MotoGP statistics update as we head to the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas

MotoGP 2022 – Round Four – COTA
Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas

With Ducati winning in the Algarve and Valencia GPs last year as well as in Qatar, KTM in Indonesia and now Aprilia, this is the first time that European bikes won in five successive premier class races since 1973-1974 with König and MV Agusta.

This is also the first time that three different European bikes have won the opening three races of a premier class season since 1952 with AJS (Jack Brett), Norton (Reg Armstrong) et Gilera (Umberto Msetti). That year, only European bikes won in the class.

There have been nine different podium finishers in the opening three races, which is only the third time that has happened in the history of the premier class of GP racing along with 1951 and 1952.

Aleix Espargaro became the ninth maiden winner in the premier class since the opening race of 2020 along with Fabio Quartararo, Brad Binder, Miguel Oliveira, Franco Morbidelli, Joan Mir, Jorge Martin, Francesco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini. This is the same number of maiden premier class winners than from 2009 to 2019 (11 seasons), with Andrea Dovizioso, Ben Spies, Marc Marquez, Jack Miller, Andrea Iannone, Cal Crutchlow, Maverick Viñales, Alex Rins and Danilo Petrucci.

Jorge Martin finished second at Termas for his fifth podium in MotoGP and his first since Valencia last year when he was also second. This is Martin’s fifth podium with Ducati, and he is now tied with Troy Bayliss in 10th place on the list of Ducati riders with most premier class podiums, one less than his teammate Johann Zarco.

With Martin in second, this is the ninth successive MotoGP race with at least one Ducati rider on the podium (a sequence that started in Aragon last year). This is the first time for the Bologna factory since 2007 (Turkey)-2008 (Qatar), with 17 successive races, their record in the class.

At the Argentina GP, Alex Rins finished third for his first podium since the British GP last year, when he was second, and his 14th overall in MotoGP.

With Aleix Espargaro, Jorge Martin and Alex Rins, this is the first premier class podium with three Spanish riders since Europe 2020 with Joan Mir, Alex Rins and Pol Espargaro, and the 24th overall in the premier class.

With Joan Mir in fourth place in Argentina, this is the first Spanish 1-2-3-4 in MotoGP since Aragon 2020 with Alex Rins, Alex Marquez, Joan Mir and Maverick Viñales.

At the Argentina GP, Marco Bezzecchi finished the race in ninth place for his best result so for of his rookie season. He is now leading the Rookie of the Year classification with seven points ahead of Darryn Binder (six points) and Remy Gardner (1).

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Bezzecchi’s teammate Luca Marini, who started from third, finished 11th in Argentina and has finished each of his 21 races so far since he stepped up to MotoGP last year.

One of the five rookies in MotoGP this year has previously won a Grand Prix race at the Americas GP in any of the smaller classes: Raul Fernandez in Moto2 last year after qualifying on pole position.

Apart from Fernandez last year, two other rookies have finished on the podium in the lower classes at COTA: Fabio Di Giannantonio (P2 in Moto2 in 2021, and P3 in Moto3 in 2017) and Marco Bezzecchi (P3 in Moto2 in 2021 and P3 in Moto3 in 2018).

Historic MotoGP race at the Argentina GP

At the Argentina GP, Aleix Espargaro took his maiden win in MotoGP, becoming the 118th different premier class winner and the 33rd since MotoGP was introduced in 2002. In addition, he is the 13th different Spanish rider to win in the premier class (for a total of 180 wins for Spain in the class).

The win for Aleix Espargaro is the first for an Aprilia rider in the premier class of GP racing. This is Aprilia’s first win since Maverick Viñales in 125cc in Valencia back in 2011.

In addition, Aprilia becomes the 18th different manufacturer to win in the class. Aprilia also becomes the first manufacturer to take its maiden win since KTM at the 2020 Czech GP.

Aleix Espargaro is now leading the MotoGP World Championship classification for the first time in MotoGP. This is also the first time ever an Aprilia rider is leading the premier class World Championship.

Aleix Espargaro won on his 200th premier class race in Argentina, which is the highest number of premier class starts for a rider taking his maiden win in the class, taking the record set by Danilo Petrucci, who won for the first time at the 2019 Italian GP on his 124th start in the class.

Aged 32 years 247 days old, Aleix Espargaro is the second-oldest rider to take his maiden win in MotoGP after Troy Bayliss in Valencia 2006 at 37 years 213 days old.

Maverick Viñales finished seventh in Argentina for his best result since he joined Aprilia last year. In addition, this is the first time there are two Aprilia riders within the top seven of a premier class race.

Grand Prix Racing at the Circuit of the Americas

MotoGP returns to the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) for a ninth time. Until 2019, the circuit held the Americas GP for seven successive years. The 2020 Americas GP was cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic, and the sport returned in 2021.

There have been 33 previous Grands Prix hosted in the USA: Laguna Seca (15), Indianapolis (8), Austin (8) and Daytona (2). A total of 78 Grand Prix races for solo motorcycles have been held in the USA since 1949: 500cc/MotoGP – 33, 250cc/Moto2 – 23, 125cc/Moto3 – 20, 50cc – 2

Riders with more than one win at COTA:

• Marc Marquez – 7 (7 x MotoGP)
• Alex Rins – 3 (1xMotoGP, 1xMoto2, 1xMoto3)
• Romano Fenati – 2 (2xMoto3)

Solo motorcycle races:

• MotoGP – 8
• Moto2 – 8
• Moto3 – 8

Premier class wins at COTA:

• Honda – 7
• Suzuki – 1

Honda’s last MotoGP win at Austin: Marc Marquez in 2021 from third on the grid. Honda is the most successful manufacturer with seven wins, all of them with Marquez.

Marc Marquez has qualified on pole in seven of the eight MotoGP races that have taken place in Austin. He won seven of them from 2013 to 2018 but crashed out in 2019 while leading the race, before winning again in 2021. In addition, Marc Marquez has won in 11 of the 12 occasions that he has raced in MotoGP in America: seven times at Austin, three times at Indianapolis and one at Laguna Seca in 2013.

The only riders competing in MotoGP who have won in the class at any American circuits are Marc Marquez and Alex Rins. The only rider other than Marquez to have qualified on pole at COTA is Pecco Bagnaia last year.

Marc Marquez has won on 11 of the 12 occasions that he has raced in MotoGP in America: seven times at Austin, three times at Indianapolis and one at Laguna Seca in 2013. Only twice in these 12 appearances in MotoGP in the US has Marquez not qualified on pole: Laguna Seca in 2013 when he qualified second behind Stefan Bradl and in 2021 when he was third. He qualified on pole in 2018 at COTA but started from fourth after being given a grid penalty following Q2.

Honda riders have won 16 of the last 17 MotoGP races held in the USA. The last non-Honda MotoGP winner in the country was Alex Rins in Austin in 2019. Prior to Rins, the last one was Jorge Lorenzo at Laguna Seca in 2010. Honda have won 19 of the 25 premier class races in the USA in the MotoGP era (since 2002).

On the 24 podium finishers in the eight previous MotoGP races held at Austin, all have been riders from either Spain or Italy, except Jack Miller, P3 in 2019, and Fabio Quartararo, P2 in 2021.

Suzuki is the only other manufacturer to have won at COTA in MotoGP, with Alex Rins in 2019. It was Suzuki’s first premier class win in the US. They have had four wins in smaller classes in the US at Daytona with Hugh Anderson in 50cc (1964) and 125cc (1964/1965), and Ernst Degner in 50cc (1965).

Yamaha’s best MotoGP result at Austin is second with four different riders: Fabio Quartararo (2021), Valentino Rossi (2017 and 2019), Maverick Viñales (2018) and Jorge Lorenzo (2016).

Ducati have had five MotoGP podiums at Austin with Andrea Dovizioso, P3 in 2014 and P2 in 2015 (Ducati’sbest result at Austin), Andrea Iannone, P3 in 2016, Jack Miller, P3 in 2019 (his first podium with Ducati), and Francesco Bagnaia, P3 in 2021.

Pol Espargaro finished eighth in 2019 in Austin, which is the best result at the track for KTM.

Aleix Espargaro’s 10th place in 2018 equalled the best result for Aprilia at COTA taken by Stefan Bradl in 2016.

20th anniversary of the first MotoGP race

Today is the 20-year anniversary of the introduction of MotoGP, April 7, 2002, when MotoGP replaced the 500 cc as the premier class of GP racing. The first ever MotoGP race took place in Suzuka and was won by Valentino Rossi (Honda) ahead of Akira Ryo (Suzuki) and Carlos Checa (Yamaha).

The MotoGP race at Termas de Rio Hondo last weekend was the 350th MotoGP race since it was introduced.

33 different riders have stood on the top step in MotoGP. The rider with most MotoGP wins is Valentino Rossi with 76, followed by Marc Marquez (59), Jorge Lorenzo (47), Casey Stoner (38) and Dani Pedrosa (31).

54 different riders have finished on the podium in MotoGP. Valentino Rossi is the rider with most MotoGP podiums, 176, followed by Jorge Lorenzo (114), Dani Pedrosa (112), Marc Marquez (99), and Casey Stoner (69).

10 different riders have won a single race in MotoGP since 2002, as follows: Aleix Espargaro, Enea Bastianini, Joan Mir, Jorge Martin, Andrea Iannone, Ben Spies, Chris Vermeulen, Tohru Ukawa, Toni Elias and Troy Bayliss.

Seven riders have taken the MotoGP World Championship: Valentino Rossi (6 times), Marc Marquez (6), Jorge Lorenzo (3), Casey Stoner (2), Fabio Quartararo (1), Joan Mir (1) and Nicky Hayden (1).

The MotoGP winners have come from 10 different nations: Spain (161), Italy (119), Australia (43), France (8), Portugal (4), USA (4), Great Britain (3), Brazil (3), Japan (3), South Africa (2).

37 different riders have qualified on pole position in MotoGP (including the 2011 Malaysian GP and the 2018 British GP). The five riders with the most MotoGP poles are: Marc Marquez (62), Valentino Rossi (51), Jorge Lorenzo (43), Casey Stoner (39) and Dani Pedrosa (31).

Honda is the most successful manufacturer in the MotoGP class with 156 wins. Other manufacturers who have taken MotoGP wins are Yamaha (122), Ducati (59), Suzuki (6), KTM (6) and Aprilia (1).

30 tracks located in 21 different countries have hosted at least one MotoGP race so far, the latest of them being Mandalika in Indonesia last month.

Official statistics compiled by Dr. Thomas Morsellino

MotoGP Championship Points Standings

2022 Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas MotoGP schedule
Times in AEST

Friday (Saturday)

Saturday (Sunday)

Sunday (Monday)