Danny Kent · Biography

On 8 November 2015, at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, Danny Ray Kent crossed the line in ninth place and became Moto3 world champion. He went into the final race 24 points ahead of Portugal’s Miguel Oliveira and needed only two. Oliveira won the race, but Kent ended the championship on 260 points to 254. Born on 25 November 1993 in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, he was the first British solo Grand Prix world champion since Barry Sheene in 1977. He later rebuilt his career in the British Superbike Championship.

Minimotos and the Red Bull Rookies Cup

Kent made his racing debut and took his first win in 2001, in the Welsh minimoto championship. He finished second in the British MiniGP50 series in 2004 and won the MiniGP70 title in 2005. He then raced in the British Aprilia Superteens series, and in 2008 joined the Red Bull MotoGP Academy, which took him to the Spanish 125cc championship, where he placed ninth. In the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup he was fourth in 2009 and runner-up in 2010, with two wins that year. He also made his first 125cc World Championship starts in 2010: six races without points, for Lambretta and as a wildcard with Aztec GP.

First wins with Ajo

In 2011 he signed for Red Bull Ajo Motorsport and finished 11th in the 125cc World Championship on an Aprilia, with 82 points. The class became Moto3 the following year, and Kent stayed with Ajo on a KTM. In October 2012 he claimed his first Grand Prix win at Motegi, Japan, settled on the last lap. At the final race of that year in Valencia he passed teammate Sandro Cortese at the last corner for his second victory. He finished 2012 fourth in the standings with 154 points, three podiums and one pole.

A first spell in Moto2 and a return to Moto3

Kent stepped up to Moto2 in 2013 with Tech 3, alongside Louis Rossi. It was a difficult year. He scored 16 points, broke his collarbone in the warm-up for the Japanese Grand Prix and missed the rest of the season. For 2014 he returned to Moto3 with Aki Ajo’s Red Bull Husqvarna team. On the Husqvarna he took two podiums and one pole, and was eighth in the championship with 129 points.

The 2015 title with Leopard

In 2015 Kent raced a Honda for Leopard Racing. He won in Austin, Argentina and Jerez in three consecutive races, and later added victories in Catalunya, at the Sachsenring and at Silverstone. He finished the year with six wins, nine podiums and five poles. His lead shrank over the closing rounds and the title was decided in Valencia, where ninth place was enough. With 260 points he also became the first British champion in the lightweight class since Dave Simmonds in 1969.

Uneven years in Moto2

He stayed with Leopard for 2016 in Moto2 on a Kalex and finished 22nd with 35 points. In 2017 he started the year with Kiefer Racing on a Suter, but left the team in April. That season he made occasional replacement appearances in Moto2 and Moto3. For 2018 he joined Speed Up Racing. In late September of that year, with five races left, the team dropped him over his performance and his refusal to follow team orders. His last World Championship season ended with 8 points. In all he made 126 Grand Prix starts, with eight wins, 14 podiums and seven poles.

A second career in British Superbikes

Kent made his British Superbike Championship debut at the final round of 2018 at Brands Hatch, riding a Suzuki for Halsall Racing. In 2019 he contested a handful of races for MV Agusta before the team ended his contract in August. That same month he was given a four-month suspended prison sentence for carrying a knife in a public place during an altercation in March 2019. In 2020 he was sixth in the National Superstock 1000 series on a Kawasaki. He returned to Superbikes with Buildbase Suzuki, finishing 18th in 2021 and 16th in 2022, and was 14th on a Honda in 2023. In 2024 he moved to McAMS Yamaha and placed fourth with 373 points. On 12 October 2024, in his 100th start in the series, he won the wet opening race of the Brands Hatch finale: his first Superbike victory. In August 2025 he took a double win at Thruxton, and on 19 October 2025 he won the last race of the year at Brands Hatch. He finished 2025 sixth with 298 points.