Spanish GP Racers Rain on Jerez

Jerez GP History

Spanish riders have won a total of nineteen Grand Prix races at the Jerez motorcycle racing circuit. Of them, Dani Pedrosa has finished either first or second in each of his four MotoGP races at Jerez.

Pedrosa was second in 2006 on his Moto GP class race debut. He again repeated the result in 2007 after qualifying for pole position. And again in 2008 he won the race, which took him to the head of the MotoGP championship standings for the first time in his career.

Last year Pedrosa was knocked back step as he finished 2nd again after leading the race for the first seventeen laps. He also won the 250cc race from pole at Jerez in 2005.

As Pedrosa has been struggling, this is the road race to watch to see if he can pull it back together.

The other notable Spanish MotoGP racer, Jorge Lorenzo, made his GP debut in the 125cc race at Jerez in 2002 after having to wait until he celebrated his 15th birthday on the second day of qualifying to get out onto the track.

Lorenzo won the 250cc GP road race at Jerez in 2006 and 2007 having qualified for pole position on both occasions.

Lorenzo has also qualified on pole for the last two years for the Moto GP race at Jerez. Back in 2008 he went on to finish third and in 2009 he crashed out four laps from the end while in 4th place.

Spanish GP winners at Jerez… A Look Back

1987: Jorge Martinez (Derbi) became the first Spanish rider to win a Grand Prix at Jerez when he took the victory in the 80cc race at the first visit to the circuit by the Grand Prix circus.

1988: Jorge Martinez repeated his win of the previous year in the 80cc class and in the 250cc class, Juan Garriga (Yamaha) won in Grand Prix racing for the first time.

1989: Once again there was Spanish success in the smaller classes with Alex Criville (JJ Cobas) winning the 125cc race and Herri Torrontegui (Krauser) the 80cc race.

1990: Jorge Martinez (JJ Cobas) won the 125cc race to become the first rider to have success in 2 different classes at the Jerez circuit.

1995: Alberto Puig riding a Honda became the first ever Spanish rider to win a premier-class race in Spain.

1997: Alex Criville (Honda) beat his teammate and great rival Mick Doohan to take victory in the premier-class for the first time at Jerez.

1998: Alex Criville repeated his win of the year before, beating his teammate Doohan once again but this time by just four tenths of a second.

1999: Alex Criville became the first rider to win in the premier-class for three successive years at Jerez.

2000: Emilio Alzamora (Honda) took his only Grand Prix victory on Spanish soil.

2002: Fonsi Nieto (Aprilia) took the victory in the 250cc class, the first of his five Grand Prix victories.

2003: Toni Elias’ (Aprilia) victory in the 250cc GP at Jerez in 2003 is the only time that he has stood on the top step on the podium when racing at a GP in Spain.

2004: Sete Gibernau (Honda) became the third Spanish rider to win in the premier class at Jerez.

2005: Dani Pedrosa’s (Honda) victory in the 250cc class was the first time he had stood on the podium at Jerez, after qualifying on pole for the first time at the circuit.

2006: Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) won for the first time since moving up to the 250cc class. In the 125cc class Alvaro Bautista won for the first time in Grand Prix racing.

2007: Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) repeated his victory of the previous year on his way to taking his second successive 250cc world title.

2008: Dani Pedrosa (Honda) was victorious to move into the lead in the MotoGP championship for the first time.

Look through the huge Spanish crowds for Lorenzo and Pederosa to pour some rain on the plains this coming 2010 MotoGP at Jerez.

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