#StatAttack: Gearing up for Jerez

Some stats, facts and geekery about the Spanish GP and the premier class as we head back to Europe

The Jerez circuit was first used in 1987, making 2017 the 30th anniversary.  Below are some facts and statistics related to Grand Prix racing at Jerez – and the riders as we arrive to the #SpanishGP:

- The TT Circuit Assen is the only current venue that has been used consecutively for a longer period than Jerez.

- Both Honda and Yamaha have seven victories each at Jerez in MotoGP™

- Ducati’s only win at Jerez was in 2006, when Loris Capirossi won from pole position. The last time a Ducati rider finished on the podium at Jerez was in 2011 when Nicky Hayden was third.

- Suzuki’s last victory at Jerez was in 2000, when Kenny Roberts won the 500cc race on his way to taking the world title. Aleix Espargaro finished fifth at Jerez last year to equal the best ever result for Suzuki in the MotoGP™ era.

- Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) is scheduled to make his 200th grand prix start at Jerez. He will be the 32nd rider in the 69-year history of the motorcycle world championship series to reach the milestone of 200 GP starts across all classes, and the ninth Spanish rider to do so.

- There has been at least one Spanish rider on the podium in the MotoGP™ race at Jerez for the last thirteen years, a sequence that started in 2004, and Jerez is the most successful circuit for Spanish riders in terms of premier class victories.

- Alberto Puig’s victory at Jerez on 7th May 1995 was the first win for a Spanish rider in the premier-class on home soil.

- Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) is the most successful rider at the Jerez circuit, with nine grand prix victories to his name; seven in the premier-class.

- Last year was the first since 2009 that Spain did not have at least one winner across the three classes at Jerez.

- There have been five different winners in the MotoGP™ class at Jerez in the last five years: Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa, Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi.

- For the last three years, the rider who has won the MotoGP™ race has started from pole position.

- Valentino Rossi is the oldest rider to head the premier-class world championship table since Jack Findlay had joint leadership with Barry Sheene of the 500cc world championship in 1977

The win by Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) in Austin was the 52nd time he has stood on the podium in the MotoGP™ class, the same number of premier-class podium appearances as 1987 500cc world champion Wayne Gardner. Only ten riders in the 69 year history of motorcycle grand prix racing have finished on the podium in the premier-class more often than Marquez.

- Dani Pedrosa’s (Repsol Honda Team) third place finish in Austin was the 145th time he has stood on the podium across the grand prix classes. This is the same number of GP podium finishes as his great rival Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team). Only Valentino Rossi (224) and Giacomo Agostini (159) have more top three grand prix finishes than these two Spanish rivals.

- Following fifth place finishes in the last two races Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) is now the highest placed rookie in the championship standings in seventh place, one point ahead of his team-mate Jonas Folger. Twenty-two points is the highest point score after the first three races of the year by a rookie on a Yamaha since 2008 when Jorge Lorenzo scored 61 points.

- The win by Marc Marquez in Austin was his 30th MotoGP victory, one more win than his team-mate Dani Pedrosa. Marquez is now the rider with most wins of the MotoGP era riding a Honda.

- Last year Valentino Rossi won at Jerez for the first time since 2009 and it was the first time that he had won at any circuit in the MotoGP™ class by starting from pole position and leading across the line on every lap of the race.

- Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa both stood on the podium in Austin, the first time that the two Repsol Honda riders had been on the podium together since the Catalan Grand Prix last year when Marquez was second and Pedrosa third.

- With his third place finish in Austin, Dani Pedrosa has finished on the podium at least once in all twelve seasons he has competed in the MotoGP class. Only two riders have completed more successive years with at least one premier-class GP podium – Valentino Rossi (18) and Giacomo Agostini (13).