#StatAttack: Misano and MotoGP™

A few things to know about the Adriatic venue and the event ahead before we touch down for 2017

- The first Grand Prix to take place at Misano was in 1980; the 500cc race was over 40 laps of the 3.448 km, anti-clockwise circuit and it was won by Kenny Roberts.

- The Misano circuit hosted a GP event for a total of ten occasions between the years of 1980 and 1993, and then did not have host a GP for thirteen years following the accident that ended the career of Wayne Rainey in 1993.

- When GP racing returned to Misano in 2007, it was on a revised 4.18 km circuit running in the opposite direction to the earlier layout.

- There have been nineteen previous Grands Prix named for San Marino. The first San Marino Grand Prix was held at Imola in 1981. Three different circuits have hosted the San Marino Grand Prix – Imola twice (1981 & 1983), Mugello four times (1982, 84, 91 and 93) and Misano on thirteen occasions (1985, 86, 87 and from 2007 onwards).

- Yamaha have been the most successful manufacturer in MotoGP™ since the Grand Prix series returned to Misano in 2007, with six victories - the most recent of which was with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) in 2014.

- Honda have had three MotoGP™ wins at the Misano circuit, including for the last two years.

- The win by Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) in 2015 was the first for Honda at Misano since 2010 and followed four successive wins for Yamaha.

- Ducati’s single victory at Misano was in 2007 with Casey Stoner. Since Stoner’s win, the Borgo Panigale factory have had two more podium finishes at this circuit: Toni Elias in 3rd in 2008 and Valentino Rossi in 2nd in 2012.

- Suzuki have had two podium finishes in the MotoGP™ era at Misano, both of which came in 2007 when Chris Vermeulen finished second and John Hopkins third. Maverick Viñales’ 5th place finish last year was the best result for a Suzuki rider at Misano since Loris Capirossi finished 5th in 2009.

- The most successful riders at Misano since racing returned to the circuit in 2007, each with four victories, are Jorge Lorenzo (1 x 250cc, 3 x MotoGP™) and Marc Marquez (1 x 125cc, 2 x Moto2™, 1 x MotoGP™)

- Dani Pedrosa’s (Repsol Honda Team) victory in 2010 is the last time that the MotoGP™ race at Misano was won by a rider starting from pole position.

- Lorenzo Baldassarri’s (Forward Racing Team) victory at Misano last year was the first Moto2™ win by an Italian for 4 years, since Andrea Iannone won at Mugello in 2012.

- If Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) wins at Misano, he will be only the second Italian rider to win two premier class Grand Prix races on Italian soil in a single season. The only other rider to have achieved this is Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) in 2008, when he won at both Mugello and Misano. A win at Misano would also make Dovizioso the oldest rider to win three or more successive premier class races since Mick Doohan in 1998!

- At the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix, Dovizioso could become only the sixth rider to win three or more successive MotoGP™ races, joining Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) and Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa on an illustrious list

- Andrea Dovizioso’s victory at Silverstone was the 100th win for Italy in the MotoGP™ era since it was introduced in 2002: Valentino Rossi – 76, Loris Capirossi – 7, Andrea Dovizioso – 6, Max Biaggi – 5, Marco Melandri – 5, Andrea Iannone – 1. The only nation with more MotoGP™ wins than Italy is Spain, with 119. Will they gain again on home turf?

- Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) is scheduled to make his 118th GP start at Misano, all of which have been in the MotoGP™ class. This will equal the record number of premier class starts made by a British rider, which is currently held by Jeremy McWilliams.