MotoGP Stats Update | MotoGP in the USA

MotoGP Stats 2019
Round Three – COTA

Stats compiled by Dr. Thomas Morsellino

In total, there have been 31 previous Grand Prix events hosted in the USA: Laguna Seca (15), Indianapolis (8), Austin (6) and Daytona (2).

A total of 72 Grand Prix races for solo motorcycles have been held in the USA since 1949: 500cc/MotoGP – 31, 250cc/Moto2 – 21, 125cc/Moto3 – 18, 50cc – 2.

Marc Márquez has won on each of the 10 occasions that he has raced in the MotoGP class in America; six times at Austin, three times at Indianapolis and at Laguna Seca in 2013.

Only once in these 10 appearances in MotoGP in America has Márquez not qualified on pole position: Laguna Seca in 2013 when he qualified in second place on the grid behind Stefan Bradl. He qualified on pole last year in Austin but started from fourth after being given a grid penalty following Q2.

The only riders currently competing in the MotoGP class who have won in the class at any of the American circuits are Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Márquez.

Maverick Viñales finished second last year at the Austin circuit, equalling the best result for a Yamaha rider at the track after his teammate Valentino Rossi in 2017 and Jorge Lorenzo back in 2016.

Ducati riders have three podium finishes in the MotoGP class at the Circuit of the Americas, with Andrea Dovizioso, third in 2014 and second in 2015, and Andrea Iannone, third in 2016. Last year, Dovizioso was the highest-placed Ducati rider across the line in fifth.

The best result for a Suzuki rider at the Circuit of the Americas is the third place for Andrea Iannone last year.

Aleix Espargaro’s 10th-place finish last year equalled the best result for an Aprilia rider at the Circuit of the Americas for Stefan Bradl back in 2016.

Pol Espargaro finished 13th last year in Austin, which is the best result at the track for a KTM rider.

All 18 podium finishers in the six previous MotoGP races held at Austin have been riders from either Spain or Italy.

The three riders who finished on the podium in the Moto3 race last year in Austin (Jorge Martin, Enea Bastianini and Marco Bezzecchi) have all moved up to the Moto2 class in 2019.

The six Moto2 races that have taken place at the Circuit of the Americas have been won by six different riders, four of them are now competing in the MotoGP class: Nico Terol (2013), Maverick Viñales (2014), Sam Lowes (2015), Alex Rins (2016), Franco
Morbidelli (2017) and Francesco Bagnaia (2018). Only Rins and Morbidelli went on to win the race after qualifying on pole position.

The six Moto3 races that have taken place at the Circuit of the Americas have been won by five different riders, two of them are now competing in the premier class: Alex Rins (2013), Jack Miller (2014), Danny Kent (2015), Romano Fenati (2016 and 2017)
and Jorge Martin (2018).

MotoGP Rider Stats Updates

Marc Marquez’ win at Termas de Rio Hondo was the 298th for Honda in the premier class of Grand Prix racing, the 142nd in the MotoGP era since 2002.

With his second-place finish in Argentina, Valentino Rossi became the 14th different rider over 40 to have stood on the podium in the premier class of Grand Prix racing along with Jack Ahearn, Fergus Anderson, Jack Brett, Jack Findlay, Robin Fitton, Les Graham, Ernst Hiller, Harry Hinton Sr., Karl Hoppe, Enrico Lorenzetti, Nello Pagani, Frank Perris and Percy Tait. Valentino Rossi became the first rider over 40 to stand on the podium in the premier class since Jack Findlay in Austria back in 1977.

Austin is one of just four current circuits where Valentino Rossi has not had a MotoGP victory, along with Aragón, the Red Bull Ring, and Buriram.

Neither of the two Yamaha factory riders have won at least one of the two opening races for the second successive year. The last time that the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team did not have a win in either of the first two races of the year in two successive seasons was in 2002 and 2003.

Andrea Dovizioso has led across the line for a total of 18 laps in 2019. Other riders who have led races this year are: Marc Márquez (26 laps) and Alex Rins (3).

Jack Miller was fourth across the line in Argentina as the top Independent Team rider, which is his best result since he was also fourth last year in France.

Alex Rins, who started from 16th on the grid in Argentina, finished in fifth place, which is his ninth successive top six finish since San Marino last year.

Takaaki Nakagami finished seventh in Argentina, which is his best dryweather result since he stepped up to the MotoGP class. He is now in second place in the Independent Team riders classification with 16 points behind his teammate Cal Crutchlow (19).

With Yamaha, Suzuki, Ducati, Honda, Aprilia and KTM finishing inside the top 10 at the Argentina GP, this is the first time that riders from six different manufacturers have finished within the top ten since Australia last year.

Miguel Oliveira finished in 11th place at Termas de Rio Hondo as the second-placed KTM rider behind Pol Espargaro, becoming the first Portuguese rider to score points in the premier class of Grand Prix racing.

With Miguel Oliveira, Fabio Quartararo in eighth and Francesco Bagnaia in 14th, all of the four rookies this year have now scored points. Francesco Bagnaia (2018) is the only one of the four rookies in the MotoGP class this year to have previously won at COTA in any of the smaller classes.

Marc Marquez
The Record Breaker

Marc Marquez qualified on pole position for the 81st time in his Grand Prix career in Argentina and the 53rd time in the MotoGP class in Argentina, two less than Valentino Rossi.

This was Marquez’ fifth pole position at Termas de Rio Hondo, equalling his number of premier class pole positions set at Phillip Island, which is one less than in Austin and at the Sachsenring.

Marc Marquez won for the 71st time of his Grand Prix career in Argentina, five less than Mike Hailwood who stands in fourth place in the list of riders with most GP wins. This is Marquez’ 45th win the premier class, two less than his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

Marc Márquez’ win at Termas de Rio Honda is the fifth time that he had won at any circuit in the MotoGP class after qualifying on pole position, leading across the line on every lap and setting the fastest lap of the race along with Jerez (2014) and Austin (2014, 2016, 2018).

This is Marc Marquez’s 32nd win in the premier class after qualifying on pole position. 41 of his 45 wins in the class came after qualifying within the top three.

Marc Marquez crossed the line 9.816 seconds before Valentino Rossi, which is Marquez’ biggest winning margin in dry-weather conditions since he stepped in the MotoGP class in 2013.

This is the biggest winning margin in dry-weather conditions in the MotoGP class since Jorge Lorenzo won in France back in 2016 with a winning margin of 10.654 seconds ahead of team-mate Valentino Rossi.

Marc Marquez has scored 45 points in the first two races, which is the second-highest points accumulated by Marquez in the MotoGP class, after 2014 when he won the two opening races and scored 50 points.

Last year in Austin, Márquez claimed his 10th successive win in the MotoGP class in the USA, his 12th including his Moto2 wins at Indianapolis in both 2011 and 2012. Giacomo Agostini holds the record in Finland with 13th successive wins at Imatra: 8 x 500cc
(1966 – 1973) and 5 x 350cc (1969 – 1973).

MotoGP by numbers..

• 118 – At the Argentina GP, Marc Marquez stood on the podium for the 118th time in his Grand Prix career, three less than Phil Read who stands in sixth place on the list of riders with most podium finishes.
• 94 – Crossing the line in third place in Argentina GP, Andrea Dovizioso finished on the podium for the 94th time in his Grand Prix career, one less than Mick Doohan. In addition, it was also his 53rd podium finish in the premier class, one less than Randy Mamola.
• 71 – Marc Marquez won for the 71st time in his Grand Prix career at Termas de Rio Hondo, the 45th time since he stepped up to the premier class in 2013.
• 60 – Valentino Rossi crossed the line in second place in Argentina, which is his 60th second-place finish in the premier class (the 11th behind Marc Marquez). His 50th second-place finish in the premier class came in Argentina back in 2016.
• 24 – With his second-place finish in Argentina, Rossi extended his record of finishing on the podium every season for 24 successive years – the record. The second-longest run of successive years with Grand Prix podium finishes is 20, set by Angel Nieto. In addition, Rossi extended his record of finishing on the podium at least once in all his 20 seasons competing in the premier class.
• 15 – Since the opening Grand Prix in Qatar, 15 different riders have stood on the podium across all classes. Only Marc Marquez, Andrea Dovizioso and Lorenzo Baldassarri have finished on the podium more than once in the opening two Grand Prix of the season.
• 10 – In Argentina, Valentino Rossi was on the podium to end ten successive races without a podium finish since the German GP last year (259 days).
• 2.092 – The 15th-place finisher in the Moto3 race in Argentina, Raul Fernandez, crossed the line just 2.092 seconds behind race winner Jaume Masia; this is the fourth closest top 15 of all-time in Grand Prix racing.

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