Mike Trimby named MotoGP Legend
Trimby becomes the first non-rider to be inducted in the Hall of Fame, honouring his off-track contributions to the sport.
Mike Trimby is now officially a MotoGP™ Legend, having been inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix. Trimby, who sadly passed away in 2023, becomes the first Legend inducted wholly due to their work off-track.
Trimby was the founder and CEO of IRTA, thereby becoming one of the most important figures in the history of motorcycle Grand Prix racing and playing a pivotal role in shaping the sport MotoGP™ has become.
Trimby did begin his career as a rider and mechanic in the 1960s, but soon started to emerge as a key figure off-track and had established himself as such by the late 1970s. In 1982, the riders then officially requested Trimby to act as their representative, something further formalised with the founding of the International Road Racing Teams Association (IRTA) in 1986, with Trimby at the helm.
Advocating for riders and teams, IRTA has remained a pivotal part of the sport. The huge progress in safety made since the organisation was founded is thanks in large part to the work undertaken by Trimby, his wife Irene, and IRTA.
1992 also marked the beginning of the great collaboration between the FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports, which likewise owes much to the foundations laid by IRTA over the decade before, giving riders and teams a voice at the table.
Tony Congram, speaking on behalf of Irene, Mike’s family and IRTA, said: “Irene has asked me to say a few words on her behalf and that of the Trimby family. Thank you all very much for being here today to witness Mike’s induction into the Legends. Thank you, Carmelo, thank you very much for Mike’s invitation to this very prestigious club, it is unbelievable. Mike and Carmelo as you said have had a very strong relationship over the years and it is a testament to Mike’s memory that you have asked him to become a part of the Legends. It is a very proud moment, an honour for Irene to have Mike’s name alongside all of these incredible riders, past and present, so to be amongst them Irene is very proud and so would Mike be very proud. As you can imagine it is still a very emotional time. On behalf of Irene we would like to thank you for your messages, your emails, and all the forms of communication that Irene has had from all of you, and for your kind words and support in this particularly sad time. Again, thank you, Carmelo, and thank you very much, everybody, thank you.”
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, said: “This is a very special moment for me, as Mike is the first non-rider to be a part of the MotoGP™ Legends. A big reason why MotoGP™ is as it is right now is because of Mike Trimby. I met him many many years ago for the first time when he was representing the riders, even before IRTA, I was the director of the Jarama circuit. I remember well that he arrived on an enduro bike and looked at the paddock and different things and made an incredible effort. To be honest it was considered strange to be representing the riders and it was not really well accepted by the authorities of the paddock. Mike continued doing that and later on, it was growing and growing and with the creation of IRTA he was doing everything to improve the most important thing, the safety of the riders. He was crucial for that and without Mike Trimby I am absolutely sure we would not be as we are right now.
“Later on, when we started in 1991, signing the agreement between IRTA, FIM, Dorna and Two Wheel Promotions, to be honest, Mike was not especially happy at this moment. But working together we achieved what we have achieved right now and for me, it is a very emotional moment, not just as the CEO of Dorna and representing what the Championship thinks but we became very good friends. I was very happy to deal with him, he always had a typical British sense of humour when he was explaining many things to me and, to be honest in the beginning it was very difficult to understand each other but finally we did it. It was a very emotional moment when he left us last year in Misano, it was something that was very strange and right now with Irene here I think it is the proper moment to show everybody how important Mike Trimby was to us. I extremely happy to announce him as a MotoGP™ Legend because MotoGP™ is as it is right now thanks to Mike Trimby.”
Mike joins the list of his fellow MotoGP™ Legends in the Hall of Fame: Giacomo Agostini, Hugh Anderson, Hans-Georg Anscheidt, Kork Ballington, Max Biaggi, Alex Crivillé, Mick Doohan, Stefan Dörflinger, Andrea Dovizioso, Geoff Duke, Wayne Gardner, Mike Hailwood, Nicky Hayden, Jorge Lorenzo, Daijiro Kato, Eddie Lawson, Marco Lucchinelli, Randy Mamola, Anton Mang, Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez, Angel Nieto, Dani Pedrosa, Wayne Rainey, Phil Read, Jim Redman, Kenny Roberts, Kenny Roberts Jr, Valentino Rossi, Jarno Saarinen, Kevin Schwantz, Barry Sheene, Marco Simoncelli, Freddie Spencer, Casey Stoner, John Surtees, Luigi Taveri, Carlo Ubbiali and Franco Uncini.
