So, what about the newcomers facing the daunting prospect of their first MotoGP™ race. The history books are not on the side of Remy Gardner, Raul Fernandez, Darryn Binder, Fabio di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi. The last rookie to win on his premier class debut was Max Biaggi in 1998, riding the Honda at Suzuka. The Italian is only one of five riders to have achieved such a feat. The very first premier class World Championship race at the 1949 TT was won by Harold Daniell in the Isle of Man. A year later Geoff Duke won at the TT on his 500cc World Championship debut. Circumstances helped two debutant winners to their only Grand Prix wins. Jorge Kissling won in 1961 in Argentina and Edmund Czihak at the Nürburgring in Germany in 1974 when the leading riders boycotted the race on safety grounds. Finnish rider Jarno Saarinen won the opening two rounds riding the new two-stroke 500cc Yamaha in 1973 before losing his life in that tragic 250 cc Grand Prix at Monza. Only Duke went on to win the premier class title although Saarinen would surely have won the World title, probably for many years to come.

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