bwin.com British Grand Prix MotoGP Sunday Guide

Sunday, 22 June 2008

A list of key statistics for the premier class contest at the eighth GP weekend of the 2008 World Championship season.

- For the first time since the Dutch TT last year all of the front row qualifiers are using Bridgestone tyres.

- The top four places on the grid are taken by machines from four different manufacturers.

- Casey Stoner starts from pole for the second successive race after an eleven race run without a pole position. This is the first time he has started on the front row in any class at Donington.

- Valentino Rossi is the most successful rider of all-time at Donington, with seven victories (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 2 x 500cc, 3 x MotoGP). Rossi will be making his 200th Grand Prix start across all three classes having never missed a race since he made his debut in the 125cc class in Malaysia in 1996.

- Chris Vermeulen is starting from the front row for the first time since the US Grand Prix last year.

- Nicky Hayden has qualified in front of his team-mate Dani Pedrosa for the first time since the opening race of the year in Qatar.

- Colin Edwards has maintained his record of being the only rider in MotoGP to qualify in the top five at every race so far in 2008.

- Andrea Dovizioso, who has won in both the 125cc and 250cc classes at Donington, will be starting from his best grid position (sixth) since moving to the MotoGP class at the start of this year.

- Anthony West´s seventh place on the grid is the best qualifying performance this year by a Kawasaki rider. West finished eleventh last year at Donington on his debut with the Kawasaki Racing Team.

- Ben Spies has qualified higher on the grid (eighth) than any other American rider making their debut in the premier-class of Grand Prix racing since John Kocinski also qualified eighth for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps in 1989.

- Pedrosa has qualified in his lowest grid position (ninth) since the Dutch TT last year. Pedrosa has been the first Honda rider across the line in all of the MotoGP races this year.

- James Toseland and Jorge Lorenzo are the first Yamaha riders this year to qualify outside the top ten on the grid.