MotoGP: Pre-Silverstone Stats & Facts

MotoGP Facts

1) Jorge Lorenzo has finished on the podium sixteen times in the last twenty-one races since the start of the 2009 season. During this period, the only time he has finished a race and not been on the podium is the 4th place finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix last year, when he started from the back of the grid after problems with his bike resulted in him not taking his correct place on the grid.

2) Dani Pedrosa has scored points at thelast fourteen races starting with his victory at Laguna Seca last year. During this14 race period he has had ten podium finishes including three victories. Following his win at the Italian Grand Prix, Pedrosa will be aiming to take back-to-back MotoGP victories for the first time.

3) Spanish riders have won the last three MotoGP races. A win for a Spanish rider at Silverstone will equal the longest run of successive premier-class wins for Spain achieved by Alex Criville in his championship-winning season of 1999.

4) Prior to this year, Spanish riders had only twice filled both of the top two places in the premier-class; at the French GP in 2004 and in Portugal in 2008. In the first four races of this year Spanish riders have already twice been one/two in the MotoGP class.

5) The British Grand Prix last year at Donington was the last time that there was a MotoGP podium without a Spanish rider.

6) Andrea Dovizioso’s maiden MotoGP victory at Donington last year was his only podium finish of 2009. Dovizioso has already had three podium finishes in the first four races of 2010.

7) The MotoGP race at the Italian GrandPrix was the first time that two factory Honda Team riders have finished to get her on the podium since the German Grand Prix of 2007, when Dani Pedrosa won and Nicky Hayden finished third.

8) Nicky Hayden’s crash at Mugello resulted in his first non-finish since he was knocked off by De Angelis on the first lap of the San Marino GP last year.

9) Casey Stoner is one rider who hasraced previously at Silverstone, having won a 125cc race there on his way tof inishing runner-up to Leon Camier in the British Championship in 2001. However since 2001 there have been substantial changes to the circuit.

10) Randy de Puniet has been the top qualifying non-factory rider at every MotoGP race so far this year.

11) Marco Melandri’s fifth place finish at Mugello is his best dry weather result since he was 5th in Spain last year. Melandri has been the first non-factory Honda rider across the line for the lastthree races.

12) Silverstone will be the 42nd different venue at which Loris Capirossi will have raced at during his Grand Prix career.

13) Aleix Espargaro’s eighth place finish at Mugello is his best result since moving up to compete in the MotoGP class.

14) Wayne Gardner is the only rider to have won premier-class races at both

Silverstone and Donington. There will be three riders competing at Silverstone this year who could match this achievement: Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso.

MotoGP By The Numbers

150 – At the British GP, former 125cc world champion Gabor Talmacsi, is scheduled to make his 150th Grand Prix start. Talmacsi made his GP debut as a wild-card rider at the Czech GP in 2000 before becoming a full-time Grand Prix rider at the start of the2001 season.

45 years ago – On the first day of practice at Silverstone it will be exactly 45years since Mike Hailwood won the 500cc race in the Isle of Man in 1965 after crashing in the heavy rain and re-starting.

31 – Kenny Noyes will celebrate his 31st birthday on the first day of practice at Silverstone.

12 – The first twelve riders across the line in the Moto2 race at Mugello were all former Grand Prix winners.

11 years ago – Race day at Silverstone will be the 11th anniversary of Alex Criville winning the Catalan GP in 1999 having won the previous three races at Jerez, PaulRicard and Mugello. This was the first time that a European rider had won four successive 500cc races since Giacomo Agostini in 1972.

9 – Dani Pedrosa’s victory at the Italian Grand Prix means he has now won at least one Grand Prix for nine successive seasons. Only seven other riders have won GP races in nine or more successive seasons: Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi, Angel Nieto, Giacomo Agostini, Luca Cadalora, Mick Doohan and Stefan Dorflinger.

9 – Dani Pedrosa’s win in Italy was his 9th victory in the MotoGP class. This is thesame number of wins in the premier-class as Sete Gibernau. The only Spanish rider with more victories in the premier-class is Alex Criville with fifteen.

0.161 seconds – The time covering the first four riders across the line in the125cc race at Mugello. This is the third closest top four of all-time in the 125cc class; the only two races that have been closer have also been at Mugello, in 2007 and 2008.