one thousandth Bike Grand Prix – Stats and Information

Le Mans to host one thousandth GP

This weekend Le Mans will host the one thousandth Grand Prix in historical past. Listed here are some stats for the event!

1949 – The Grand Prix World Championship was launched in 1949 with 4 courses for solo bikes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc and 125cc. The very first race counting in direction of a World Championship classification was the 350cc race on Monday June thirteenth 1949 on the Isle of Man, received by Freddie Frith on a Velocette.

817 – Honda is probably the most profitable producer in GP racing with 817 wins forward of Yamaha (520), Aprilia (295), MV Agusta (275), Kalex (165) and Suzuki (162).

432 – Valentino Rossi is the rider with most GP begins: 432, that means he’s raced in additional than 43 per cent of all of the Grands Prix which have taken place.

393 – From the very first race in 1949 to the 2023 Spanish GP, 393 completely different riders have stood on the highest step of the rostrum. The latest “new winner” is Ivan Ortola in Moto3™ in Austin this yr.

235 – Valentino Rossi is the rider with probably the most podiums with 235, forward of Giacomo Agostini (159), Dani Pedrosa (153), Jorge Lorenzo (152), Angel Nieto (139) and Marc Marquez (139).

125 – 125 completely different riders have clinched a Grand Prix World Championship, taking a complete of 284 titles. Giacomo Agostini holds the report with 15, forward of Angel Nieto (12 + 1), Mike Hailwood (9), Rossi (9) and Carlo Ubbiali (9).

122 – Agostini is probably the most profitable rider with 122 GP wins forward of Rossi (115) and Nieto (90). Marc Marquez is fourth with 85 wins, forward of Hailwood with 76.

73 – Assen is the venue that has hosted probably the most Grands Prix. It held an occasion yearly because the World Championship began again in 1949, till 2019. The 2020 Dutch TT was then cancelled as a result of pandemic, making it 73 Dutch TTs thus far counting in direction of the World Championship.

73 – Since 1949, 73 completely different circuits have hosted a premier class Grand Prix; Mandalika is the latest addition, becoming a member of the calendar in 2022.

30 – Since 1949, 30 completely different producers have clinched Grand Prix World titles. Honda leads with 72 titles forward of Yamaha (37), MV Agusta (37), Aprilia (19) and Suzuki (15).

29 – 29 international locations have hosted at the least one Grand Prix since 1949. Spain leads with 143 forward of Italy on 103.

29 – 29 nationalities have received Grands Prix. Italy leads with 876 wins forward of Spain (700) and the UK (413).

20 – There have been six GPs in 1949, all in Europe. 20 GPs are actually scheduled in 2023, in 17 completely different international locations.

19 – 19 nationalities are represented within the 125 World Champions topped since 1949. Italy leads with 80 world titles forward of Spain (57) and the UK (45).

1 – Of the 125 Champions, 70 (greater than half) have clinched just one title – however 55 are a number of World Champions.

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Some issues that occurred alongside the best way…

The Isle of Man TT races have been first established as a non-championship occasion in 1907, and as a part of the occasion on Monday thirteenth June 1949 the very first race which counted in direction of the World Championship passed off, a 350cc contest received by British rider Freddie Frith using a Velocette. The opposite classes that have been included within the first TT occasion in 1949 have been the 250cc & 500cc courses, classes which have now developed into the fashionable Moto2 and MotoGP World Championships.

British producers comparable to AJS and Norton loved success within the early days of the World Championship, earlier than the Italian producers Mondial, Moto Guzzi, Gilera and MV Agusta started to dominate in the course of the Nineteen Fifties, reflecting the energy of the nation’s motorbike trade on the time. MV Agusta have been significantly prolific late within the decade, taking a clear sweep of World titles throughout all 4 classes for 3 seasons from 1958 to 1960 – whereas their dominance within the 500cc class was unbroken for 17 years from 1958 till 1974.

Essentially the most profitable rider in the course of the years 1949 to 1976 when the TT was nonetheless a part of the World Championship collection was Mike Hailwood, who took 12 TT victories, together with profitable the 125cc, 250cc & 500cc class in 1961 to develop into the primary rider to win three completely different courses at a single World Championship occasion.

Throughout the Sixties most of the Japanese producers that take part in modern-day MotoGP racing, comparable to Honda and Yamaha, arrived to choose up their first World Championship title wins throughout the 125 and 250 classes, as they introduced themselves in Grand Prix racing. Suzuki particularly loved nice success in a brand new 50cc class which was launched in 1962.

The late Sixties introduced the beginning of the glory days for MotoGP Legend Giacomo Agostini – probably the most profitable rider within the historical past of World Championship competitors. Up till the fashionable period riders commonly competed in two or three courses concurrently and Agostini took 10 of his 15 titles in 5 successive seasons as double champion in 350cc and 500cc – in a golden interval commencing in 1968, using for MV Agusta.

After a break of just about 12 years from racing, Honda rejoined the World Championships within the late Seventies and by 1983 they’d modified their philosophy from utilizing 4-stroke equipment to construct the V3 500 2-stroke, generally known as the NS500, on which Freddie Spencer took the 500cc World title.

The earlier season racing within the 350cc class had been dropped at a conclusion after 34 years of competitors, leaving 4 courses within the World Championship – 50cc, 125cc, 250cc and 500cc – with 50cc subsequently changed by a brief lived 80cc class.

The Nineteen Eighties and Nineties noticed some very good high quality racing within the premier class particularly with fierce competitors between Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha and a few nice battles between American stars comparable to Eddie Lawson, Randy Mamola, Freddie Spencer, Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz.

Within the late Nineties the 500cc class was totally dominated by Honda hero and MotoGP Legend Mick Doohan who took 5 consecutive titles, earlier than a mix of racing accidents introduced the Australian’s profession to a untimely finish in 1999.

Earlier than the revision of laws which introduced in regards to the transfer to 990cc 4-stroke competitors within the premier class – a younger Italian rider referred to as Valentino Rossi took the final ever 500cc title in 2001 on Honda equipment, having received the 1997 version of the 125cc championship and the 1999 quarter litre crown with Aprilia.

After the re-branding of the World Championship as MotoGP in 2002 and the introduction of 990cc racing, Rossi went on to win 4 additional consecutive titles, two with Honda and two after a sensational transfer to Yamaha.

At the beginning of the 2007 season, new guidelines proscribing the variety of tyres used on Grand Prix weekends and a discount in engine measurement from 990cc to 800cc once more levelled the taking part in area in MotoGP – with Bridgestone-equipped Ducati rider Casey Stoner rising as the primary standout rider of the brand new period, because the runaway 2007 World Champion. In 2008, nevertheless, Rossi returned to the head, taking his sixth premier class title.

The 2009 season noticed the introduction of a single-tyre rule, as Bridgestone have been named the only real suppliers for the MotoGP class. Rossi took his seventh title within the premier class after a battle with team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, taking him to inside yet another of equaling Agostini’s all-time report of eight.

In recent times Grand Prix racing has been additional modernised with the introduction of the Moto2 (600cc 4-stroke) and Moto3 (250cc four-stroke, one cylinder) courses instead of the previous 250 and 125 courses.

In 2012 because the premier class grid switched to the 1000cc machines it was Yamaha Manufacturing unit Racing’s Lorenzo that took the title once more.

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2023 Le Mans MotoGP Weekend Schedule
Instances in AEST

 

 

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2023 MotoGP Calendar