Diogo Moreira has just become Brazil’s first motorcycle world champion. The young man from Guarulhos, the second most populated city in the state of Sao Paulo, concluded his season of consecration and promotion with the Moto2 title this Sunday, with an eleventh place in the Valencia GP. At 21 years old and with a contract to move up to the premier class with Honda and the LCR team under his belt, in 2026 he will become the third Brazilian rider to reach MotoGP. Adu Celso, the country’s first World Cup winner in 1973, and Alex Barros, winner of seven races and with a total of 32 elite podiums, preceded him in the world championship.
“Winning this title is a gift,” comments the new world champion of the intermediate category, who to be crowned had to overcome a 60-point deficit over Madrid’s Manu González in this final stretch of the route. “This shows that there are dreams that can be realized. When I crossed the finish line I cried for everything I had suffered in these years. I left Brazil when I was very young, leaving my life and my family aside to live this dream that we have now realized”, adds the new 10 of the competition, very emotional during the celebrations at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit.
Barros, in addition to being a legend of the discipline, was also one of the main discoverers of Moreira, a paradigm of being in the right place at the right time. Starting from an early age in motocross, a specialty that his father Luiz also practiced, at three years old he was already drifting everywhere and at nine he won his first titles. His precocious talent did not go unnoticed. At the age of 10, the Brazilian icon invited him to change dirt for asphalt with a 250cc in his country’s national championship, and the good results opened the doors of speed motorcycling to him.
Former driver Emilio Alzamora had been searching and searching for some time in the Brazilian quarry without success when Barros mentioned Moreira to him. “He spoke very well to me about him and we saw a unique talent there. His excellent level on the pitch off the road “He convinced us, because from then on all we had to do was teach him speed,” says the supporter of other great talents such as the Márquez brothers and Fabio Quartararo. The commitment of Ignacio Rivera, CEO of Estrella Galicia, a brewery that wanted to open the market in Brazil, was firm and he was awarded a scholarship to support all the needs of the pilot and his family.
Even so, the sacrifice was not small. Around the age of 12, Moreira moved to Alcarràs (Lleida) under the aegis of the Monlau school, one of the great cradles of the competition’s champions. There he placed himself in the hands of Àngel Grau, who honed his riding in the supermotard category, a common specialty in the training of the main elite leaders. “From his first training with us, we saw that he had a very high gift and potential. As a pilot he adapts very quickly to everything and progresses every year”, underlines another of his mentors.
On the dirt tracks of Lleida he begins to meet the Márquez brothers, idols and references. A few years later, Marc and Álex decide to invite him to their private training sessions, where he shares the track with them and with other unique talents such as the Colombian and Moto3 champion David Alonso. Moreira was making real strides in the promotion cups, although he never achieved any championship run. “His adaptation wasn’t easy, given that in Spain he was five years ahead of kids his age. But he knew how to persist,” says Alzamora. “He has practically no childhood, but his story is very beautiful”, underlines his brother Rafael, eight years older than him. The eldest of the family surprised him with a quick trip from Brazil to welcome him on the same route: “When I saw him, I collapsed.”
Moreira’s World Cup debut came in 2022 at the age of 17 with MT Cascos-MSI and he stood out as rookie of the year. The following year he achieved three podiums and his first victory to promote Moto2, where he repeated the award as best rookie and reached the podium for the first time in the last event of the course. In 2025 he exploded with four victories, nine podiums and seven poles, earning promotion to MotoGP just as Brazil returns to the calendar at the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna, located in Goiânia.
His clarity and ability to always remain calm are what stands out most among his colleagues and rivals. “He experienced this very peaceful moment and his goal has always been to enjoy this end of the stage in Moto2,” says Diego Silvente, his representative. The boy assures that this quality was strengthened from an early age, when he had to adapt overnight to the customs, food and winter cold of Lleida. His big step to becoming champion was headlong. “This year I worked a lot on the mental aspect and this allowed me to always be calm and calm. The championship is only the consequence of a job well done”, he says.
Those who know Moreira best highlight his human profile above all. “He is an exceptional person, both him and his family. Humble, polite, grateful and very, very hardworking. Diogo’s mentality has always been very positive,” says Grau. It’s the general feeling of a paddock he needs foreign stars and with the enthusiasm of the boy in Moto2 he rediscovers Brazil at an unprecedented time, almost two decades after Alex Barros’ last dance and with the country’s return to the championship next year.
