MotoGP 2014 – Round Three – Gran Premio Red Bull de la República Argentina – Official statistics compiled by Dr. Martin Raines
Grand Prix racing in Argentina – Argentina is back on the Grand Prix schedule after an absence of 14 years. Below is a brief history of motorcycle Grand Prix racing in Argentina, noting the most significant highlights:
- 1961 – The final event of the year was held in Buenos Aires, which was the first time that a Grand Prix had taken place outside of Europe. Not all of thetop riders attended the event and the 500 race was won by Argentinean Jorge Kissling from fellow countryman Juan Carlos Salatino. This event is often remembered for what occurred in the 125 class, when championship contender Ernst Degner from East Germany did not start the race which was won by Australian Tom Phillis, resulting in Phillis taking the world title – the first for Honda in the 125 category.
- 1962 – Once again, the Grand Prix was not supported by the top GP riders of the day. Argentinean riders were again successful in the 500 class, with Benedicto Caldarella winning and Juan Carlos Salatino again finishing second. The 250 race was won by Arthur Wheeler at the age of 46 – the oldest rider to win a Grand Prix and the last of Moto Guzzi’s 45 GP wins. New Zealander Hugh Anderson won the 50cc and 125cc races on Suzuki machinery. Ernst Degner finished second in the 50cc race to clinch the world title – the first ever for Suzuki
- 1963 – World Champion Mike Hailwood raced in Argentina for the first time on the factory MV Agusta and dominated by lapping all other riders and finishing six laps in front of the rider finishing in sixth place. Hugh Anderson on a Suzuki again won the 50cc race, Jim Redman on a Honda took the 125 win and in the 250 class Tarquinio Provini gave Morini their last ever win.
- 1981/82 – After a 17-year gap, Grand Prix racing returned to Argentina in 1981, again taking place in Buenos Aires. The 1981 event included races in the 125, 250 and 350 categories, won by Angel Nieto, Jean-Francois Balde and Jon Ekerold, respectively. In 1982, the 500 class was included and was won by Kenny Roberts from Barry Sheene, with third-place finisher Freddie Spencer giving a debut to the new three-cylinder Honda two-stroke. Angel Nieto gave Garelli their first Grand Prix win in the 125 class and Carlos Lavado won the 350 race.
- 1987 – After a gap of four years, Argentina was again included as the final race; this time, just the 250 and 500 classes were included, with the respective winners Sito Pons and Eddie Lawson.
- 1994-95, 98-99 – The Argentinian Grand prix appeared on the schedule on four occasions in the 1990s, but without becoming an established event on the calendar. In 1994, Jorge Martinez took the last of his 37 GP wins; this was also the last win in the 125 class by Yamaha. Perhaps the most notable incident in this period was in the 250 class in 1998, when team-mates Loris Capirossi and Tetsuya Harada arrived in Argentina for the final race separated by just two points. The title was decided when the two riders collided at the final corner and Harada crashed, while Capirossi clinched the title. In 1999, Emilio Alzamora finished second in the 125 race to clinch the world title by a single point from closest rival Marco Melandri, who had attempted to slow the race
Back-to-back: Marc Marquez and fellow World Champions
The 2014 Grand Prix of the Americas marked the 20th MotoGP start for Marc Marquez. The following table compares the facts from his first 20 premier class Grands Prix with those of riders who have become multiple World Champions in the top tier:
(Note: N/A signifies that full data is not available)
Above: Riders listed in order of most recent premier class title win, with most recent first
Dani Pedrosa set to go third in all-time point scoring list
Dani Pedrosa needs to score a top eight finish at the Argentinean Grand Prix to move ahead of Alex Barros, and into third place, on the top ten list of all-time point scorers in the premier class.
Rider Premier class points total
- Valentino Rossi 3,884
- Mick Doohan 2,298
- Alex Barros 2,079
- Dani Pedrosa 2,072
- Loris Capirossi 1,840
- Casey Stoner 1,815
- Jorge Lorenzo 1,780
- Nicky Hayden 1,647
- Max Biaggi 1,624
- Alex Criville 1,610
Maverick Viñales becomes second-youngest Moto2 winner
At the Grand Prix of the Americas, Maverick Viñales took his first Moto2 victory in what was only his second start in the class. This made him the second-youngest rider, after Marc Marquez, to win a Moto2 Grand Prix. It also places Viñales sixth in the table below, displaying riders who have scored Grand Prix wins in two different World Championship classes.
Youngest riders to win a Moto2 Grand Prix – Rider – Age at time of first Moto2 win – Event
- Marc Marquez 18 years, 87 days France 2011, Le Mans
- Maverick Viñales 19 years, 91 days Americas 2014, COT A
- Shoya Tomizawa 19 years, 122 days Qatar 2010, Losail
- Scott Redding 20 years, 135 days France 2013, Le Mans
- Andrea Iannone 20 years, 301 days Italy 2010, Mugello
Youngest riders to win in two Grand Prix classes – Rider – Age at time of first win in a second class – Classes involved
- Marc Marquez 18 years, 87 days 125/Moto2
- Dani Pedrosa 18 years, 202 days 125/250
- Jorge Lorenzo 18 years, 326 days 125/250
- Marco Melandri 18 years, 349 days 125/250
- Johnny Cecotto 19 years, 64 days 250/350
- Maverick Viñales 19 years, 91 days 125/Moto2
- Valentino Rossi 19 years, 131 days 125/250
- Casey Stoner 19 years, 183 days 125/250
- Hector Barbera 19 years, 193 days 125/250
- Toni Elias 19 years, 194 days 125/250
Australia moves ahead of the USA
Jack Miller’s victory in Qatar was the 174th Grand Prix win for Australia; as shown in the list below, this is now one more GP win than has been achieved by riders from the USA.
The strength of Great Britain and Germany in the early years is clearly illustrated in this table, however the more recent drought is also clearly shown with no British or German victory yet recorded in the MotoGP category. Will Cal Crutchlow, Scott Redding, Michael Laverty or Bradley Smith be the first British MotoGP winner?
* Includes riders from Northern Ireland – **Includes riders from former East and West Germany
Moto2 stats and trivia
- Argentina 2014 will mark the first time the Moto2 class has raced in South America, with the continent having last featured on the World Championship calendar in 2004 (with the Rio Grand Prix in Brazil) before Moto2 replaced the 250 class from the start of 2010.
- Simone Corsi will celebrate his 27th birthday on the Thursday of the Argentinian Grand Prix event; incidentally, the Roman has begun the new season with a pair of fifth place finishes
- Moto2 has witnessed five different riders on the podium at the first two 2014 events in Qatar and Texas; this is more rostrum finishers than in any other category so far this year
- Maverick Viñales’ fastest race lap at the Grand Prix of the Americas was 2’10.103; this was a staggering 1.6 seconds faster than the 2’11.742 of Nico Terol at the inaugural race in 2013
- The last time the intermediate class raced in Argentina (the 250 race of 1999 in Buenos Aires), four different nationalities of rider occupied the first four places; Frenchman Olivier Jacque won the race, whereas the fourth place finisher was Argentina’s own Sebastian Porto, who this weekend is scheduled to return to the World Championship as a wildcard entrant
Moto3 stats and trivia
- KTM heads to Argentina with a brand-new World Championship record. Last time out in Texas, the Austrian marque celebrated its 23rd consecutive race win in Moto3; this marks the longest ever sequence of successive GP wins for a single constructor in any class of Grand Prix racing. The last non-KTM win was Luis Salom’s Aragon 2012 success on a Kalex-KTM, whereas the last non KTM-powered Moto3 victory was Italy 2012, when Maverick Viñales won for FTR-Honda
- There could be some festivities in Termas de Rio Hondo; Wednesday will see Alex Marquez turn 18 and Alessandro Tonucci 21, whereas Livio Loi will celebrate his 17th birthday on race day
- The last lightweight class Grand Prix staged in Argentina to date came with the 125 race of Buenos Aires in 1999. Marco Melandri led a Honda one-two from Emilio Alzamora, who was able to celebrate the title. Remarkably, seven of the top eight finishers shared a nationality: Italian
- Efren Vazquez has begun 2014 with consecutive third place finishes in Qatar and Texas; this marks the first time ever that the Spaniard has achieved successive Grand Prix rostrum placings
- Alex Marquez and Alex Rins led an Estrella Galicia 0,0 one-two for fastest race laps in Austin; this was Alex Marquez’s third fastest lap from his last five races and fifth in the lightweight tier of the World Championship, which leaves him just four away from the nine of elder brother Marc
Grand Prix racing numbers
- 200 – At the Grand Prix of Argentina, Mika Kallio is scheduled to become the first rider from Finland to reach the milestone of 200 GP starts. Kallio made his Grand Prix debut in the 125 class in 2001, as a wildcard rider at the Sachsenring in Germany. He became a full-time rider in 2002 and during his career he has competed in the 125, 250, Moto2 and MotoGP classes
- 160 – Argentinian rider Sebastian Porto, who is scheduled to make a wildcard appearance in Moto2, made 160 GP starts in the 250 class between 1995 and 2006; this is more 250 class starts than any other rider in the 61 years that the class was included on the Grand Prix schedule. Porto last started a Grand Prix in the 250 class at Mugello in 2006
- 49 years – On the first day of practice in Argentina, it will be exactly 49 years since Giacomo Agostini clinched his first Grand prix win, in the 350 class at the Nurburgring in Germany in 1965. On the same day, Agostini also made his debut in the 500 class and finished second to team-mate Mike Hailwood
- 34 – At the Grand Prix in Austin, Marc Marquez scored his 34th Grand Prix win; the same number of Grand Prix wins that Italy’s Luca Cadalora achieved during his career
- 27 years – On the day of qualifying in Argentina, it will be 27 years to the day that Jorge Martinez won the 80cc race at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez in 1987 from 17-year-old Alex Criville, who was making his Grand Prix debut
- 26 – The Termas de Rio Hondo circuit will be the 26th different venue to host a MotoGP race since the category was introduced in 2002; it will also be the 18th different country to host a MotoGP race during this same period
- 23rd – On the 23rd of April, which is the Wednesday before the Grand Prix of Argentina, Alex Marquez celebrates his 18th birthday; on the same day, Alessandro Tonucci will turn 21
- 17 – Belgian Moto3 rider Livio Loi will celebrate his 17th birthday on race day in Argentina
- 15 – It has been 15 years since a Grand Prix event was last held in Argentina, in 1999
- 11 – This will be the 11th motorcycle Grand Prix event to be held in Argentina, but the first outside of capital city Buenos Aires
- 8 – Marc Marquez took his eighth MotoGP win in Austin, which is the same number of MotoGP victories that Sete Gibernau achieved. There are now only four riders with a greater number of MotoGP wins than Marc Marquez: Valentino Rossi (67 MotoGP class wins), Casey Stoner (38), Jorge Lorenzo (31) and Dani Pedrosa (25)
- 3 – Three riders from Argentina have won Grands Prix; Sebastian Porto (seven wins in the 250 class) plus Benedicto Caldarella and Jorge Kissling, who both had single victories in the 500s
- 2 – Just two current World Championship riders have raced in previous Argentinean Grands Prix: Valentino Rossi and Anthony West. Italy’s Rossi won the 250 race in 1998 and was third in 1999, whereas Australia’s West finished eighth in the 250 race of 1999
- 2 – At the Grand Prix of the Americas, Jack Miller became the first Australian rider to achieve back-to-back Grand Prix wins in the lightweight (125/Moto3) class of Grand Prix racing
