While there seems to be no shortage of celebrity bikers, what about a famous presence in the business of motorcycles?

Celebrities often become captains of industry by either opening a business or lending their famous name to a product, such as perfume or aftershave.  Restaurants have been opened by actresses, sports figures and even the famous director Steven Spielberg who pioneered the well known ‘Dive!’ sandwich deli.

Fashion, house wares and a range of items have felt the touch of a celebrity over the years, with the hope if the well-known name had anything to do with its creation, the product must be worth buying.

This is seen most prominently with perfumes; Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Brittney Spears, Halle Berry, Usher and even Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti is in the self-named scent business.

But what about motorcycles or more specifically motorcycle racing?

Many famous faces have found their motorcycle racing passion. Certainly a work of love, Ewan McGregor lent his voice as narrator to the 2003 documentary ‘Faster’ which profiled the MotoGP championship. Tom Cruise was seen taking his entire family the 2008 Red Bull US MotoGP World Championship while fellow actor Brad Pitt went as far as having his picture taken with racing champion Valentino Rossi, as seen above.

But there are those celebrities who have put their name behind an actual racing team in the competitive sport of motorcycle racing.

Legendary basketball icon Michael Jordon created Michael Jordon Motorsports in 2004 with the assistance of Gemini Racing and Live Nation. Initially bathed in Carolina Blue color after the birthplace of Jordan’s collegiate basketball career at the University of North Carolina, the current team consists of Aaron Yates (number 23) and Geoff May (number 54) who both compete in the new AMA American Superbike class riding Suzuki’s. And the team isn’t just about style, in the 2009 season they racked up nine podiums and seventeen top five finishes.

This week, Antonio Banderas doubled the number of celebrity team owners when he presented his team in Madrid. Known for his roles in Desperado, Zorro and lending his voice to a swashbuckling kitty in the Shrek series, Banderas is an avid motorcycle enthusiast owning five bikes.

Reportedly he has hired Spaniard Joan Olive and US racer Kenny Noyes to pilot the team that will participate in the world championship beginning on April 11^th.

 “I wanted to enter the world of sports and when this project was presented to me, it fascinated me. Motorbikes are part of my life,” Banderas told reporters.

Beginning of a trend? The new way for celebrities to spend their off-screen time?

The latest move brings an interesting possibility, certainly when the new zero-carbon, all electric racing is considered alongside the star-studded community that enjoys promoting how green is the way to go.