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MotoGP statistics update heading to Brno

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2020 MotoGP Round Three – Brno

Monster Energy Grand Prix České Republiky

MotoGP Facts and Stats

At the Andalucia GP, Fabio Quartararo became the first Yamaha rider to take back-to-back MotoGP wins after qualifying from pole position since Jorge Lorenzo in Valencia/2015 and Qatar/2016.

Quartararo became the first Yamaha rider to set pole position and the fastest lap of the race, to lead across the line on every lap and to win the race since Jorge Lorenzo in Valencia 2016, his last race for Yamaha to date.

In addition, Quartararo is also the first Independent Team rider to set pole position and the fastest lap of the race, to lead across the line on every lap and to win the race in MotoGP since its introduction in 2002.

Takaaki Nakagami finished fourth in Jerez, his best result in MotoGP

Takaaki Nakagami finished fourth in Jerez, which is his best result in MotoGP as well as the best result for a Japanese rider in the class since Katsuyuki Nakasuga was second in Valencia 2012 in wet conditions.

With Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi, this is the first Yamaha 1-2-3 since Phillip Island back in 2014 and only the third since the introduction of MotoGP back in 2002.

In addition, this is the 20th 1-2-3 for a same manufacturer in MotoGP: Honda (17 times) and Yamaha (3 times).

13 riders crossed the line at the Andalucia GP, which is the smallest number of finishers in MotoGP since Catalunya last year (13 finishers as well).

Nine of the riders lining up for the MotoGP race at Brno have previously won Grand Prix races at the track: Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, Joan Mir, Johann Zarco, Andrea Dovizioso, Alex Marquez, Cal Crutchlow, Tito Rabat and Miguel Oliveira.

At the Czech GP, Andrea Dovizioso is scheduled to make his 218th premier class start to equal MotoGP Legend Nicky Hayden in third place on the list of riders with most premier class starts behind Valentino Rossi (344) and Alex Barros (245).

At the Czech GP, Ducati will be aiming to become the fifth manufacturer to reach the milestone of 50 premier class wins, joining Honda (309), Yamaha (231), MV Agusta (139) and Suzuki (93).

Fabio Quartararo takes back-to-back premier class wins

With his win at the Andalucia GP, Fabio Quartararo became the second-youngest rider to take back-to-back premier class win behind Marc Marquez.

Rider Age Race
  1. Marc Marquez 20 years 154 days Germany/USA/2013
  2. Fabio Quartararo 21 years 97 days Spain/Andalucia/2020
  3. Freddie Spencer 21 years 104 days South Africa/France/1983
  4. Johnny Cecotto 21 years 194 days Finland/Czech/1977
  5. Casey Stoner 21 years 202 days Turkey/China/2007
With his win at the Andalucia GP, Fabio Quartararo became the second-youngest rider to take back-to-back premier class win behind Marc Marquez

Quartararo became the sixth rider to win his first two premier class races in seven days along with Umberto Masetti (Spa-Francorchamps/Assen in 1950), Gary Hocking (Hockenheim/Clermont-Ferrand 1961), Johnny Cecotto (Imatra/Brno 1977), Kenny Roberts (Salzburgring/Nogaro 1978) and Kenny Roberts Jr (Sepang/Motegi 1999).

In addition, he became the first French rider to win more than once in the premier class of Grand Prix racing.

Fabio Quartararo became the first rider to take back-to-back premier class wins in the same country since Marc Marquez in 2013 (USA/Indianapolis).

Fabio Quartararo became the first Independent Team rider to take back-to-back premier class wins since Marco Melandri in Turkey/Valencia in 2005 riding a Honda. In Brno, Quartararo will be aiming to become the first Independent Team rider to take three wins in a row in MotoGP (since its introduction in 2002).

Fabio Quartararo became the first Yamaha from an Independent Team to win more than once in the premier class since Garry McCoy in the 500cc class, who did it three times in 2000.

In Andalucia, Fabio Quartararo became the first Independent Team rider to take four successive premier class pole positions since the introduction of MotoGP in 2002.

In Brno, aged 21 years 111 days old, Quartararo will be aiming to become the second-youngest rider to win three races in a row in the premier class behind Marc Marquez (20 years 182 days old, Germany/USA/Indianapolis/2013).

Quartararo will also be aiming to become the first Yamaha rider to win the opening three premier class races of a season since Kenny Roberts in 1980 on his way to clinching the world title.

Valentino Rossi nears 200 premier class podiums

Rossi became the seventh oldest rider to finish on the podium in the premier class of Grand Prix racing
Pos Rider Podiums Wins 2nd 3rd
1 Valentino Rossi 199 89 61 49
2 Jorge Lorenzo 114 47 44 23
3 Dani Pedrosa 112 31 40 41
4 Marc Marquez 95 56 29 10
5 Mick Doohan 95 54 31 10
6 Giacomo Agostini 88 68 20 –
7 Eddie Lawson 78 31 31 16
8 Casey Stoner 69 38 11 20
9 Wayne Rainey 64 24 22 18
10 Andrea Dovizioso 61 14 21 26

Aged 41 years and 161 days old on race day in Jerez, Valentino Rossi became the first rider aged 41 or more to stand on the podium in the premier class since Jack Findlay in Austria back in 1977 (42 years and 85 days old).

Rossi became the seventh oldest rider to finish on the podium in the premier class of Grand Prix racing behind Karl Hoppe, Fergus Anderson, Ernst Hiller, Nello Pagani, Jack Findlay and Jack Ahearn.

In addition, he became the eighth different rider of 41 or older to have stood on the podium in the premier class along with Karl Hoppe, Fergus Anderson, Ernst Hiller, Nello Pagani, Jack Findlay, Jack Ahearn and Les Graham.

With his podium finish, Valentino Rossi extended his record of the longest time span between first and last premier class podium to 20 years and 87 days, becoming the first rider to reach the milestone of 20 years. His closest rival is Alex Barros (14 years and 341 days).

Fabio Quartararo was 1 year and 10 days old when Valentino Rossi stood on his first premier class podium in Jerez back in 2000.

In Brno, Valentino Rossi will be aiming to stand on the podium for the second successive time and to become the oldest rider to do so in the premier class since Jack Ahearn at the Belgian GP and the East German GP in 1966 (41 years and 282 days old).

Grand Prix Racing in Brno

First used in 1965, this will be the 51st time that a Grand Prix event has been held here. The only venue that has hosted more Grand Prix events than Brno is Assen in The Netherlands, which has hosted the Dutch TT for 71 years of the motorcycling World Championship, a sequence that stopped this season with the cancellation of Dutch TT.

In 1965, the 500cc race was held over thirteen laps of the original 13.94 km long road circuit and won by Mike Hailwood on an MV Agusta in a time of 1 hour 11 min 23.2 sec. In 1975, the circuit was shortened to 10.92 km to improve safety. The last premier class race held on the road circuit at Brno was in 1977 and was won by Johnny Cecotto on a Yamaha. The circuit was subsequently considered too dangerous for the large capacity machines. The smaller capacity machines continued to compete in Grand Prix races on the Brno road circuit until 1982, before it was removed from the calendar.

The current circuit was first used for Grand Prix racing in 1987, hosting the Czechoslovakian GP until 1991. Brno did not appear on the calendar in 1992, but the event was back on the calendar in 1993 as the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic and has taken place every year since.

This will be the 33rd time that the current circuit has hosted a Grand Prix event, during which time the circuit has remained virtually unchanged. Minor modifications were made to the circuit in 1996 which extended the length from 5.394 km to the current 5.403 km.

MotoGP Brno Rnd Michelin Dovi
MotoGP 2018 – Round 10 – Brno

Most successful riders by wins at Brno

  • Valentino Rossi – 7 (1x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
  • Max Biaggi – 7 (4 x 250cc, 2 x 500cc, 1 x MotoGP)
  • Giacomo Agostini – 7 (3 x 350cc, 4 x 500cc)
  • Mike Hailwood – 6 (1 x 250cc, 2 x 350cc, 3 x 500cc)
  • Phil Read – 6 (1 x 125cc, 3 x 250cc, 2 x 500cc)

Premier class wins at Brno by brand

  1. Honda – 19
  2. Yamaha – 12
  3. MV Agusta – 7
  4. Ducati – 3
  5. Suzuki – 2

Honda’s last win in the premier class at Brno: Marc Marquez in 2019, from pole.

Yamaha’s last win in the premier class at Brno: Jorge Lorenzo in 2015, from pole. Yamaha have had 12 wins in the premier class including six in MotoGP class 2002 with Max Biaggi (1), Valentino Rossi (3) and Jorge Lorenzo (2).

Ducati’s last win in the premier class at Brno: Andrea Dovizioso in 2018, from pole. Dovizioso crossed the line ahead of his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, making it the sixth and the most recent Ducati 1-2 in the premier class.

The last win for Suzuki at Brno was in the 500cc class in 1989, with Kevin Schwantz. Suzuki have had two podium finishes in MotoGP: second with John Hopkins in 2007 and third with Loris Capirossi in 2008.

The best result for an Aprilia rider at Brno in MotoGP is an eighth-place finish for Aleix Espargaro in 2017.

In 2017, Pol Espargaro was the only KTM rider across the line in Brno, in ninth place, which is the best result for the Austrian manufacturer at this track in the premier class. However, Johann Zarco qualified in third place last year, which was the first front row for KTM in the class.

There have only been two podium finishes for Czech riders at the current Brno circuit across all classes: Lukas Pesek was third in 125cc in 2007 on a Derbi, and Jakub Kornfeil was third in Moto3 in 2018 on a KTM.

Monster Energy Grand Prix České Republiky Schedule

Time Class Session
1700 Moto3 FP1
1755 MotoGP FP1
1855 Moto2 FP1
2115 Moto3 FP2
2210 MotoGP FP2
2310 Moto2 FP2

Time Class Session
1700 Moto3 FP3
1755 MotoGP FP3
1855 Moto2 FP3
2035 Moto3 Q1
2100 Moto3 Q2
2130 MotoGP FP4
2210 MotoGP Q1
2235 MotoGP Q2
2310 Moto2 Q1
2335 Moto2 Q2

Time Class Session
1640 Moto3 WUP
1710 Moto2 WUP
1740 MotoGP WUP
1900 Moto3 RACE
2020 Moto2 RACE
2200 MotoGP RACE

MotoGP Championship Points Standings

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 50
2 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 40
3 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati 26
4 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda 19
5 Pol ESPARGARO KTM 19
6 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha 16
7 Jack MILLER Ducati 13
8 Alex MARQUEZ Honda 12
9 Johann ZARCO Ducati 12
10 Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha 11
11 Joan MIR Suzuki 11
12 Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati 9
13 Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM 8
14 Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati 7
15 Tito RABAT Ducati 7
16 Alex RINS Suzuki 6
17 Bradley SMITH Aprilia 5
18 Brad BINDER KTM 3
19 Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda 3
20 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia 0
21 Iker LECUONA KTM 0
22 Marc MARQUEZ Honda 0

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Pre Jerez II MotoGP Statistical Smorgasbord

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2020 MotoGP Round Two – Jerez
Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucía

At the Spanish GP, Fabio Quartararo became the first Yamaha rider to win the MotoGP race after qualifying on pole since Maverick Viñales at Le Mans 2017.

At the Spanish GP, Maverick Viñales became the 16th rider to reach the milestone of 2000 points scored in Grand Prix racing. With his second-place finish, he scored his 2005th point since the beginning of his career.

With Quartararo and Viñales, this is the first Yamaha 1-2 in MotoGP since the 2017 French GP in Le Mans with Maverick Viñales and Johann Zarco.

Andrea Dovizioso finished third at the Spanish GP, which is his first podium on his 13 visits at Jerez in the premier class.

MotoGP Jerez podium
1 Fabio Quartararo – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – 41:23.796
2 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +4.603
3 Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati – +5.946

At the Andalucia GP, Ducati will be aiming to become the fifth manufacturer to reach the milestone of 50 premier class wins with Honda (309), Yamaha (230), MV Agusta (139) and Suzuki (93).

With Pol Espargaro in sixth and Miguel Oliveira in eighth, this is the second time there are two KTM riders within the top 10 in MotoGP along with Valencia 2018 when Pol Espargaro was third and Bradley Smith was eighth in wet-weather conditions.

This is the first time since the Portuguese GP held in Jerez back in 1988 that there are no Honda riders on the podium in the premier class at the track.

This is the first time that Marc Marquez failed to score any points in the opening race of the year since he stepped up to MotoGP in 2013 and the first time he failed to score any points since Austin last yea,r when he crashed out while leading the race, which ends a streak of 16 successive podiums.

With Alex Rins missing the Spanish GP and Joan Mir crashing out, this is the first time there were no Suzuki riders across the line since Valencia 2014, when the Japanese manufacturer prepared its return in MotoGP with a wildcard for Randy De Puniet (he retired from that race).

Marc Marquez crashed out and Valentino Rossi retired from the race at the Spanish GP, making this the first time no premier class World Champion scored any points since the French GP in 2006.

Two of the three rookies in MotoGP this year have previously won a Grand Prix race at Jerez in the smaller classes: Alex Marquez (Moto2, 2017), who was the best rookie across the line last week in 12th, and Brad Binder (Moto3, 2016).

Quartararo fourth French premier class winner

On his 20th start in MotoGP, at the 2020 Spanish GP, Fabio Quartararo became the first French rider to win a premier class race since Régis Laconi in Valencia back in 1999 (20 years and 304 days ago).

Quartararo became the fourth French rider to win in the premier class along with Pierre Monneret (Reims/1954), Christian Sarron (Hockenheim/1985) and Régis Laconi (Valencia/1999), with one win each.

Quartararo became the second French rider to win the opening race of the season along with Pierre Monneret at the 1954 French GP, both also qualified on pole position.

With Quartararo’s win at the Spanish GP, France became the eighth different nation to win in MotoGP since its introduction in 2002, along with Spain (152), Italy (109), Australia (41), United States (4), Brazil (3), Japan (3) and Great Britain (3).

With his win at the Spanish GP, Fabio Quartararo became the first Yamaha rider from an Independent Team to win in MotoGP since its introduction in 2002. Actually, he is the first non Honda rider from an Independent Team to win in MotoGP.

In the premier class, the win for Quartararo is the first for a Yamaha rider from an Independent Team since Garry McCoy in Valencia back in 2000.

Fabio Quartararo is leading the MotoGP Riders classification, becoming the first Independent Team rider to do so since Cal Crutchlow after the 2018 Argentinian GP.

In Andalucia, aged 21 years 97 days old, Quartararo will be aiming become the second youngest rider to win back-to-back races in the premier class behind Marc Marquez (20 years 154 days old, Germany/USA/2013).

Aged 21 years and 90 days old, Fabio Quartararo became the eighth youngest rider to win a premier class race ahead of Valentino Rossi (21 years and 144 days old).

Fabio Quartararo

Youngest premier class GP winners

  1. Marc Marquez – 20 years, 63 days (Circuit of the Americas 2013)
  2. Freddie Spencer – 20 years, 196 days (Spa-Francorchamps 1982)
  3. Norifumi Abe – 20 years, 227 days (Suzuka 1996)
  4. Dani Pedrosa – 20 years, 227 days (Shanghai International Circuit 2006)
  5. Randy Mamola – 20 years, 239 days (Spa-Francorchamps 1980)
  6. Jorge Lorenzo – 20 years, 345 days (Circuito do Estoril 2008)
  7. Mike Hailwood – 21 years, 75 days (Isle of Man 1965)
  8. Fabio Quartararo – 21 years, 90 days (Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto 2020)
  9. Valentino Rossi – 21 years, 144 days (Donington Park 2000)
  10. Casey Stoner – 21 years, 145 days (Losail International Circuit 2007)

MotoGP in Spain

The Andalusian GP is the ninth different GP event to be held in Spain along with the Aragon GP, Catalan GP, Europe GP, FIM GP, Madrid GP, Portugal GP, Spanish GP and Valencia GP. The 1987 and 1988 Portuguese GP were also in Jarama and Jerez, respectively.

This is the first back-to-back GP event on the same track in the same season in the history of GP racing, although it happened once in two successive seasons: the last of GP of 1954 and the first of 1955, with the Spanish GP held in Montjuïc.

There have been eight different MotoGP winners at Jerez since the introduction of the class in 2002: Valentino Rossi (6 wins), Marc Marquez (3), Jorge Lorenzo (3), Dani Pedrosa (3), Fabio Quartararo (1), Casey Stoner (1), Loris Capirossi (1) and Sete Gibernau (1).

Most successful riders by wins at Jerez

  1. Valentino Rossi – Nine wins (6 x MotoGP – 1 x 500 – 1 x 250 – 1 x 125)
  2. Jorge Lorenzo – Five wins (3 x MotoGP – 2 x 250)
  3. Dani Pedrosa – Four wins (3 x MotoGP – 1 x 250)
    Mick Doohan – Four wins (4 x 500)
    Alex Criville – Four wins (3 x 500 – 1 x 125)
Jerez MotoGP

Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucía Schedule

Time Class Session
1700 Moto3 FP1
1755 MotoGP FP1
1855 Moto2 FP1
1950 MotoE FP1
2115 Moto3 FP2
2210 MotoGP FP2
2310 Moto2 FP2
0005 (Sat) MotoE FP2

Time Class Session
1700 Moto3 FP3
1755 MotoGP FP3
1855 Moto2 FP3
1950 MotoE FP3
2035 Moto3 Q1
2100 Moto3 Q2
2130 MotoGP FP4
2210 MotoGP Q1
2235 MotoGP Q2
2310 Moto2 Q1
2335 Moto2 Q2
0005 (Sun) MotoE EPole

Time Class Session
1620 Moto3 WUP
1650 Moto2 WUP
1720 MotoGP WUP
1805 MotoE RACE
1900 Moto3 RACE
2020 Moto2 RACE
2200 MotoGP RACE

MotoGP Championship Points Standings

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 25
2 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 20
3 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati 16
4 Jack MILLER Ducati 13
5 Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha 11
6 Pol ESPARGARO KTM 10
7 Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati 9
8 Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM 8
9 Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati 7
10 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda 6
11 Johann ZARCO Ducati 5
12 Alex MARQUEZ Honda 4
13 Brad BINDER KTM 3
14 Tito RABAT Ducati 2
15 Bradley SMITH Aprilia 1

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

MotoGP Statistics update heading to Thailand

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2019 MotoGP

MotoGP Statistics update heading to Thailand

Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing in Asia

This is the second time that Thailand has hosted a Grand Prix and below are some facts and statistics related to the previous events in Asia:

Buriram (Chang International Circuit) is the 28th circuit to hold a MotoGP race since it replaced the 500cc class as the premier class of motorcycle Grand Prix racing in 2002.

In addition, Thailand is the 20th different country to host a MotoGP race since 2002 and the seventh different Asian country to host a Grand Prix event (all solo classes) along with Qatar, Turkey, Japan, Malaysia, China and Indonesia.

Thailand MotoGP Track Shuttle
Track Shuttle Bus – Thailand MotoGP 2018 – Image © Chang
International Circuit

A total of 285 Grand Prix races for solo motorcycles have taken place in Asia as follows: MotoGP –59, 500cc–30, Moto2 –48, 350cc–4, 250cc–47, Moto3 –44, 125cc–49, 80cc–4.

Last year, Buriram became the 11th different circuit that has been used for Grand Prix racing in Asia.

The circuits that have been used in Asia are as follows: Suzuka (56 Grand Prix races), Motegi (60), Losail (48), Fisco/Fuji (8), Sepang (59), Shah Alam (21), Johor (3), Shanghai (12), Istanbul Park (9), Sentul (6) and Buriram (3).

Thailand MotoGP Start Finish Line
Thailand MotoGP 2018 – Image © Chang
International Circuit

Asian riders have had great success across all solo Grand Prix classes in Asia, winning 44 of the 285 GP races (15.4%) that have taken place, all of them coming from Japan. The last Asian rider to win on any of the Asian tracks is Kaito Toba in Moto3 in Qatar earlier this year.

Honda is the most successful manufacturer in Asia in the MotoGP class since 2002 with 23 victories, with nine different riders: Dani Pedrosa (7), Marc Márquez (6), Valentino Rossi (3), Marco Melandri (2), Makoto Tamada (1), Max Biaggi (1), Casey Stoner (1), Sete Gibernau (1) and Alex Barros (1).

Yamaha has had 19 wins in the MotoGP class throughout Asia since 2002, with four different riders: Valentino Rossi (11), Jorge Lorenzo (6), Max Biaggi (1) and Maverick Viñales (1).

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha Team Director

“We now start the Asian and Oceanian leg, which is always a crucial and very demanding part of the season for both the team and the riders. We have four races in five weeks, all in different time zones and the climates in these countries can also be quite different from each other. We will start with what we expect to be a very hot and humid race weekend at the Chang International Circuit. The team are very much looking forward to getting to work, especially because we really enjoyed last year‘s race weekend in Thailand. The Buriram track has great facilities, the track seems to suit our bike, and the fans are fantastic here as well. It was at this track where we started to see improvements last year, so we are very keen to compare our current shape and measure the progress we‘ve made since then.”

MotoGP Rnd Aragon Vinales Grid Sky
Maverick Vinales

Ducati has had 17 wins in the MotoGP class in Asia. The last Ducati rider to win in Asia is Andrea Dovizioso this year in Qatar.

The best result in Asia for Suzuki in the MotoGP class is the second-place finish achieved in 2002 by Akira Ryo at Suzuka and Alex Rins at Sepang last year.

The Chang International Circuit venue is the 37th different circuit that Valentino Rossi has raced at during his Grand Prix career and his 28th in the premier class. Buriram is one of just four circuits on the current Grand Prix schedule where Valentino Rossi has not had a MotoGP victory yet, along with Austin, the Red Bull Ring in Austria and Aragon. Rossi has won in 23 different circuits so far in the premier class of GP racing.

Valentino Rossi is the most successful rider in the MotoGP class in Asia with 14 wins: Sepang (5), Losail (4), Suzuka (2), Shanghai (2) and Motegi (1).

MotoGP Facts and Stats

At the Aragon GP, Marc Márquez won for the 52nd time on what was his 122nd start in the premier class, which represents a winning rate of 42.6%: 25 times on his 37 visits on anticlockwise circuit and 27 on his 85 visits on clockwise circuits.

MotoGP Rnd Aragon Marquez Celebrate
Marquez celebrates victory at Aragon

At MotorLand, Marquez won after qualifying on pole position. Of his 52nd victories in the premier class, 36 came after qualifying on pole. In addition, 47 of his 52 wins in the class came after qualifying within the top three.

Marquez’ win in Aragon is the seventh time that he had won at any circuit in the MotoGP class after qualifying on pole position, leading across the line on every lap and setting the fastest lap of the race along with Jerez (2014), Austin (2014, 2016, 2018), Argentina (2019) and Sachsenring (2019).

This was Marquez’ sixth GP win at MotorLand, which is the fourth track where he has won at least six times in GP racing along with the Sachsenring (10 wins), Austin (6) and Misano (6). Only four riders have won at least six times at more than four different tracks: Giacomo Agostini (11 tracks), Rossi (9), Mike Hailwood (6), Angel Nieto (5).

Marquez has won at least eight GPs per season in five different seasons of his GP career, equalling Angel Nieto and Giacomo Agostini. Only Valentino Rossi did better with at least eight wins per season over eight years.

In Aragon, Marquez made it 11 successive races on the podium for the first time since he finished on the podium 12 times in a row from the last two races of 2013 through the opening 10 races of 2014, which is his record in the MotoGP class.

Marquez is now leading the Championship with 98 points ahead of Andrea Dovizioso; this is the highest margin after the opening 14 races of the season in the premier class since 2005 and the 147-point margin between Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi after the Qatar GP.

In Aragon, Andrea Dovizioso stood on the podium for the first time since he won in Austria and the seventh time this year, equalling last year after the opening 14 races.

Andrea Dovizioso

“We needed that podium at Aragón to demonstrate that the work we are doing is right and to tackle these last five races with more confidence. Throughout the weekend in Spain, we made some small steps forward that helped us to finalize the set-up for the race and this must be our objective in every Grand Prix: improve the bike and my sensations in each session. Last year we completed a fantastic weekend at Buriram and we hope to start well again this year on Friday, even though in Thailand the weather factor always plays an important role and we will have to be clever to interpret it.”

MotoGP Rnd Aragon Dovizioso Trophy
Andrea Dovizioso

Jack Miller was third at the Aragon GP, which is his fourth podium finish in the premier class and his third so far this year along with Austin and Brno. In addition, this is his 14th podium finish in Grand Prix racing, equalling Daryl Beattie in 11th place on the list of the Australian riders with most podium finishes.

MotoGP Rnd Aragon Podium Marquez Dovi Miller
2019 Aragon MotoGP Race results:
1 – Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) 41’57.221
2 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) +4.836
3 – Jack Miller* (AUS – Ducati) +5.430

With Andrea Dovizioso and Jack Miller’s podium finishes at the MotorLand, this was the fourth time this year there were at least two Ducati riders on the podium, one more than last year.

In addition, this was the 13th podium finish for Ducati after the opening 14 races of the season, one more than 2018 at this stage of the season. Only once have Ducati riders had more podium finishes at this stage of the season in the MotoGP class: 14 in 2007 with Casey Stoner, Loris Capirossi and Alex Barros.

Only one rider has now scored points in all 14 of the MotoGP races in 2019: Danilo Petrucci, who crossed the line in 12th place at MotorLand, although it was his worst result across the line since he was also 12th in Australia last year.

Danilo Petrucci

“I believe that we have got over the most difficult races of the season and from here on we can only improve. After the disappointment of Aragón, this week we’ve been working back in Borgo Panigale to find the answers to my problems and at Buriram I think we will see the first results. I can’t wait to arrive in Thailand and I hope to recapture the feeling I had in the first part of the season because I absolutely want to change this situation.”

MotoGP Rnd Aragon Petrucci
Danilo Petrucci

Fabio Quartararo, who crossed the line in fifth place in Aragon, is still leading the fight for the Rookie of the Year with 123 points ahead Joan Mir (49 points), followed by Francesco Bagnaia (29) and Miguel Oliveira (29), who was the top KTM rider across the line at MotorLand.

In addition, Fabio Quartararo is leading the Independent Team rider classification, six points ahead of Jack Miller and 25 ahead of Cal Crutchlow.

Aleix Espargaro finished seventh at the Aragon GP, which his best result since he was sixth at MotorLand last year.

Valentino Rossi, who crossed the line in eighth place in Aragon as the third Yamaha rider, has not won since Assen back in 2017, 41 successive races. The last time he failed to win in more than 41 successive races was from Portugal/2010 to Catalunya/2013 (44 successive races).

Valentino Rossi

“Now begins a series of races that will take us outside of Europe. The first of these GPs is the round held in Thailand. Last year the Buriram race weekend was really nice because I had the second place in qualifying and I was fast in the race. I fought for the podium until the end. I didn‘t get it and finished fourth, but I was fast. So, this year the goal is to be fast again and try to do even better than last year.”

MotoGP Rnd Aragon Rossi
Valentino Rossi

Following the Aragon GP, Suzuki have scored 181 points in the Constructor’s World Championship classification thanks to Alex Rins’ ninth place, which is the highest points accumulated after the opening 14 races by Suzuki since 2007 when the Japanese manufacturer had 201 points after the Portuguese GP.

Alex Rins

“It’s been a pity for me not to get the results I’m capable of during the last couple of rounds, but now we sort of ‘restart’ the season with all these overseas races and it’s a good chance to reset. Despite my recent results, I’m still feeling very strong in general, and I hope to bring my bike to a good result this weekend. The atmosphere in Thailand is always impressive with so many fans! It will be exciting.”

MotoGP Rnd Silverstone QP Rins
Alex Rins

The only one of the four rookies in the MotoGP class this year to have won at the Thai GP in any of the smaller classes last season is Francesco Bagnaia in Moto2.

However, fellow rookie Miguel Oliveira is the only other rookie who has stood on the podium in Thailand, finishing third in the Moto2 class last year.

At the Thai GP, Pol Espargaro, who missed the race in Aragon due to a wrist injury, is scheduled to start his 100th race in the premier class of GP racing.

MotoGP Championship Standings

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Marc Marquez Honda 300
2 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 202
3 Alex Rins Suzuki 156
4 Danilo Petrucci Ducati 155
5 Maverick Viñales Yamaha 147
6 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 137
7 Fabio Quartararo Yamaha 123
8 Jack Miller Ducati 117
9 Cal Crutchlow Honda 98
10 Franco Morbidelli Yamaha 80
11 Pol Espargaro KTM 77
12 Takaaki Nakagami Honda 68
13 Joan Mir Suzuki 49
14 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 46
15 Andrea Iannone Aprilia 32
16 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati 29
17 Miguel Oliveira KTM 29
18 Johann Zarco KTM 27
19 Jorge Lorenzo Honda 23
20 Tito Rabat Ducati 18
21 Stefan Bradl Honda 16
22 Michele Pirro Ducati 9
23 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki 7
24 Hafizh Syahrin KTM 7
25 Karel Abraham Ducati 5
26 Bradley Smith Aprilia 0
27 Mika Kallio KTM 0

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

MotoGP Statistics snapshot ahead of Aragon

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MotoGP Statistics
Aragon Update

MotoGP Facts and Stats

Fabio Quartararo crossed the line in second place at the San Marino GP, moving up above Eric Offenstadt in fifth on the list of French riders with most premier class podium finishes behind Christian Sarron (18 podium finishes), Raymond Roche (9), Johann Zarco (6) and Pierre Monneret (5).

In addition, this was Fabio Quartararo’s fourth podium finish in his rookie season. Since the introduction of the MotoGP class in 2002, only three rookies have had more podium finishes: Marc Marquez (16 in 2013), Dani Pedrosa (eight in 2006) and Jorge Lorenzo (six in 2008).

Fabio Quartararo was the highest-placed Yamaha rider across theline for the third time this year, along with Catalunya and Austria, and the top Independent Team rider. He is leading the Independent Team rider classification, 11 points ahead of Jack Miller and 24 ahead Cal Crutchlow.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Podium Fans Marquez Quartararo Vinales
Misano MotoGP Podium L-R: Quartararo, Marquez and Viñales

Fabio Quartararo is still leading the fight for the Rookie of the Year with 112 points ahead Joan Mir (47 points), following by Francesco Bagnaia (29) and Miguel Oliveira (26), who both crashed at Misano, although Oliveira remounted his bike to finish in 16th.

Marc Marquez is now leading the Championship with 93 points ahead of Andrea Dovizioso; this is the highest margin after the opening 13 races of the season in the premier class since 2005 and the 122-point margin between Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi after the Malaysian GP.

At Misano, Marc Marquez finished on the podium at 10 successive races for the first time since he finished on the podium 12 times in a row from the last two races of 2013 through the opening 10 races of 2014, which is his record in the MotoGP class.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Vinales
Maverick Vinales chasing Marquez and Quartararo at Misano last week

Maverick Viñales has stood on the podium for 61st time of his Grand Prix career at Misano, equalling soon-to-be MotoGP Legend Jorge “Aspar” Martinez, Tom Lüthi and Pier Paolo Bianchi. Maverick Viñales stood on the podium for fifth time so far this year, equalling his whole 2018 season. Since he stepped up to MotoGP class in 2015, 2017 is the only season where he has stood on the podium more than five times (seven podium finishes).

Following his third-place finish at Silverstone, in Aragon Maverick Viñales will be aiming to stand on the podium three time in a row for the first time in the MotoGP class. With Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo, this is the second time this year there were at least two Yamaha riders on the podium along the Dutch TT with the same riders. This is already more than the whole 2018 season.

In addition, this is the second time there have been four Yamaha riders within the top five since the introduction of the MotoGP class back in 2002, along with Aragon in 2012, with Jorge Lorenzo, in second behind Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso, third, Cal Crutchlow fourth and Ben Spies, fifth.

MotoGP Rnd Misano Podium Marquez Quartararo Vinales
Misano MotoGP Podium L-R: Quartararo, Marquez and Viñales

This was the fifth time since Marc Marquez stepped up to the MotoGP class in 2013 that he was the oldest rider on the podium along with the Assen last year and Spain and Silverstone this year, with Alex Rins and Maverick Viñales, and Assen this year, also with Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo.

Only one rider has now scored points in all 13 of the MotoGP races in 2019: Danilo Petrucci, who crossed the line in 10th place at Misano, which is his worst result across the line since he was 12th in Australia last year.

Pol Espargaro crossed the line in seventh place at Misano, which is the third top seven finish of a KTM rider in the MotoGP  class in dry weather conditions, all scored in 2019, along with France, sixth, and Catalunya, seventh, both with Espargaro.

The only two of the four rookies in the MotoGP class this year to have previously won at Aragon in any of the smaller classes are Joan Mir in 2017 and Miguel Oliveira in 2015, both in the Moto3 class. However, fellow rookie Francesco Bagnaia is the only other rookie who has stood on the podium at Aragon, finishing second in the Moto2 class last year.

At the Aragon GP, Pol Espargaro is scheduled to start his 100th race in the premier class of GP racing.

MotoGP Rnd Austria Fri Pol Espargaro
Pol Espargaro to make his 100th MotoGP premier class start this weekend
Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing at Aragon

This is the 10th time that the MotorLand Aragon has hosted a Grand Prix event and below are some facts and statistics related to the previous GP events:

Aragon first hosted a Grand Prix event in 2010, when it became the sixth different circuit that has been used for Grand Prix racing in Spain. The other circuits that have been used in Spain are: Jerez, Catalunya, Jarama, Montjuich and Valencia.

Aragon Track One
Aragon

Aragon is one of just five circuits on the current Grand Prix schedule that run in an anti-clockwise direction, along with Austin, Sachsenring, Phillip Island and Valencia.

MotoGP 2010 Aragon
MotoGP 2010 Aragon – The first race at Aragon was won by Casey Stoner on a Ducati ahead of Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden

Casey Stoner won the first MotoGP race at Aragon in 2010 on a Ducati, the only victory for the Italian manufacturer at this circuit. Since Stoner’s win in 2010, Ducati have had four more podium finishes at this circuit with Nicky Hayden third also in 2010, Cal Crutchlow third in 2014, Jorge Lorenzo third in 2017 and Andrea Dovizioso second last year.

MotoGP Aragon Casey Stoner
Aragon MotoGP 2011 – Casey Stoner won from Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo – Image by AJRN

Honda is the most successful manufacturer at the Aragon circuit with six MotoGP wins, with three different riders: Casey Stoner in 2011, Dani Pedrosa in 2012 and Marc Marquez in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Yamaha have had two wins in the MotoGP class at the MotorLand, with Jorge Lorenzo in both 2014 and 2015.

MotoGP Aragon Podium Stoner Pedrosa Lorenzo
Aragon MotoGP 2011 – Casey Stoner won from Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo – Image by AJRN

The best result at Aragon for Suzuki is the third-place finish achieved last year by Andrea Iannone. Aleix Espargaro crossed the line in sixth place over the last two years in Aragon, equalling the best result of an Aprilia rider in the MotoGP class since its introduction in 2002, from Aleix Espargaro in Qatar in 2017 and Colin Edwards in Japan back in 2003.

In 2017, Pol Espargaro crossed the line in 10th place ahead of his teammate Bradley Smith, which is the best result for KTM at the MotorLand in the premier class.

Spanish riders have had great success across all three GP classes at MotorLand, winning 19 of the 27 GP races that have taken place.

The only non-Spanish riders who have had a Grand Prix win at the circuit are: Casey Stoner (MotoGP in 2010 & 2011), Andrea Iannone (Moto2 race in 2010), Romano Fenati (Moto3 in 2014), Miguel Oliveira (Moto3 in 2015), Sam Lowes (Moto2 in 2016), Franco Morbidelli (Moto2 in 2017) and Brad Binder(Moto2 in 2018).

Casey Stoner’s two victories in 2010 and 2011 and Andrea Dovizioso’s second-place finish last year are the only occasions that a non-Spanish rider has stood on either of the top two steps in the MotoGP class at the Aragon circuit.

MotoGP Aragon Casey Stoner Trophy
Aragon MotoGP 2011 – Casey Stoner won from Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo – Image by AJRN

Marc Marquez has been on pole on four of the six occasions he has raced in the MotoGP class at the Aragon circuit. Since 2010, only two riders have won the MotoGP race after qualifying on pole position in Aragón: Casey Stoner (2010 and 2011) and Marc Marquez (2013 and 2016).

Aragon is one of just four circuits on the current Grand Prix schedule where Valentino Rossi has not had a MotoGP victory, along with Austin, the Red Bull Ring and Buriram, which joined the calendar last year.

The nine Moto2 races that have taken place at Aragon have been won by nine different riders: Andrea Iannone (2010), Marc Márquez (2011), Pol Espargaró (2012), Nico Terol (2013), Maverick Viñales (2014), Tito Rabat (2015), Sam Lowes (2016) and Franco Morbidelli (2017) and Brad Binder (2018). Only three of them have not won from pole in Moto2: Pol Espargaró (2012), Franco Morbidelli (2017) and Brad Binder (2018).

The nine races that have taken place in the lightweight class at Aragon since 2010 have been won by nine different riders: Pol Espargaró (2010), Nico Terol (2011), Luis Salom (2012), Álex Rins (2013), Romano Fenati (2014), Miguel Oliveira (2015),Jorge Navarro (2016), Joan Mir (2017) and Jorge Martin (2018). Only Alex Rins and Jorge Martin have won from pole position at the track in the lightweight class.

Marc Marquez moves above Mike Hailwood

Marc Marquez’ win at the San Marino GP was the 77th of his Grand Prix career, moving above nine-time World Champion Mike Hailwood as shown in the table below of riders with most GP wins. There are just three riders in the history of Grand Prix racing who
have scored more wins than Hailwood and Marquez.

Pos Riders Wins MGP/500cc 350cc M2/250cc 125cc 80/50cc
1 G Agostini 122 68 54 / / /
2 V Rossi 115 89 / 14 12 /
3 A Nieto 90 / / / 62 28
4 MMarquez 77 51 / 16 10 /
5 M Hailwood 76 37 16 21 2 /
6 J Lorenzo 68 47 / 17 4 /
7= M Doohan 54 54 / / / /
7= Di Pedrosa 54 31 / 15 8 /
9 P Read 52 11 4 27 10 /
10= J Redman 45 2 21 18 4 /
10= C Stoner 45 38 / 5 2 /
MotoGP Rnd Misano Marquez Flag
Marc Marquez the victor at Misano

In addition, this was the 89th podium finish in the premier class for Marc Marquez, moving above Giacomo Agostini in fifth place in the list of riders with the most podium finishes in the class.

200th Grand Prix start for Marc Marquez in Aragon

At the Aragon GP, Marc Marquez is scheduled to make the 200th Grand Prix of his Grand Prix career, becoming the 37th different rider to reach that milestone in the history.

In addition, Marc Marquez is scheduled to become the youngest to reach the milestone of 200 Grand Prix races, as shown in the table below of the 10 youngest riders:

Pos Riders Age at 200th GP start 200th GP start
1 M Marquez 26 years 217 days Aragon/2019
2 S Cortese 26 years 284 days Japan/2016
3 J Lorenzo 27 years Spain/2014
4 P Espargaro 27 years 7 days Catalunya/2018
5 B Smith 27 years 110 days Qatar/2018
6 A Dovizioso 27 years 190 days Aragon/2013
7 D Pedrosa 27 years 260 days Catalunya/2013
8 M Di Meglio 27 years 274 days Australia/2015
9 A Espargaro 27 years 281 days Spain/2017
10 HBarbera 27 years 288 days Czech/2014

During his career, Marquez has competed at 24 different Grand Prix circuits. Of these 24 circuits, he has taken at least one GP win at 21 of them. The only tracks where he had not any wins are the Red Bull Ring, Donington and Shanghai. The Chinese track is the
only circuit where he has competed and not stood on the podium.

Of these 21 winning circuits, the one where Marquez has had most GP wins is the Sachsenring, where he has won 10 successive times.

Marc Marquez, who reached the milestone of 51 premier class wins at Misano this year, only needs three wins to equal Mick Doohan as the third most successful rider in the class, as well as both Doohan and Dani Pedrosa as the most successful Honda riders in
GP racing.

Marc Marquez has qualified on pole position 60 times in the premier class, 88 times overall. Over his 88 pole positions, he went on to win the race on 50 occasions (35 x MotoGP, 8 x Moto2, 7 x 125cc).

2019 MotoGP Championship Standings

Pos Rider Bike Nation Points
1 Marc MARQUEZ Honda SPA 275
2 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati ITA 182
3 Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati ITA 151
4 Alex RINS Suzuki SPA 149
5 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha SPA 134
6 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha ITA 129
7 Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha FRA 112
8 Jack MILLER Ducati AUS 101
9 Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda GBR 88
10 Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha ITA 80
11 Pol ESPARGARO KTM SPA 77
12 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda JPN 62
13 Joan MIR Suzuki SPA 47
14 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia SPA 37
15 Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati ITA 29
16 Andrea IANNONE Aprilia ITA 27
17 Johann ZARCO KTM FRA 27
18 Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM POR 26
19 Jorge LORENZO Honda SPA 23
20 Tito RABAT Ducati SPA 17
21 Stefan BRADL Honda GER 16
22 Michele PIRRO Ducati ITA 9
23 Sylvain GUINTOLI Suzuki FRA 7
24 Hafizh SYAHRIN KTM MAL 7
25 Karel ABRAHAM Ducati CZE 5

 

Aragon AEST Schedule

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

MotoGP Stats Smorgasbord as we head to Germany

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Round Nine Sachsenring

The 2019 German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring will be the 81st Grand Prix event to be held on German soil and the 22nd successive year at the new Sachsenring circuit.

MotoGP Sachsenring GPstart GP AN
Casey Stoner won at a wet Sachsenring in 2008

The first motorcycle Grand Prix to be held in Germany was the West German Grand Prix held at the Solitude circuit in 1952. It was reported that 400,000 spectators turned up to watch.  Reg Armstrong won the 350cc and 500cc races riding a Norton while home riders Rudi Felgenheier won the 250cc race on a DKW and Werner Haas won the 125cc race on an NSU.

Sachsenring MotoGP Circuit
Sachsenring MotoGP Circuit

The first East German Grand Prix was held at the Sachsenring road circuit in 1961. The original circuit used for this event was a closed road circuit 8.73 km in length. The East German GP continued to be held at the Sachsenring each year until 1972, after which the original road circuit was considered too dangerous for Grand Prix racing.

The West German Grand Prix was held every year from 1952 through to 1990, when East and West joined to become a unified Germany. Four different circuits were used during this period 1952 to 1990: Solitude, Schotten, the Nürburgring and Hockenheim.

There has been a German Grand Prix held every year since unification; from 1991 to 1994 at the Hockenheim circuit followed by three years at the Nürburgring. Since 1998 it has been held at the new Sachsenring circuit.

In addition to those mentioned above, one other Grand Prix event has been held in Germany: the Baden-Wurtemberg GP held in 1986 at the Hockenheim circuit for just the 80cc and 125cc classes.

Sachsenring MotoGP Circuit
Sachsenring MotoGP Circuit

The newly built Sachsenring circuit was initially just 3.508 km long with one short section of track from the old road circuit. Major modifications to the circuit in 2001 and then additional slight alterations in 2003 resulted in the current 3.671 km track layout.

The Sachsenring is one of just five circuits on the current Grand Prix calendar that run in an anti-clockwise direction, along with Austin, Aragon, Phillip Island and Valencia.

A total of 115 Grand Prix races for solo motorcycles have been held at the Sachsenring since 1961 as follows: MotoGP – 17, 500cc – 16, 350cc – 11, Moto2 – 9, 250cc – 24, Moto3 – 7, 125cc – 26, 50cc – 5.

The best result for a German rider in the premier class at the Sachsenring since racing returned to the circuit in 1998 is the second place for Jonas Folger in 2017.

MotoGP Rnd Jerez Bradl GP AN
Honda test rider Stefan Bradl will be looking to impress at his home track in the absence of the injured Lorenzo

There have been seven other podium finishes for German riders at the Sachsenring circuit since 1998: Ralf Waldmann was third in the 250cc race in 1999, Steve Jenkner was third in the 125cc race in 2002, Stefan Bradl finished second in the 125cc class in 2008, Sandro Cortese finished third in the 125cc race in 2010, Stefan Bradl was second in 2011 in Moto2, Sandro Cortese won the Moto3 race in 2012 and in 2016, Jonas Folger was second in the Moto2 race.

Honda is the most successful manufacturer at the Sachsenring circuit since racing returned to the Sachsenring circuit in 1998, with 15 wins, including the last nine races.

Yamaha has had four wins in the premier class since 1998 at the Sachsenring circuit, with two different riders: Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi.

MotoGP Sachsenring Stoner GP AN
Casey Stoner won at a wet Sachsenring in 2008

Ducati has won only once in the premier class at the Sachsenring circuit, with Casey Stoner back in 2008. Ducati has had four other podium finishes in this track in the premier class: Troy Bayliss was third in 2003, Loris Capirossi second in 2007, Casey Stoner third in 2010 and Andrea Dovizioso third in 2016.

MotoGP Legend - Kenny Roberts Jr
MotoGP Legend – Kenny Roberts Jr

The only win for a Suzuki rider at the Sachsenring circuit was in the 500cc race in 1999 with Kenny Roberts Jr. The best result for Suzuki in the MotoGP class since 2002 at this track is when Chris Vermeulen crossed the line in third back in 2008.

MotoGP Sachsenring Stoner Rossi Vermeulen
Ducati have won only once in the premier class at the Sachsenring, with Casey Stoner back in 2008 ahead of Valentino Rossi and fellow Aussie Chris Vermeulen

The best result for an Aprilia rider in MotoGP since 2002 is a seventh-place finish with Aleix Espargaro back in 2017.

Last year, Bradley Smith was the only KTM rider across the line at the Sachsenring, in 10th place, which is the best result for the Austrian manufacturer at this track in the premier class.

Honda riders have also qualified on pole for the German GP for the last eight years; the last non-Honda rider to start from pole for a MotoGP race at the Sachsenring was Jorge Lorenzo in 2010 on a Yamaha.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Marquez GP AN
Marc  Marquez celebrating his MotoGP Scahsenring win in 2017

Marc Marquez is the most successful at the new Sachsenring circuit with a total of nine wins over the last nine years, six in MotoGP, two in Moto2 and one in 125cc. His closest rival is Dani Pedrosa with six wins (2x 250cc, 4 x MotoGP).

Previously… in MotoGP

2015 At the Dutch TT, Marc Marquez became the seventh rider in history to reach the milestone of 2000 points scored in the premier class of Grand Prix racing. With his second-place finish, he scored his 2015th point since he stepped up to the MotoGP™ class in 2013.
123 The second-place finish for Marc Marquez at the Dutch TT was the 123rd time he has been on the podium in his Grand Prix career. Only five riders have been on the podium on more occasions in Grand Prix racing.
84 This was the 84th podium finish in the premier class for Marc Marquez, four less than Giacomo Agostini, who is in fifth place on the list of riders with most podium finishes in the class.
31 Since the opening Grand Prix in Qatar, 31 different riders have stood on the podium across all classes, this is the first time this has happened since 1998 (31 different podium finishers). Only Marc Marquez, with seven podium finishes, has finished on the podium more than four times in the opening eight Grands Prix of the season.
7 This is the seventh time this year there have been at least five different manufacturers within the top 10 in MotoGP. The last time there were at least five different manufacturers within the top 10 in seven (or more) of the first eight races of the year was in 1993.
5 Maverick Viñales is the fifth different winner in the MotoGP class over the opening eight races of the season, which is the third time there have been five different winners at this stage of the season since the introduction of the class in 2002, along with 2006 and 2017.
4 With Honda, Ducati, Suzuki and now Yamaha, this is the third time in MotoGP since 2002 there have been at least four different manufacturers winning in the premier class in a single season along, with 2007 and 2016.

MotoGP Facts and Stats

At the Dutch TT, Maverick Viñales won for the first time since Australia last year, the sixth time in the MotoGP class and the 22nd in his Grand Prix career, equalling Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Melandri.

MotoGP Sachsenring Vinales GP AN
Vinales celebrating his first and last MotoGP win of 2018 at Sachsenring.

Maverick Viñales is the fifth different winner in the MotoGP class over the opening eight races of the season, which is the third time there have been five different winners at this stage of the season since the introduction of the class in 2002, along with 2006 and 2017.

After a winless streak of nine successive races, this is the Yamaha’s 228th win in the premier class and the 503rd in Grand Prix racing.

With Honda, Ducati, Suzuki and now Yamaha, this is the third time in MotoGP since 2002 there have been at least four different manufacturers winning in the premier class in a single season, along with 2007 and 2016.

Marc Marquez has failed to score points only three times since the Catalan GP last year (Australia and Valencia in 2018, and Austin this season). Over the last 17 races he has finished, he has always been on the podium and finished third only once, in Brno.

With Maverick Viñales and Marc Marquez, this is the first Spanish 1-2 since Malaysia last year with Marc Marquez and Alex Rins, the second with both riders along with Austin last year, and the 48th overall in the premier class of Grand Prix racing.

In Assen, Fabio Quartararo (20 years 71 days) crossed the line in third, becoming the second-youngest rider to take back-to-back podium finishes in the premier class, behind Marc Marquez who finished third in Qatar and won in Austin in 2013 at the age of 20 years 63 days.

At the Dutch TT, Fabio Quartararo finished as the top rookie and the highest-placed Independent Team rider. He is still leading the fight for the Rookie of the Year with 67 points ahead Joan Mir (30 points), who scored his third top 10 finish of his rookie season so far in Assen, Miguel Oliveira (15) and Francesco Bagnaia (11). In addition, Fabio Quartararo is now also leading the Independent Team rider classification, seven points ahead of Jack Miller (60 points).

MotoGP Rnd Assen Race Quartararo Marquez Pack
Fabio Quartararo battling Marquez at the Dutch TT where he netted himself a podium finish.

With Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo, this is the first time there were at least two Yamaha riders on the podium since the German GP last year with Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales. Following the Dutch TT, Yamaha have scored 133 points in the Constructor’s World Championship classification, which is the lowest points accumulated after the opening seven races by Yamaha since 2006 when the Japanese manufacturer had 127 points after the Dutch TT.

Following the Dutch TT, Suzuki have scored 109 points in the Constructor’s World Championship classification. In MotoGP era, 2007 is the only season where Suzuki had scored more points after the opening eight races of the season, with 111 points. Andrea Iannone crossed the line in 10th place in Assen, which is his first top 10 finish since he joined Aprilia this year and his first since he was second in Australia last year.

With Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Aprilia within the top 10 in Assen, this is the seventh time this year there have been at least five different manufacturers within the top 10. The last time there were at least five different manufacturers within the top 10 in seven (or more) of the first eight races of the year was in 1993. The only time there were less than five manufacturers this year was in Spain.

Alex Rins crashed out at the Dutch TT, which is the first time he failed to score any points (16 successive races) since Germany last year when he crashed on the opening lap. Only two riders have now scored points in all eight of the Moto- GP races in 2019: Danilo Petrucci and Pol Espargaro.

Valentino Rossi crashed out of the race at the Dutch TT, making it the first time he failed to score any points in three successive races he competed in since Japan, Australia and Valencia back in 2011, riding a Ducati.

The only one of the four rookies in the MotoGP class this year to have previously won at the German GP in any of the smaller classes is Joan Mir (2017) in the Moto3 class.

However, fellow rookies Miguel Oliveira and Francesco Bagnaia have stood on the podium at the Sachsenring, both in Moto2 two years ago.

In Assen, Fabio Quartararo (20 years and 71 days old) crossed the line in third, becoming the second-youngest rider to take back-to-back podium finishes in the premier class, behind Marc Marquez, as shown in the table below showing the riders under 21 who did it:

Riders Age Back-to-back podium finishes
1 Marc Marquez 20 years 63 days Qatar/Americas/2013
2 Fabio Quartararo 20 years 71 days Catalunya/Assen/2019
3 Randy Mamola 20 years 197 days Spain/France/1980
4 Dani Pedrosa 20 years 234 days China/France/2006
5 Norick Abe 20 years 332 days Great Britain/Austria/1996

In Germany, Fabio Quatararo, who will be 20 years and 78 days old, will be aiming to become the second-youngest rider to take three successive podium finishes right behind Marc Marquez who was 20 years 77 days old after the 2013 Spanish GP.

MotoGP Sachsenring Rossi GP AN
After his three consecutive DNF’s Valentino Rossi will be looking to repeat his 2018 2nd position at the German Grand Prix

Marc Marquez aiming to equal Valentino Rossi in Germany

In each of the last nine years at the Sachsenring, Marc Marquez has qualified on pole and won the race; 2010 in the 125cc class, 2011 & 2012 in Moto2 and for the last six years in MotoGP At the German GP, Marc Marquez will be aiming to win for the seventh successive time in the premier class at the Sachsenring to equal Valentino Rossi, after missing a first opportunity to reach that milestone in Austin earlier this season:

Successive Circuit Wins
9 Giacomo Agostini Imatra (1965 – 1973)
8 Giacomo Agostini Spa-Francorchamps (1966 – 1973)
7 Valentino Rossi Mugello (2002 – 2008)
6 Giacomo Agostini Sachsenring (1967 – 1972)
6 Mick Doohan Mugello (1993 – 1998)
6 Casey Stoner Phillip Island (2007 – 2012)
6 Marc Marquez Sachsenring (2013 – 2018)
6 Marc Marquez Circuit of the Americas (2013 – 2018)

Last year was his ninth successive victory in Germany including his Moto2 wins at the track in both 2011 and 2012 and his 125cc win in 2010. Giacomo Agostini holds the record in Finland with 13 successive wins in Imatra: 8 x 500cc (1966 – 1973) and 5 x 350cc (1969 – 1973).

Historic first MotoE race at the Sachsenring

The FIM Enel MotoE World Cup begins on the 5th to 7th July at the Sachsenring circuit. 18 riders represent 12 teams, and
wildcards are not permitted. There is a single tyre supplier: Michelin. Here is the entry list:

MotoE World Cup test Valencia Final Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta watches on
Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta watches on as the MotoE competitors staged a race simulation during a Valencia test
Name GP Titles  GP Wins
Total 125 Total MGP 250/M3 125cc
Nico Terol 1 1 16 / 3 13
Mike Di Meglio 1 1 5 / / 5
Sete Gibernau / / 9 9 / /
Randy De Puniet / / 5 / 5 /
Alex De Angelis / / 4 / 4 /
Bradley Smith / / 3 / / 3
Xavier Simeon / / 1 / / /
Xavier Simeon / / / / 1 /
Total 2 2 43 9 13 21

The strength and depth of the MotoE grid can be illustrated by the following facts about the riders lining up, together with the table below:

Seven of the riders on the full-time entry list have previously won Grand Prix races.
Between them, these seven riders have scored 43 Grand Prix race wins; the only rider who has won in the premier class is Sete Gibernau.

Two of the riders competing in MotoE in 2019 have won the 125cc World Championship: Mike Di Meglio (2008) and Nico Terol (2011).

The oldest rider is Sete Gibernau, who will be 46 years 204 days old at the opening race of the year in Germany. The other MotoE rider past the age of 35 in Sachsenring are Randy De Puniet (38 years 143 days old) and Alex De Angelis (35 years 131 days old).

The youngest rider on the MotoE entry list is Mattia Casadei, who will be 20 years and five days old when he lines up on the grid.

MotoE World Cup test Valencia Final Start
MotoE  in action and will kick off this weekend in Germany

On this day…

At the 1950 Belgian GP, Umberto Masetti won the 500cc race, becoming the first rider to reach a race average speed over 100 mph.

In 1977 at the Belgian GP, Barry Sheene won the 500cc race with an average speed of 217.370 km/h, which is the highest ever average speed in the premier class. 70 years ago, Les Graham won the 500cc race in Berne, which was the first of the six premier class races held in Switzerland.

20 years ago, at the 1999 British GP, Alex Criville won the 500cc race – his fifth of that season on his way to clinching the title – on what was his 100th start in the premier class, despite injuries sustained in Assen. At the 1982 Belgian GP, Freddie Spencer (20 years 196 days) won the 500cc race becoming the youngest rider to win in the premier class at time; a record hold until the 2013 Americas GP with Marc Marquez (20 years 63 days). That was also the first Honda victory since the Canadian GP 1967.

At the British GP held in Donington, Simon Crafar won the 500cc race, becoming the third rider from New Zealand to win a Grand Prix race in the premier class. At the 1970 Belgian GP, Christian Ravel finished second behind Giacomo Agostini in 500cc, becoming the youngest French rider to stand on the podium until Fabio Quartararo in Catalunya earlier this year.

At the 1980 Belgian GP held in Zolder for the only time, Randy Mamola became the youngest rider to win in the premier class at that time, while another American rider, Freddie Spencer, made his Grand Prix debut. At the same Belgian GP, soon-to-be MotoGP Legend Stefan Dörflinger won the 50cc race, which was the first of his 18 GP wins, seven years after making his GP debut. At the 1958 Belgian GP, Alberto Gandossi won the 125cc race, giving Ducati the first of their 52 wins so far in GP racing.

At the 1963 Belgian GP, Fumio Ito won the 250cc race, giving Yamaha the first of their 503 Grand Prix wins.

Sach Track Map editedSach Track Map info

Sachersring Lap Records

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

MotoGP Stats Update | MotoGP in the USA

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MotoGP Stats 2019
Round Three – COTA

Stats compiled by Dr. Thomas Morsellino

In total, there have been 31 previous Grand Prix events hosted in the USA: Laguna Seca (15), Indianapolis (8), Austin (6) and Daytona (2).

A total of 72 Grand Prix races for solo motorcycles have been held in the USA since 1949: 500cc/MotoGP – 31, 250cc/Moto2 – 21, 125cc/Moto3 – 18, 50cc – 2.

Marc Marquez carried a Nicky Hayden flag in Texas
Marc Marquez carried a Nicky Hayden flag in Texas last year

Marc Márquez has won on each of the 10 occasions that he has raced in the MotoGP class in America; six times at Austin, three times at Indianapolis and at Laguna Seca in 2013.

Only once in these 10 appearances in MotoGP in America has Márquez not qualified on pole position: Laguna Seca in 2013 when he qualified in second place on the grid behind Stefan Bradl. He qualified on pole last year in Austin but started from fourth after being given a grid penalty following Q2.

COTA MotoGP 2018
COTA MotoGP 2018

The only riders currently competing in the MotoGP class who have won in the class at any of the American circuits are Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Márquez.

Maverick Viñales finished second last year at the Austin circuit, equalling the best result for a Yamaha rider at the track after his teammate Valentino Rossi in 2017 and Jorge Lorenzo back in 2016.

Circuit of the Americas MotoGP - Round 3 - Race Results Marc MARQUEZ - SPA - Repsol Honda Team 41'52.002 Maverick VIÑALES - SPA - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP +3.560 Andrea IANNONE - ITA - Team SUZUKI ECSTAR +6.704
Circuit of the Americas 2018 MotoGP – Round 3 – Race Results
Marc MARQUEZ – SPA – Repsol Honda Team 41’52.002
Maverick VIÑALES – SPA – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP +3.560
Andrea IANNONE – ITA – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR +6.704

Ducati riders have three podium finishes in the MotoGP class at the Circuit of the Americas, with Andrea Dovizioso, third in 2014 and second in 2015, and Andrea Iannone, third in 2016. Last year, Dovizioso was the highest-placed Ducati rider across the line in fifth.

The best result for a Suzuki rider at the Circuit of the Americas is the third place for Andrea Iannone last year.

Aleix Espargaro’s 10th-place finish last year equalled the best result for an Aprilia rider at the Circuit of the Americas for Stefan Bradl back in 2016.

COTA MotoGP Grid Girls – Image by AJRN

Pol Espargaro finished 13th last year in Austin, which is the best result at the track for a KTM rider.

All 18 podium finishers in the six previous MotoGP races held at Austin have been riders from either Spain or Italy.

The three riders who finished on the podium in the Moto3 race last year in Austin (Jorge Martin, Enea Bastianini and Marco Bezzecchi) have all moved up to the Moto2 class in 2019.

The six Moto2 races that have taken place at the Circuit of the Americas have been won by six different riders, four of them are now competing in the MotoGP class: Nico Terol (2013), Maverick Viñales (2014), Sam Lowes (2015), Alex Rins (2016), Franco
Morbidelli (2017) and Francesco Bagnaia (2018). Only Rins and Morbidelli went on to win the race after qualifying on pole position.

COTA MotoGP Grid Girls – Image by AJRN

The six Moto3 races that have taken place at the Circuit of the Americas have been won by five different riders, two of them are now competing in the premier class: Alex Rins (2013), Jack Miller (2014), Danny Kent (2015), Romano Fenati (2016 and 2017)
and Jorge Martin (2018).

MotoGP Rider Stats Updates

Marc Marquez’ win at Termas de Rio Hondo was the 298th for Honda in the premier class of Grand Prix racing, the 142nd in the MotoGP era since 2002.

MotoGP Rnd Argentina Podium Marquez Rossi Dovizioso
2019 MotoGP – Round Two – Argentina
Race Results
M. MARQUEZ REPSOL HONDA TEAM 41’43.688
V. ROSSI MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP + 9.816
A. DOVIZIOSO MISSION WINNOW DUCATI + 10.530

With his second-place finish in Argentina, Valentino Rossi became the 14th different rider over 40 to have stood on the podium in the premier class of Grand Prix racing along with Jack Ahearn, Fergus Anderson, Jack Brett, Jack Findlay, Robin Fitton, Les Graham, Ernst Hiller, Harry Hinton Sr., Karl Hoppe, Enrico Lorenzetti, Nello Pagani, Frank Perris and Percy Tait. Valentino Rossi became the first rider over 40 to stand on the podium in the premier class since Jack Findlay in Austria back in 1977.

MotoGP Rnd Argentina Rossi Celebrate
Valentino Rossi – P2 in Argentina 2019

Austin is one of just four current circuits where Valentino Rossi has not had a MotoGP victory, along with Aragón, the Red Bull Ring, and Buriram.

Neither of the two Yamaha factory riders have won at least one of the two opening races for the second successive year. The last time that the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team did not have a win in either of the first two races of the year in two successive seasons was in 2002 and 2003.

Andrea Dovizioso has led across the line for a total of 18 laps in 2019. Other riders who have led races this year are: Marc Márquez (26 laps) and Alex Rins (3).

MotoGP Rnd Argentina Podium MotoGP Marquez Rossi Dovizioso
2019 MotoGP – Round Two – Argentina
Race Results
M. MARQUEZ REPSOL HONDA TEAM 41’43.688
V. ROSSI MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP + 9.816
A. DOVIZIOSO MISSION WINNOW DUCATI + 10.530

Jack Miller was fourth across the line in Argentina as the top Independent Team rider, which is his best result since he was also fourth last year in France.

Alex Rins, who started from 16th on the grid in Argentina, finished in fifth place, which is his ninth successive top six finish since San Marino last year.

MotoGP Rnd Argentina Miller Team
Jack Miller

Takaaki Nakagami finished seventh in Argentina, which is his best dryweather result since he stepped up to the MotoGP class. He is now in second place in the Independent Team riders classification with 16 points behind his teammate Cal Crutchlow (19).

With Yamaha, Suzuki, Ducati, Honda, Aprilia and KTM finishing inside the top 10 at the Argentina GP, this is the first time that riders from six different manufacturers have finished within the top ten since Australia last year.

Miguel Oliveira finished in 11th place at Termas de Rio Hondo as the second-placed KTM rider behind Pol Espargaro, becoming the first Portuguese rider to score points in the premier class of Grand Prix racing.

With Miguel Oliveira, Fabio Quartararo in eighth and Francesco Bagnaia in 14th, all of the four rookies this year have now scored points. Francesco Bagnaia (2018) is the only one of the four rookies in the MotoGP class this year to have previously won at COTA in any of the smaller classes.

Marc Marquez
The Record Breaker

Marc Marquez qualified on pole position for the 81st time in his Grand Prix career in Argentina and the 53rd time in the MotoGP class in Argentina, two less than Valentino Rossi.

MotoGP Rnd Argentina Marquez Team
Marquez smashed them in South America

This was Marquez’ fifth pole position at Termas de Rio Hondo, equalling his number of premier class pole positions set at Phillip Island, which is one less than in Austin and at the Sachsenring.

Marc Marquez won for the 71st time of his Grand Prix career in Argentina, five less than Mike Hailwood who stands in fourth place in the list of riders with most GP wins. This is Marquez’ 45th win the premier class, two less than his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

MotoGP Rnd Argentina Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez – P1 in Argentina 2019

Marc Márquez’ win at Termas de Rio Honda is the fifth time that he had won at any circuit in the MotoGP class after qualifying on pole position, leading across the line on every lap and setting the fastest lap of the race along with Jerez (2014) and Austin (2014, 2016, 2018).

This is Marc Marquez’s 32nd win in the premier class after qualifying on pole position. 41 of his 45 wins in the class came after qualifying within the top three.

Marc Marquez crossed the line 9.816 seconds before Valentino Rossi, which is Marquez’ biggest winning margin in dry-weather conditions since he stepped in the MotoGP class in 2013.

MotoGP Rnd Argentina Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez

This is the biggest winning margin in dry-weather conditions in the MotoGP class since Jorge Lorenzo won in France back in 2016 with a winning margin of 10.654 seconds ahead of team-mate Valentino Rossi.

Marc Marquez has scored 45 points in the first two races, which is the second-highest points accumulated by Marquez in the MotoGP class, after 2014 when he won the two opening races and scored 50 points.

Last year in Austin, Márquez claimed his 10th successive win in the MotoGP class in the USA, his 12th including his Moto2 wins at Indianapolis in both 2011 and 2012. Giacomo Agostini holds the record in Finland with 13th successive wins at Imatra: 8 x 500cc
(1966 – 1973) and 5 x 350cc (1969 – 1973).

MotoGP by numbers..

  • 118 – At the Argentina GP, Marc Marquez stood on the podium for the 118th time in his Grand Prix career, three less than Phil Read who stands in sixth place on the list of riders with most podium finishes.
  • 94 – Crossing the line in third place in Argentina GP, Andrea Dovizioso finished on the podium for the 94th time in his Grand Prix career, one less than Mick Doohan. In addition, it was also his 53rd podium finish in the premier class, one less than Randy Mamola.
  • 71 – Marc Marquez won for the 71st time in his Grand Prix career at Termas de Rio Hondo, the 45th time since he stepped up to the premier class in 2013.
  • 60 – Valentino Rossi crossed the line in second place in Argentina, which is his 60th second-place finish in the premier class (the 11th behind Marc Marquez). His 50th second-place finish in the premier class came in Argentina back in 2016.
  • 24 – With his second-place finish in Argentina, Rossi extended his record of finishing on the podium every season for 24 successive years – the record. The second-longest run of successive years with Grand Prix podium finishes is 20, set by Angel Nieto. In addition, Rossi extended his record of finishing on the podium at least once in all his 20 seasons competing in the premier class.
  • 15 – Since the opening Grand Prix in Qatar, 15 different riders have stood on the podium across all classes. Only Marc Marquez, Andrea Dovizioso and Lorenzo Baldassarri have finished on the podium more than once in the opening two Grand Prix of the season.
  • 10 – In Argentina, Valentino Rossi was on the podium to end ten successive races without a podium finish since the German GP last year (259 days).
  • 2.092 – The 15th-place finisher in the Moto3 race in Argentina, Raul Fernandez, crossed the line just 2.092 seconds behind race winner Jaume Masia; this is the fourth closest top 15 of all-time in Grand Prix racing.

Source: MCNews.com.au

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MotoGP Stats Smorgasbord update heading to Argentina

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MotoGP Statistics Update
Argentina 2019

Andrea Dovizioso’s win in Valencia was his 13th in the premier class, equalling Randy Mamola and Max Biaggi. They’re tied second as the riders with the most victories without winning the title, behind Dani Pedrosa (31 wins).

MotoGP Qatar Rnd Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso claimed the win at Qatar

With his win in Qatar, Andrea Dovizioso won the opening race of the season for the third time in his Grand Prix career; he did it in 2004 on his way to clinching his 125cc title as well as last year.

Cal Crutchlow has finished on the podium at least once for eight successive seasons in the MotoGP class, equalling Mike Hailwood between 1960 and 1967. Only one other British rider has had premier class podium finishes in eight or more successive seasons: Geoff Duke (10).

MotoGP Qatar Rnd MotoGP Podium
MotoGP Podium – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1

Top Independent Team rider in Qatar in third place, Crutchlow won the race last year in Argentina, becoming the first British rider to lead the premier class championship since Barry Sheene after the opening race of 1979 in Venezuela.

With his fourth-place finish at Losail, Alex Rins has scored points in the last ten successive races. The last time he failed to score any points was in Ger-many last year when he crashed out on the opening lap with Pol Espargaro.

MotoGP Qatar Rnd Rins
Alex Rins – Qatar MotoGP 2019

In addition, Alex Rins has finished within the top six in the last eight successive races. The last time he was not inside the top six was in Austria last year, when he was eighth.

Johann Zarco crossed the line in 15th place at the Qatar GP for his first time on the KTM, which is his worst result across the line since he was also 15th in San Marino back in 2017 when he ran out of fuel and had to push his bike to the finish line.

Francesco Bagnaia retired from the race in Losail, which is the first time he has failed to score points since Italy in 2017 when he crashed on the final lap.

MotoGP Qatar Rnd Joan Mir
Joan Mir

First rookie across the line in Qatar, Joan Mir (2017) is the only one of the four rookies this year to have previously won at Argentina in any of the smaller classes.

Along with Joan Mir (2017), Miguel Oliveira (2017 and 2018) is the only one of the four rookies in the MotoGP class this year to have stood on the podium in Argentina.

Termas de Río Hondo is one of the five tracks on this year’s calendar where Jorge Lorenzo has not had a win in the MotoGP class, along with Austin, Sachsenring, Sepang, and Buriram.

MotoGP finishes are closer than ever

Johann Zarco finished the Qatar Grand Prix in 15th place, crossing the line just 15.093 seconds behind race winner Andrea Dovizioso, which is the closest top 15 of all-time in a full-length premier class Grand Prix. This breaks the record set last year in Assen last year.

MotoGP Qatar Rnd Dovi leads field
Qatar MotoGP 2019

The following list shows the ten closest top 15 finishes of all-time in the premier class of Grand Prix racing, nine of which have occurred since 2017 (only races that have completed full race distance). Followed by the closest Top Ten finishes, and the closest margins from first to second place.

Closest Top 15 finishes

Closest MotoGP Margins
Closest Top 15 finishes

Closest Top Ten finishes

Closest MotoGP Margins
Closest Top Ten finishes

Closest winning margins 1st to 2nd

Closest MotoGP Margins

Closest winning margins 1st to 2nd

 

MotoGP Qatar Rnd Marquez Dovi
Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso – Qatar MotoGP 2019
Andrea Dovizioso levels with Jorge Lorenzo

With his win in Losail, Andrea Dovizioso equals Jorge Lorenzo in fifth place on the following list of riders with the longest winning careers in Grand Prix Racing.

Longest winning careers in Grand Prix Racing March

Longest winning careers in Grand Prix Racing

 

MotoGP Qatar Rnd Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso – Qatar MotoGP 2019
MotoGP returns to Termas de Río Hondo circuit for sixth year

This year’s event at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit is the 16th motorcycle Grand Prix to be held in Argentina.

MotoGP Preview Argentina Rnd Michelin
Michelin’s Argentina Termas de Rio Hondo GP Track break down

The first Argentina GP took place in 1961 and was held in Buenos Aires; the first time that a Grand Prix had taken place outside of Europe. Not all of the top riders attended the event and the 52-lap, 203km 500cc race was won by home rider Jorge Kissling (Matchless) from fellow country- man Juan Carlos Salatino (Norton).

This is the sixth year that the Argentina GP has taken place at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit. All of the ten previous Grands Prix in Argentina had taken place in Buenos Aires, the last of which was in 1999.

Three riders from Argentina have won Grand Prix races: Sebastian Porto (seven wins in the 250cc class), Benedicto Caldarella (Argentina, 1962) and Jorge Kissling (Argentina, 1961) who both had single victo- ries in the 500cc class.

The last GP win for an Argentinean rider was in the 250cc class at the Dutch TT in 2005, when Sebastian Porto won the race from Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo.

Valentino Rossi celebrated football great Diego Maradona on the podium in Argentina back in 2015
Valentino Rossi celebrated football great Diego Maradona on the podium in Argentina back in 2015

The only current full-time Grand Prix rider who has raced at the Buenos Aires circuit is Valentino Rossi, who won the 250cc race in 1998 and was third in 1999.

Marc Marquez has twice won the MotoGP race in Argentina from pole position in 2014 and 2016. He was also on pole in Argentina in 2015 and in 2017 but crashed when battling for the lead.

Vinales won in Argentina in 2017

The riders other than Marquez to win a MotoGP race at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit are Valentino Rossi, who won the 2015 race after starting down in eighth place on the grid; Maverick Viñales, who won in 2017 from the sixth on the grid and Cal Crutchlow last year from tenth on the grid.

Since the introduction of the Termas de Rio Honda circuit to the calen-dar in 2014, Honda have had three wins in MotoGP with two different riders: Marc Marquez (2014, 2016) and Cal Crutchlow (2018).

Yamaha have had two MotoGP wins in Argentina for two different riders: Valentino Rossi (2015) and Maverick Viñales (2017).

Andrea Dovizioso’s second-place finish in 2015 is the only podium finish in MotoGP for a Ducati rider in Argentina.

The best result for a Suzuki rider at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit is the third place for Alex Rins last year.

2018 MotoGP Round Two Argentina Race Results Cal CRUTCHLOW LCR Honda CASTROL 40'36.342 2. Johann ZARCO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +0.251 3. Alex RINS Team SUZUKI ECSTAR +2.501
2018 MotoGP Round Two Argentina Race Results
Cal CRUTCHLOW LCR Honda CASTROL 40’36.342
2. Johann ZARCO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +0.251
3. Alex RINS Team SUZUKI ECSTAR +2.501

Stefan Bradl’s seventh-place finish in 2016 is the best result so far for an Aprilia rider at the Termas de Rio Honda circuit. Scott Redding was the highest-placed Aprilia rider last year in 12th.

Pol Espargaro finished 11th last year in Argentina, which is the best re-sult at the track for a KTM rider.

The five Moto2 races that have taken place at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit have been won by four different riders, three of them are now competing in the MotoGP class: Tito Rabat (2014), Johann Zarco (2015 & 2016), Franco Morbidelli (2017) and Mattia Pasini (2018).

The five Moto3 races that have taken place at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit have been won by five different riders: Romano Fenati (2014), Danny Kent (2015), Khairul Idham Pawi (2016), who was the first Malaysian rider to win a Grand Prix race in any class, Joan Mir (2017) and Marco Bezzecchi (2018). None of the five races held at the track have been won from pole position.

MotoGP by numbers

78 – With his second-place finish at the Qatar GP, Marc Marquez equalled Eddie Lawson in sixth place on the list of riders with the most podium finishes in the premier class with 78, behind Giacomo Agostini with 88.

MotoGP Qatar Rnd Marquez
Marc Marquez

52– At the Qatar GP, Andrea Dovizioso stood on the podium for the 52nd time in the premier class of Grand Prix racing, equalling Wayne Gardner.

MotoGP Qatar Rnd Podium
MotoGP Podium – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1

15.093 – The top 15 in the MotoGP race at the Qatar GP is the closest ever in the premier class. There were 15.093 seconds between Andrea Dovizioso and Johann Zarco, beating the record set last year in Assen.

13 – Andrea Dovizioso’s win in Qatar was his 13th in the premier class of Grand Prix racing, equalling Max Biaggi in third place on the list of the most successful Italian riders in the class, behind Valentino Rossi (89) and Giacomo Agostini (68).

MotoGP Qatar Rnd Kaito Toba
Kaito Toba wins the opening Moto3 race – Qatar MotoGP 2019 – Round 1

12– With Kaito Toba’s win in Losail, Japan became the 12th different nation to have won in the Moto3 class since its introduction in 2012.

9.636– In addition, the top 10 was the second-closest in the premier class, with 9.636 seconds between Andrea Dovizioso and Aleix Espargaro.

5 – Andrea Dovizioso’s win at the Qatar GP is the fifth for Ducati at Losail International Circuit, equalling the record set by the Italian manufacturer in the premier class at Motegi and Sepang.

3.514– The 15th-place finisher in the Moto3 race in Qatar, Gabriel Rodrigo, crossed the line just 3.514 seconds behind race winner Kaito Toba; this is the sixth closest top 15 of all-time in Grand Prix racing.

0.102 – The winning margin across all classes at the Qatar GP is 0.102 seconds, which is the lowest winning margin across all classes since the Italian GP in 2016 (0.087 seconds).

MotoGP Qatar Rnd Start
MotoGP 2019 has got off to a great start

Source: MCNews.com.au