Jonas Folger · Biography

Jonas Folger’s first title came in 2003, when he won the 50cc class of the ADAC Mini Bike Cup on a Honda. Born on 13 August 1993 in Mühldorf am Inn, Bavaria, the German rider went on to win Grand Prix races in 125cc, Moto3 and Moto2, finished second at the MotoGP German Grand Prix with Tech3 in 2017 and won the German IDM Superbike title in 2020.

Early years and the Red Bull academy

Folger grew up around Mühldorf and was given his first motocross bike as a small child. After the 2003 Mini Bike Cup title he added wins in the 65cc class in 2004 and 2005, and in 2005 he was selected for the Red Bull MotoGP Academy. In 2007 he won a German championship race at the Salzburgring. His world championship debut followed in 2008 as a wildcard at Brno on a 125cc KTM; he started three races that year and scored his first point at Misano.

125cc: first podium and first win

In 2009 he joined the Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. on an Aprilia for his first full season. Second place at Le Mans gave him his first Grand Prix podium, and he ended the year 12th with 73 points and the rookie of the year award. A 2010 season with the same team brought 14th place. The move to Red Bull Ajo Motorsport for 2011 changed his results: at Silverstone he won the 2011 British Grand Prix, his first Grand Prix victory, and he closed the championship sixth with 161 points and three podiums.

Moto3 with Ioda and Aspar

The 125cc class gave way to Moto3 in 2012, and Folger began the new era with the IodaRacing Project. He won the 2012 Czech Grand Prix at Brno, took his first pole position at Aragón, added another at Valencia and finished ninth. For 2013 he signed with the Mapfre Aspar Team. He started from pole at Mugello and Misano, collected four podiums and ended the season fifth with 183 points.

Moto2 with AGR and Intact GP

Folger stepped up to Moto2 in 2014 with the AGR Team on a Kalex. His rookie year brought pole at Le Mans, two podiums and 15th place. In 2015 he opened the season by winning in Qatar and won again at Jerez, finishing sixth with 163 points. He moved to the German team Dynavolt Intact GP for 2016, took pole in Qatar and won the 2016 Czech Grand Prix at Brno, ending the year seventh with five podiums.

MotoGP with Tech3 and the illness

In 2017 Folger reached the premier class with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team. At the Sachsenring in July he finished second in the German Grand Prix, his first MotoGP podium, and set the fastest lap of the race. The second half of his season was cut short: taken ill before the Japanese Grand Prix, he missed the last four rounds of the year. In November 2017 Tech3 said tests in Germany had identified a form of Gilbert’s syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects how the liver processes toxins. He finished tenth in the standings with 84 points from 13 races. In January 2018 he announced he would not race that season, and Tech3 signed Hafizh Syahrin in his place.

Superbikes and the return with KTM

Folger came back in 2019 with five Moto2 races for Petronas Sprinta Racing. In 2020 he won the IDM Superbike title with MGM Racing on a Yamaha, and in 2021 he contested a full World Superbike season on a BMW, finishing 22nd with 21 points. In February 2023 KTM named him one of its test riders, and from the Americas Grand Prix in April 2023 he replaced the injured Pol Espargaró at GasGas Tech3, scoring nine points in six races. He raced the Suzuka 8 Hours with S-Pulse Dream Racing on a Suzuki in 2025. In May 2026 he stood in for Maverick Viñales at Le Mans with Red Bull KTM Tech3, his 20th MotoGP start.