2011 MotoGP
One glance below at the breakdown of Jerez’s nine-year MotoGP history and it’s easy to see who dominated at the Spanish circuit: Valentino Rossi.
The nine-time World Champion won six races in those nine years (two with Honda, four with Yamaha). Considering his performances at Jerez, this will be the ideal track for the struggling Rossi to have his breakthrough podium on the Ducati GP11.
But there will be much competition, especially from the man who won the opening round, Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner, and Rossi’s former teammate, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, who has a win at Jerez.
Stoner’s teammate Dani Pedrosa also took a victory at Jerez. And both Pedrosa and Lorenzo are a double-threat at Jerez because their home crowd will be there.
Following is a breakdown of every MotoGP year at Jerez:
2002: Having won at Jerez in the final year of the 500cc class in 2001, Valentino Rossi (Honda) wins the first of the MotoGP races held at the Spanish circuit by just over one second from Daijiro Kato who was still riding the 500cc 2-stroke Honda.
2003: Valentino Rossi (Honda) wins for the third successive year at Jerez, this time from his bitter rival Max Biaggi, with Troy Bayliss finishing on the podium in MotoGP for the first time in third place. In qualifying, Loris Capirossi had qualified on pole, the first ever pole in the premier-class for Ducati.
2004: In very wet conditions, Sete Gibernau (Honda) becomes the third Spanish rider to win in the premier-class at Jerez.
2005: Valentino Rossi gives Yamaha their first victory in the premier-class at Jerez since Eddie Lawson in 1988. The win came in controversial circumstan- ces, when Sete Gibernau ended up in the gravel trap at the final corner after colliding with Rossi.
2006: Loris Capirossi wins the opening race of the year from pole position to lead the MotoGP championship for the first time and give Ducati the lead in the constructors’ championship for the first time. Dani Pedrosa finishes 2nd on his MotoGP debut and Valentino Rossi finishes down in 14th place after getting knocked off at the first corner and re-starting.
2007: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) wins for the fifth time at Jerez in the premier-class, making him the most successful rider ever at the Spanish track.
2008: Dani Pedrosa’s start-to-finish win gives him the lead of the MotoGP championship for the first time. Valentino Rossi finishes second to stand on the podium for the 100th time in the premier-class. Jorge Lorenzo finishes third, after qualifying on pole position.
2009: Valentino Rossi wins for the sixth time at Jerez after Dani Pedrosa led the race for the first seventeen laps before settling for second after being passed by Rossi. Casey Stoner’s third place finish is his only podium at Jerez in any class of GP racing.
2010: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) wins a MotoGP class race on Spanish soil for the first time, in front of great rival Dani Pedrosa who qualified on pole and led the race from the start before being passed by Lorenzo on the last lap.