Miguel Oliveira (motorcyclist)

2011 was Oliveira's first season in Motorcycling Grand Prix, in the 125cc Championship with Andalucía-Cajasol team. The bike was an Aprilia.[3] 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.

Oliveira moved to Moto3 machinery with Emilio Alzamora's Estrella Galicia 0,0 team for 2012, 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 2013, Oliveira left the team. Despite offers from the Ajo Motorsport and Avintia Racing teams, Oliveira joined Mahindra Racing for 2013.[4]

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.

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.

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.[2] After taking a second victory in three races, at Assen,[5] 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,[6] and a victory at Phillip Island.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

On 13 September 2015, it was announced that Oliveira would be moving up to the Moto2 class for the 2016 season, with Leopard Racing.[10] He was joined in the team by his Moto3 championship rival Danny Kent.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13] 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.

For the 2017 season Oliveira switches to the Red Bull Ajo Moto2 team with KTM making their debut in the Moto2 class.[14] 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.[15]

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 Miguel Oliveira Fan Club Racing Team seal.

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.[16]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)