
At the 2015 Italian Grand Prix, Oliveira achieved the first World Championship victory for a Portuguese rider.
He gained extensive experience in Moto3, having competed for the Estrella Galicia 0,0 team in 2012, the Mahindra Racing team in 2013 and 2014 and finishing runner-up with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team in 2015.
Oliveira's father, a former motorcycle racer, always supported his son's love of racing and gave him his first quad-bike when he was four years old. He started racing in the national championship at nine years old, in the Portuguese MiniGP Championship in 2004, winning the Young Promise of the Year award in Portugal. His first successes came in 2005 when he won the Portuguese MiniGP championship and Metrakit World Festival in Spain. In 2006 he repeated his earlier success and in 2007 he won the Mediterranean PreGP 125 Trophy. In 2009 he was third in the Spanish championship, and in 2010 battled Maverick Viñales for the title, eventually finishing runner-up by just two points and progressed to become the first full-time Portuguese rider to reach the world championship.
Career
125cc World Championship
2011
2011 was Oliveira's first season in Motorcycling Grand Prix, in the 125cc Championship with Andalucía-Cajasol team. The bike was an Aprilia. His best result was a 7th place at his home race at Estoril, having finished 10th on his début in Qatar. He achieved six top ten finishes in his first season, but did not compete in the final races after the team failed to secure financial support to end the season.Moto3 World Championship
2012
Oliveira moved to Moto3 machinery with Emilio Alzamora's Estrella Galicia 0,0 team for, having helped to develop the new four-stroke Suter-Honda bike in the last rounds of the CEV 2011 season; winning two races in the process. In 2012 he led some races before crashing out and got his first podium, a third place, in Catalunya. He improved on that result with a second place in Australia, and ended the season in eighth place in the championship standings. As the team already had a contract with Álex Márquez to partner Álex Rins in, Oliveira left the team. Despite offers from the Ajo Motorsport and Avintia Racing teams, Oliveira joined Mahindra Racing for.2013
He was once again developing a new bike with Suter, with a Mahindra-badged engine – based on 2012's Honda unit – and he got the first podium for the Indian team in Sepang, with a third-place finish. He also achieved a pole position, eight top-five finishes and three fastest laps with the new bike that was underpowered compared to the KTM machinery.2014
For 2014 he was joined by Arthur Sissis – who was later replaced by Andrea Migno due to poor results – and he obtained a podium in Assen, a third place. He finished the season as the best Mahindra rider in the championship, in tenth place. He will join the factory KTM Ajo team for 2015.2015
After joining the Red Bull Racing KTM Ajo Team, he became the first Portuguese rider to win a motorcycle Grand Prix with a victory at Mugello. After taking a second victory in three races, at Assen, Oliveira suffered a heavy crash during the first practice session of the following Grand Prix in Germany which forced him to withdraw from the race due to a broken and displaced metacarpal in the left hand. Returning from injury in Indianapolis his best result in the following three races was an eighth-place finish at Brno. With only 6 races remaining in the season, Oliveira trailed championship leader Danny Kent by 110 points. Oliveira finished second at Misano, before winning at Aragon; he also pulled 35 points back on Kent over the two races. Another 35 points were pulled back on Kent, as Oliveira continued his top-two streak with second in Japan, and a victory at Phillip Island. The victory also stopped Kent from clinching the title – Oliveira trailed Kent by 40 points with 50 points available, and was the only rider that could catch Kent in the standings. Oliveira won again in Malaysia, and with Kent finishing seventh, Oliveira kept the title race alive heading to the final round in Valencia – 24 points behind, with 25 points available. Oliveira did all he could to try and claim the title; he won the race, but with Kent finishing ninth after a three-rider collision in the last corner, Oliveira fell six points short.Moto2 World Championship
2016
On 13 September 2015, it was announced that Oliveira would be moving up to the Moto2 class for the 2016 season, with Leopard Racing. He was joined in the team by his Moto3 championship rival Danny Kent. Oliveira achieved three Top 10 results with a 9th place in Le Mans, 8th place in Catalunya and another 9th place in Brno before breaking his collarbone after a collision with Franco Morbidelli during practice for the Aragon Grand Prix. Morbidelli was later penalized for the crash with Oliveira missing out on the race. He returned for the Japanese Grand Prix and was initially declared fit by the medical team, but eventually did not start the race after assessing his condition during free practice. In consultation with the team it was later decided that Oliveira would also not start in the following races at Phillip Island and Sepang, where he was replaced by Alessandro Nocco. Before the Aragon crash Oliveira had been comfortably leading the standings for Rookie of the Year throughout the season and he was behind by only one point after missing four races and returning for the final race of the year in Valencia. He finished the race in a commendable 13th place, but fell short of clinching the trophy by a single point with eventual Rookie of the Year Xavi Vierge finishing just ahead of him in 12th place.2017
For the 2017 season Oliveira switches to the Red Bull Ajo Moto2 team with KTM making their debut in the Moto2 class. On his return to the Ajo Team he partnered his former Moto3 teammate Brad Binder.On 22 October, he achieved his first win on Moto 2 and by doing so the first one ever for KTM on this class. Oliveira also won the following race at Malaysia and closed the 2017 Moto2 with a three in row, winning the final race in Valencia.
Still in 2017, Miguel Oliveira has initiated a pioneering pedagogic project in Portugal – the Oliveira Cup. This Motorcycle School Trophy, with his mentoring, is directed to young people from 10 to 14 years old, and aims to find his "successor". It enrolled 12 young riders for the first year and is now getting ready for the second season, in 2018.
At the same time, Miguel Oliveira has a preponderant role preparing young talents channeled from Oliveira Cup to step into in the “National Velocity Championship”, under the Racing Team seal.
2018
He remained with the Aki Ajo team for another season. During the Spanish GP weekend it was announced he'll move to Moto GP next season riding for KTM's new satellite team, Tech 3.Career highlights
- 2004 – 4th place in Troféu Mini GP
- 2005 – 1st place in Metrakit World Festival, 1st place in Troféu Mini GP, 2nd place in Madrid Mini GP
- 2006 – 1st place in RACE Madrid, 1st place in Troféu Mini GP XL 70cc
- 2007 – 1st place in Troféu Open Racc Pre-125, 3rd place in Metrakit World Festival
- 2008 – 3rd place in Troféu Open Racc Pre-125, 8th place in Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at Estoril, 1st place in Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at Donington and Assen, 1st place in 250cc 4T at Jerez
- 2009 – 3rd place in CEV final standings, 5th place European 125GP
- 2010 – 2nd place in the European 125GP championship, 2nd place in CEV
- 2011 – 14th in 125cc World Championship, 1st place in CEV Moto3 at Valencia and Jerez
- 2012 – 8th in Moto3 World Championship
- 2013 – 6th in Moto3 World Championship
- 2014 – 10th in Moto3 World Championship
- 2015 – 2nd in Moto3 World Championship
- 2016 – 20th in Moto2 World Championship
- 2017 – 3rd in Moto2 World Championship
- 2018 – 2nd in Moto2 World Championship
Career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
By season
By class
Races by year
| Year | Class | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Pos | Pts |
| 2011 | 125cc | Aprilia | QAT 10 | SPA Ret | POR 7 | FRA 9 | CAT Ret | GBR | NED | ITA 8 | GER Ret | CZE 23 | IND 8 | RSM 10 | ARA Ret | JPN | AUS | MAL | VAL | 14th | 44 | ||
| Moto3 | Suter Honda | QAT 5 | SPA Ret | POR Ret | FRA Ret | CAT 3 | GBR 10 | NED 10 | GER 19 | ITA Ret | IND 4 | CZE 9 | RSM 9 | ARA 8 | JPN 7 | MAL 5 | AUS 2 | VAL Ret | 8th | 114 | |||
| Moto3 | Mahindra | QAT 7 | AME 5 | SPA 16 | FRA Ret | ITA 4 | CAT 6 | NED 4 | GER 4 | IND 8 | CZE 9 | GBR 5 | RSM 7 | ARA 5 | MAL 3 | AUS 26 | JPN 4 | VAL 10 | 6th | 150 | |||
| 2014 | Moto3 | Mahindra | QAT 4 | AME 15 | ARG DNS | SPA 14 | FRA 12 | ITA 4 | CAT 12 | NED 3 | GER Ret | IND 7 | CZE 7 | GBR 4 | RSM 22 | ARA 7 | JPN Ret | AUS 7 | MAL Ret | VAL 8 | 10th | 110 | |
| 2015 | Moto3 | KTM | QAT 16 | AME Ret | ARG 4 | SPA 2 | FRA 8 | ITA 1 | CAT 5 | NED 1 | GER DNS | IND 15 | CZE 8 | GBR 13 | RSM 2 | ARA 1 | JPN 2 | AUS 1 | MAL 1 | VAL 1 | 2nd | 254 | |
| 2016 | Moto2 | Kalex | QAT 11 | ARG 21 | AME Ret | SPA Ret | FRA 9 | ITA 13 | CAT 8 | NED 15 | GER Ret | AUT 14 | CZE 9 | GBR Ret | RSM 17 | ARA DNS | JPN DNS | AUS | MAL | VAL 13 | 21st | 36 | |
| 2017 | Moto2 | KTM | QAT 4 | ARG 2 | AME 6 | SPA 3 | FRA 17 | ITA 5 | CAT 3 | NED 5 | GER 2 | CZE 3 | AUT Ret | GBR 8 | RSM Ret | ARA 3 | JPN 7 | AUS 1 | MAL 1 | VAL 1 | 3rd | 241 | |
| 2018 | Moto2 | KTM | QAT 5 | ARG 3 | AME 3 | SPA 2 | FRA 6 | ITA 1 | CAT 2 | NED 6 | GER 4 | CZE 1 | AUT 2 | GBR C | RSM 2 | ARA 7 | THA 3 | JPN 3 | AUS 11 | MAL 2 | VAL 1 | 2nd | 297 |
| 2019 | MotoGP | KTM | QAT 17 | ARG 11 | AME 14 | SPA 18 | FRA 15 | ITA 16 | CAT 12 | NED 13 | GER 18 | CZE 13 | AUT 8 | GBR Ret | RSM 16 | ARA 13 | THA 16 | JPN 12 | AUS DNS | MAL DNS | VAL | 17th | 33 |
| MotoGP | KTM | SPA 8 | AND | CZE | AUT | STY | RSM | EMR | CAT | FRA | ARA | TER | EUR | VAL | THA | MAL | ARG | 8th* | 8* |
* Season still in progress.