Phillip Island MotoGP Sunday Race Day Guide
Statistics compiled by Dr. Martin Raines
MotoGP
- The riders lining up on the grid for the MotoGP race have a combined total of 14 premier-class  world titles (Valentino Rossi – 7, Jorge Lorenzo – 3, Marc Marquez – 3, Nicky Hayden -1) the greatest number of premier-class titles ever represented on a grid in the 68-year history of motorcycle grand prix racing.
- Marc Marquez is on pole for the seventh time in 2016. After winning in both Aragon and Japan he will be aiming for his longest sequence of successive race wins since he won ten in a row in 2014.
- Cal Crutchlow is in second place on the grid, just his second front row of 2016. This is the fifth successive race that Crutchlow has been the top Independent Team rider in qualifying.
- This is the first time that Honda riders have taken the top two places on the MotoGP grid since the Malaysian Grand Prix last year.
- Pol Espargaro has qualified on the front row for only the second time in the MotoGP class; his other was second place on the grid at Le Mans in 2014.
- This is the first time since the opening race of 2014 in Qatar that two Independent Team riders have filled two of the places on the front row of the grid.
- Aleix Espargaro heads the second row, equalling his previous best qualifying result of the year at the Czech GP.
- Jack Miller is in fifth place on the grid which is a great improvement on his previous best qualifying result in the MotoGP class which was 12th place on the grid at Silverstone this year.
- The best Ducati rider in qualifying is Danilo Petrucci in sixth place on the grid.
- Nicky Hayden has qualified at the head of the third row – his best qualifying in MotoGP since he was on the front row at the Japanese GP in 2013.
- Stefan Bradl is in eighth place on the grid, his best qualifying result since the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2014. This is the best qualifying result in the MotoGP class for Aprilia since Colin Edwards was in seventh place on the grid at Valencia in 2003.
- Jorge Lorenzo starts from 12th place on the grid – his worst qualifying result since he qualified 12th at the Dutch TT in 2013 when he broke his collarbone in a crash on the first day of practice and raced after having it plated.
- Valentino Rossi starts from 15th place on the grid, which is his worst qualifying result since he was 16th fastest qualifier at the German GP in 2011 when riding a Ducati.
- This is the first time that both riders in the factory Yamaha team have qualified for a MotoGP race outside the top ten places on the grid since the final race of 2007 at Valencia when Colin Edwards was 15th fastest qualifier and Valentino Rossi 17th
Moto2
- Thomas Lüthi, who starts from pole for the third time in 2016, will be aiming for back-to-back victories for the first time in his grand prix career. Lüthi has not won a race from pole position since the Malaysian GP in 2011.
- Mattia Pasini has qualified in second place on the grid, which is his first front row start since the 250cc race at Misano in 2009 when he was fourth fastest qualifier at a time when four riders lined up on each row of the grid; he went on to finish second in this race – his last grand prix podium finish.
- Sam Lowes, who finished second last year in Australia, starts from third place on the grid – his ninth front row start of the year.
- Heading the second row is Sandro Cortese, which is his best qualifying result since the Spanish grand prix. Cortese has twice had GP wins at Phillip Island; the 125cc race in 2011 and Moto3 in 2012.
- Jesko Raffin starts the race from fifth place on the grid, a great improvement on his previous best starting position which was 18th place on the grid at Silverstone this year.
Championship leader Johann Zarco, who starts the race from 10th place on the grid, has had two crashes and a seventh place finish in the last three years at Phillip Island. - Championship challenger and last year’s Moto2 winner in Australia, Alex Rins, has qualified down in 16th place on the grid.
Moto3
- Brad Binder starts from pole for the fifth time in 2016. From his previous four poles this year, he has only gone on to win the race once, which was at Misano.
- In second place on the grid is Nicolo Bulega. This is his fourth front row start in his rookie season in grand prix racing.
- Gabriel Rodrigo is starting from the front row for the first time in what will be his 40th grand prix start.
- Heading the second row is John McPhee, after his best qualifying result since he started the final race of 2015 in Valencia from pole position.
- Livio Loi starts from fifth place on the grid – his best qualifying result since he was in second place on the grid at the opening race of the year in Qatar.
- In seventh place on the grid is Darryn Binder, his best grid position in grand prix racing and making it two South African riders in the top seven place on the grid for the first time ever in the lightweight class of grand prix racing.
- Winner of the last grand prix, Enea Bastianini, starts from 15th place on the grid – the first time since the Catalan grand prix that he is not on the front row.
