MotoGP racing numbers, facts and fun
156 - Following the Catalan Grand Prix, Valentino Rossi has made 156 Grand Prix starts in the premier-class, the same as Jack Findlay whose career spanned from 1958 to 1978. Only five riders have started more races in the premier-class: Alex Barros (245 premier-class starts), Carlos Checa (192), Loris Capirossi (177), Kenny Roberts Jnr (167) and Sete Gibernau (158)
106 – Following the Catalan Grand Prix three riders share the MotoGP championship lead with 106 points each. Never before has there been a three way tie at the top of the championship table after six races. Since the current point scoring system was introduced in 1993, the closest previous title race in the premier-class after six races was in 1998 when the top three riders were separated by just 8 points; Criville – 103, Biaggi – 98 and Checa – 95, with eventual Championship winner Doohan trailing in 4th place on 90 points.
61 – This will be the 61st world championship Grand Prix event to be held at Assen, which is the only venue that has hosted a Grand Prix event every year since the motorcycle World Championship Grand Prix series started back in 1949.
50 – Casey Stoner’s 3rd place finish at the Catalan GP was the 50th time he has stood on a Grand Prix podium. This makes him the 31st rider to reach the milestone of 50 Grand Prix podium finishes.
49 – Jorge Lorenzo’s second place finish in Catalunya was the 49th time he has stood on a Grand Prix podium.
45 years – Race day at Assen will be the 45th anniversary of Jim Redman (Honda) winning the 125cc, 250cc and 350cc races at the 1964 Dutch TT – the first rider to have won three GP races on the same day. The total combined distance for these three races was 392 km covered in a time of 2 hrs 48 minutes.
28 – The rider with most Grand Prix appearances at Assen is Phil Read, who started a total of 28 races across the various classes at the Dutch TT, winning five times and appearing on the podium on 18 occasions.
10 – Colin Edwards’ 3rd place finish last year at Assen was the 10th time he stood on a podium. New Zealand rider Graeme Crosby is the only other rider to score 10 podium finishes in the premier-class without having stood on the top step.
0.095 seconds – Valentino Rossi’s winning margin at the Catalunya race wasthe smallest in the MotoGP class since Casey Stoner beat Rossi at the same circuit in 2007 by just 0.069 seconds.
