Official statistics compiled by Dr. Martin Raines STATISTICS 2016 March 15th Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar #01 Losail International Circuit

MotoGP™ Riders' Profiles

CAREER 2016 4. CAREER 2016 6. Starts 240 (142 x MotoGP, 49 x 250, 49 x 125) 0 Starts 156 (69 x MotoGP, 33 x Moto2, 54 x 125) 0 Wins/best result 10 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250, 5 x 125) - Wins/best result 7 (5 x Moto2, 2 x 125) (2nd in MotoGP) - Podiums 70 (29 x MotoGP, 26 x 250, 15 x 125) 0 Podiums 19 (1 x MotoGP, 12 x Moto2, 6 x 125) 0 Poles/best grid 16 (3 x MotoGP, 4 x 250, 9 x 125) - Poles/best grid 8 (1 x MotoGP, 7 x Moto2) - Last Win GBR/09 - Last Win GBR/11 (Moto2) - Last Podium GBR/15/3rd - Last Podium USA/13/2nd - Last Pole QAT/15 - Last Pole USA/13 -

»» Dovizioso finished on the podium on three occasions at Qatar when riding »» Bradl’s third place finish in the 125cc race at Qatar in 2008 was his first in the smaller classes; in the 125cc class in 2004 and the 250cc class in ever podium in Grand Prix racing 2005 and 2006 »» In 2010 he qualified on the front row at Qatar for the first ever Moto2 race but »» He has competed in the MotoGP class at Losail for the last eight years and on every Age: 29 crashed at turn two when De Angelis high-sided in front of him Age: 26 occasion he has finished in the top seven »» In 2011 he qualified on pole and won the opening Moto2 race of the season in Qatar »» In 2010 he finished on the podium in the MotoGP class in Qatar, finishing 3rd, after briefly leading »» He made his debut in the MotoGP class in 2012 in Qatar finishing 8th, which has been his highest mid-race, and was the only rider to finish in the top five finish to-date at the Losail circuit in the MotoGP class, having crashed in both 2013 & 2014 »» He has been the first Ducati rider across the line for the last three years in Qatar »» Last year Bradl finished just outside of the point scoring positions, down in 16th »» Last year Dovizioso qualified on pole and finished in 2nd position after a final lap battle with Rossi

CAREER 2016 8. Hector Barbera CAREER 2016 9. Danilo Petrucci Starts 225 (103 x MotoGP, 75 x 250, 47 x 125) 0 Starts 68 - all MotoGP 0 Wins/best result 10 (4 x 250, 6 x 125) (5th in MotoGP) - Best result 2nd - Podiums 32 (20 x 250, 12 x 125) 0 Podiums 1 x MotoGP 0 Poles/best grid 9 (8 x 250, 1 x 125) (3rd in MotoGP) - Best grid 5th - Last Win VAL/09 (250cc) - Last Win - - Last Podium VAL/09/1st (250cc) - Last Podium GBR/15/2nd - Last Pole POR/09 (250cc) - Last Pole - -

»» Barbera finished on the podium in the 250cc class in Qatar on three »» Petrucci made his MotoGP debut in 2012 at Qatar when he failed to finish occasions; 3rd in 2007, 2nd in 2008 and a victory in 2009 the race due to mechanical problems »» He has raced in the MotoGP class at Qatar for the last six years, with a best »» He retired from the race again in 2013 with mechanical problems, after result of 9th in 2012 riding a Ducati Age: 29 completing twelve laps Age: 25 »» His best qualifying result at Losail in the MotoGP class is 6th on the grid in 2011 & highest placed »» In 2014 he made it to the end of the race in Qatar for the first time - in 14th place Ducati - the first time a satellite Ducati rider had out-qualified both factory bikes in the 800cc »» Last year he finished in 12th place, his best result in Qatar to date era of MotoGP »» In 2015 he finished in 15th position, having battled with Bradl and Vinales on the final lap

CAREER 2016 19. Alvaro Bautista CAREER 2016 25. Maverick Viñales Starts 220 (104 x MotoGP, 49 x 250, 67 x 125) 0 Starts 85 (18 x MotoGP, 18 x Moto2, 49 x 125/Moto3) 0 Wins/best result 16 (8 x 250, 8 x 125) (3rd in MotoGP) - Wins/best result 16 (4 x Moto2, 12 x 125/Moto3) (6th in MotoGP) - Podiums 49 (3 x MotoGP, 28 x 250, 18 x 125) 0 Podiums 40 (9 x Moto2, 31 x 125/Moto3) 0 Poles/best grid 18 (1 x MotoGP, 9 x 250, 8 x 125) - Poles/best grid 11 (1 x Moto2, 10 x 125/Moto3) (2nd in MotoGP) - Last Win CAT/09 (250cc) - Last Win MAL/14 (Moto2) - Last Podium FRA/14/3rd - Last Podium MAL/14/1st (Moto2) - Last Pole GBR/12 - Last Pole ARA/14 (Moto2) -

»» Bautista won the 125cc GP in Qatar in 2006 after qualifying on pole, on his »» Viñales has twice finished on the podium in the lightweight-class in Qatar; way to becoming world champion a victory in the 125cc race in 2012 and 2nd in Moto3 in 2013 »» In 2010 he made his MotoGP class debut in Qatar, but crashed at the final corner »» In 2014 he qualified in 14th place on the grid and finished 4th in his first race in while battling with fellow rookie Simoncelli Age: 31 the Moto2 class Age: 21 »» Did not make the start of the race in 2011 after he crashed in the third free practice session and broke »» Last year was his first race in MotoGP, picking up points in 14th position after a last lap battle with his femur Barbera and Bradl »» He finished 7th at Qatar in 2012, and in 2013 he was 6th »» Bautista has failed to finish for the last two years in Qatar; last year he retired from the race after an incident with Marquez on the first lap had damaged his brakes

CAREER 2016 26. CAREER 2016 29. Starts 244 (166 x MotoGP, 32 x 250, 46 x 125) 0 Starts 179 (51 x MotoGP, 51 x Moto2, 77 x 125) 0 Wins/best result 51 (28 x MotoGP, 15 x 250, 8 x 125) - Wins/best result 12 (8 x Moto2, 4 x 125)(2nd in MotoGP) - Podiums 141 (100 x MotoGP, 24 x 250, 17 x 125) 0 Podiums 27 (3 x MotoGP, 19 x Moto2, 5 x 125) 0 Poles/best grid 46 (28 x MotoGP, 9 x 250, 9 x 125) - Poles/best grid 9 (1 x MotoGP, 5 x Moto2, 3 x 125) - Last Win MAL/15 - Last Win ITA/12 (Moto2) - Last Podium VAL/15/3rd - Last Podium AUS/15/3rd - Last Pole MAL/15 - Last Pole ITA/15 -

»» Losail is one of only five circuits on this year’s grand prix schedule where »» Iannone won the 125cc race at the Qatar Grand Prix in 2009 Pedrosa has not had a victory in any class of GP racing - the others are »» He finished 2nd in the Moto2 race in Qatar in 2011, after qualifying down in Silverstone, Austin, Ring and Termas de Rio Hondo 16th place on the grid, and was 2nd again in 2012, after leading for three laps in »» He has finished five times on the podium in the MotoGP class at Losail; 3rd in 2007, Age: 30 the middle of the race Age: 26 2008, 2011 & 2014, and in 2012 he was second »» Made his debut in the MotoGP class in 2013 at Qatar; he qualified in 10th place on the grid and »» In 2014 in Qatar he qualified in 6th place on the grid, but improved in the race to finish 3rd finished 9th »» Last year Pedrosa finished in 6th position after losing ground towards the end of the race as his arm »» In 2014 he crashed at the last corner on the second lap, re-started and finished the race in 10th place pump problems returned »» Last year saw Iannone’s best result at Qatar in the MotoGP class, in 3rd place - his first podium in the top class CAREER 2016 35. Cal Crutchlow CAREER 2016 38. Bradley Smith Starts 87 - all MotoGP 0 Starts 167 (54 x MotoGP, 33 x Moto2, 80 x 125) 0 Best result 2nd - Wins/best result 3 (3 x 125) (2nd in MotoGP) - Podiums 8 (8 x MotoGP) 0 Podiums 25 (2 x MotoGP, 3 x Moto2, 20 x 125) 0 Poles/best grid 2 (2 x MotoGP) - Poles/best grid 9 (9 x 125) (3rd in MotoGP) - Last Win - - Last Win VAL/10 (125cc) - Last Podium ARG/15/3rd - Last Podium RSM/15/2nd - Last Pole CZE/13 - Last Pole POR/10 (125cc) -

»» Crutchlow made his MotoGP debut in 2011 at the Qatar GP - qualified in »» Smith’s best result in Qatar is 5th in the 125cc race in 2009 8th place on the grid and finished 11th »» He started from pole in the 125cc race at Losail in 2008 - his first pole »» In 2012 in Qatar he qualified on the front row for the first time in MotoGP and in GP racing was the first satellite bike rider across the line in 4th, equalling his best GP result Age: 30 »» Finished 9th in 2011 in Qatar in his debut race in the Moto2 class and in 2012 Age: 25 at that time finished 9th at Losail for the second successive year »» In 2013 he qualified in 2nd place on the grid in Qatar, and again finished the race as first satellite rider »» Smith crashed out of the Qatar race in 2013; and again 2014 after starting from 3rd place on the grid across the line, in 5th place »» Last year he finished in 8th position just missing out on the top satellite bike spot to Crutchlow - his »» In 2014 he finished 6th in Qatar, in his first race on the factory Ducati first finish at Losail on a MotoGP bike »» Last year Crutchlow finished as the top satellite rider in his first race on the Honda, in 7th place

CAREER 2016 41. Aleix Espargaro CAREER 2016 43. Jack Miller Starts 178 (94 x MotoGP, 61 x Moto2/250, 23 x 125) 0 Starts 73 (18 x MotoGP, 55 x 125/Moto3) 0 Best result 2nd - Wins/best result 6 (6 x Moto3) (11th in MotoGP) - Podiums 2 (1 x MotoGP, 1 x Moto2) 0 Podiums 10 (10 x Moto3) 0 Poles/best grid 2 (2 x MotoGP) - Poles/best grid 8 (8 x Moto3) (15th in MotoGP) - Last Win - - Last Win VAL/14 (Moto3) - Last Podium ARA/14/2nd - Last Podium VAL/14/1st (Moto3) - Last Pole CAT/15 - Last Pole MAL/14 (Moto3) -

»» In 2010 Aleix Espargaro raced in the MotoGP class in Qatar riding a Ducati »» Miller finished outside a point scoring position in the Moto3 race at Qatar - he crashed on the seventh lap in both 2012 & 2013 »» In 2011 he finished 11th at Qatar in his first race in the Moto2 class »» In 2014 in Qatar he took his first grand prix victory in the Moto3 race »» In 2012 he finished 15th on his debut onboard the new ART machine and in 2013 he Age: 26 »» At Qatar last year Miller made his debut in the MotoGP class - he crashed out Age: 21 was the first CRT rider across the line in 11th place on the final lap »» In 2014 he finished 4th in Qatar - his best dry weather result in the MotoGP class »» Last year Aleix finished just outside the top ten, in 11th place which marked Suzuki’s return to the MotoGP

CAREER 2016 44. Pol Espargaro CAREER 2016 45. Starts 158 (36 x MotoGP, 51 x Moto2, 71 x 125) 0 Starts 136 (36 x MotoGP, 67 x Moto2, 33 x 125) 0 Wins/best result 15 (10 x Moto2, 5 x 125)(4th in MotoGP) - Wins/best result 4 (3 x Moto2, 1 x 125)(3rd in MotoGP) - Podiums 44 (23 x Moto2, 21 x 125) 0 Podiums 17 (1 x MotoGP, 14 x Moto2, 2 x 125) 0 Poles/best grid 17 (14 x Moto2, 3 x 125)(2nd in MotoGP) - Poles/best grid 3 (3 x Moto2)(6th in MotoGP) - Last Win JPN/13 (Moto2) - Last Win GBR/13 (Moto2) - Last Podium JPN/13/1st (Moto2) - Last Podium RSM/15/3rd - Last Pole VAL/13 (Moto2) - Last Pole INP/13 (Moto2) -

»» Pol Espargaro finished 3rd in the Moto2 race in Qatar in 2012 - his first »» Redding became the youngest ever rider to qualify on a GP front row when podium finish at the Losail circuit making his Grand Prix debut in the 125cc class at Losail in 2008, when he »» In 2013 in Qatar he qualified on pole for the Moto2 race, won the race and set finished the race in 5th place Age: 24 »» He finished 6th in 2012 in Qatar, the first time he had scored points in the opening Age: 23 »» In 2014 he retired from his debut race in the MotoGP class in Qatar with mechanical problems with race of the year since moving up to the Moto2 class five laps remaining, and last year he finished in 9th position »» In 2013 he finished 2nd in the Moto2 race in Qatar, after battling for the win throughout »» In 2014 he finished 7th in his MotoGP debut in Qatar, which was his equal best result of his rookie season in MotoGP »» Last year Redding finished 13th in Qatar on a satellite Honda

CAREER 2016 46. CAREER 2016 50. Eugene Laverty Starts 330 (270 x MotoGP, 30 x 250, 30 x 125) 0 Starts 48 (18 x MotoGP, 29 x 250, 1 x 125) 0 Wins/best result 112 (86 x MotoGP, 14 x 250, 12 x 125) - Best result 12th - Podiums 211 (175 x MotoGP, 21 x 250, 15 x 125) 0 Podiums 0 0 Poles/best grid 61 (51 x MotoGP, 5 x 250, 5 x 125) - Best grid 12th - 250cc (14th in MotoGP) - Last Win GBR/15 - Last Win - - Last Podium MAL/15/3rd - Last Podium - - Last Pole NED/15 - Last Pole - -

»» Rossi won in Qatar in 2005, 2006, 2010 & 2015, and finished 2nd in 2007, »» Last year saw Laverty make his premier-class debut at Losail - he finished 2009, 2013 and 2014 in 18th position after suffering with electronics problems during the race »» He crashed out of the race in 2004 after starting from the back of the grid from »» He had raced previously at Losail in the 250cc GP, world supersport a penalty Age: 37 and world superbike Age: 29 »» In 2013 in Qatar he finished 2nd on his return to Yamaha after riding Ducati machinery for »» His best result at the circuit is a race victory in the world supersport race in 2009 the previous two years »» He finished 2nd in 2014 in Qatar, just 0.259 sec behind Marquez, after qualifying in 10th place on the grid »» Last year Rossi won the opening round of the season after qualifying in 8th position and fighting his way through the field

2 CAREER 2016 53. Tito Rabat CAREER 2016 68. Yonny Hernandez Starts 159 (83 x Moto2, 76 x 125) 0 Starts 100 (69 x MotoGP, 31 x Moto2) 0 Wins/best result 13 (13 x Moto2) - Best result 6th - Moto2 (7th in MotoGP) - Podiums 36 (33 x Moto2, 3 x 125) 0 Podiums 0 0 Poles/best grid 16 (16 x Moto2) - Best grid 5th - Last Win VAL/15 (Moto2) - Last Win - - Last Podium VAL/15/1st (Moto2) - Last Podium - - Last Pole VAL/15 (Moto2) - Last Pole - -

»» Rabat won the Moto2 race in Qatar in 2014 from »» Hernandez made his Grand Prix debut in the Moto2 class at Losail in 2010, »» Last year he crashed out of the opening race of the year in Qatar in the Moto2 when he retired early in the race with technical problems class after qualifying 3rd on the grid »» In 2011 he finished 12th in the Moto2 race in Qatar after qualifying down in 20th Age: 26 place on the grid Age: 27 »» In 2012 he finished 14th in Qatar on his debut in the MotoGP class, and in 2013 he finished 14th for the second successive year »» In 2014 he opened his season with a 12th place finish in Qatar »» Last year Hernandez had an excellent start to the season qualifying 5th on the grid using the softer option tyre, finally finishing the race in 10th position

CAREER 2016 76. Loris Baz CAREER 2016 93. Marc Marquez Starts 17 x MotoGP 0 Starts 132 (54 x MotoGP, 32 x Moto2, 46 x 125) 0 Best result 4th - Wins/best result 50 (24 x MotoGP, 16 x Moto2, 10 x 125) - Podiums 0 0 Podiums 78 (39 x MotoGP, 25 x Moto2, 14 x 125) 0 Best grid 15th - Poles/best grid 58 (30 x MotoGP, 14 x Moto2, 14 x 125) - Last Win - - Last Win AUS/15 - Last Podium - - Last Podium VAL/15/2nd - Last Pole - - Last Pole AUS/15 -

»» Baz finished 2nd and 7th in the two world superbike races at Qatar in 2014 »» Whilst in the 125cc class Marquez crashed out of the race in Qatar in 2009, and »» Baz made his MotoGP debut in Qatar last year - he was the youngest French in 2010 he qualified on pole and finished 3rd in the race rider to compete in the MotoGP class since appeared as a »» On his debut in the Moto2 class in 2011 he crashed on lap five when making up for replacement rider in 2002 Age: 23 a slow start Age: 23 »» After qualifying in 23rd position, he finished the race in 22nd place, having had to pit »» In 2012 he qualified in 2nd place on the grid and won the opening Moto2 race of the year on his way to during the race to change his front tyre taking the world title »» Made his debut in the MotoGP class in 2013 in Qatar where he finished the race 3rd; the following year he won the MotoGP race in Qatar from pole position »» Last year Marquez qualified in 3rd position on the grid, but ran wide at the first corner and rejoined the race in last position - he went on to finish the race in 5th place

CAREER 2016 99. Starts 232 (138 x MotoGP, 48 x 250, 46 x 125) 0 Wins/best result 61 (40 x MotoGP, 17 x 250, 4 x 125) - Podiums 135 (97 x MotoGP, 29 x 250, 9 x 125) 0 Poles/best grid 61 (35 x MotoGP, 23 x 250, 3 x 125) - Last Win VAL/15 - Last Podium VAL/15/1st - Last Pole VAL/15 -

»» Lorenzo scored 3 victories in the smaller classes at Qatar: the 125cc race in 2004 and the 250cc race in both 2006 & 2007 »» In 2008 Lorenzo started on pole and finished 2nd in Qatar on his debut in the MotoGP class & in 2009 took the final place on the podium in his first race using Age: 28 Bridgestone tyres »» Finished 2nd in both 2010 & 2011 MotoGP races »» In both 2012 and 2013 he qualified on pole and won in Qatar; in 2014 he crashed on the opening lap whilst leading the race »» Last year Lorenzo led the race in the early stages, before finishing in 4th place after a problem with his helmet partially obscuring his vision

3 STATISTICS 2016 March 15th Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar #01 Losail International Circuit

High level maintained in the MotoGP class

he top nineteen riders of the 2015 MotoGP world championship continue in the class for 2016. The full time entry Tlist for this year contains 21 riders, with the following changes from last year:

Out from last year have gone - , , , Karel Abraham and . The only rookie in the MotoGP class for 2016 is the 2014 Moto2 world champion Tito Rabat.

The following table shows the Grand Prix wins and World Championships achieved by the riders on the 2016 entry list.

TITLES RACE WINS

Total MotoGP/500cc Moto2/250cc Moto3/125cc Total MotoGP/500cc Moto2/250cc Moto3/125cc

Valentino Rossi 9 7 1 1 112 86 14 12 Jorge Lorenzo 5 3 2 61 40 17 4 Marc Marquez 4 2 1 1 50 24 16 10 Dani Pedrosa 3 2 1 51 28 15 8 Alvaro Bautista 1 1 16 8 8 Maverick Viñales 1 1 16 4 12 Pol Espargaro 1 1 15 10 5 Tito Rabat 1 1 13 13 Andrea Dovizioso 1 1 10 1 4 5 Stefan Bradl 1 1 7 5 2 Andrea Iannone 0 12 8 4 Hector Barbera 0 10 4 6 Jack Miller 0 6 6 Scott Redding 0 4 3 1 Bradley Smith 0 3 3 Total 27 12 9 6 386 179 121 86

The strength of the MotoGP grid can be illustrated by the following facts about the riders lining up:

There are ten riders who have won a Grand Prix World Championship. These ten riders have won a total of 27 World Championship titles between them. Five riders on the list have won races in the premier-class. These five riders have between them won a total of 179 premier-class GP races - the highest number of accumulated premier-class GP wins ever assembled on the entry list at the opening race of the year. Fifteen riders on the MotoGP entry list have had race victories in at least one of the three classes of Grand Prix racing, with a combined total of Grand Prix victories of 386. The oldest rider on the MotoGP full-time entry list is Valentino Rossi, who celebrated his 37th birthday in February. The youngest rider for the second year running is Jack Miller, who will be 21 years 62 days old when he lines up on the grid in Qatar; Miller is just six days younger than Maverick Viñales.

Photo: 2016 Season

Official statistics compiled by Dr. Martin Raines 4 STATISTICS 2016 March 15th Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar #01 Losail International Circuit

Sixteen Grand Prix winners on Moto2 entry list ighteen of the top 20 riders in last year’s championship continue in the Moto2 class in 2016, including Ewho will be defending his world title. Also joining the Moto2 class this year are the top two riders from the Moto3 class in 2015. The main changes in the full time entry list for this year are as follows:

Out from last year have gone: Tito Rabat, , Randy Krummenacher, Anthony West, Azlan Shah, Ricky Cardus, Louis Rossi, Florian Alt and Thitipong Warokorn. Into the Moto2 class as full-time entrants in 2016 come the following riders: Efren Vazquez, Luca Marini, , Isaac Viñales, Alessandro Tonucci, , , , Edgar Pons and Xavi Vierge.

The strength in depth of the Moto2 grid can be illustrated by the following facts about the riders lining up, together with the table below:

16 of the riders on the full-time entry list have previously won Grand Prix races Between them, these 16 riders have scored 95 World Championship race wins. Five of the riders competing in Moto2 in 2016 have won the 125cc/Moto3 World Championship: Thomas Lüthi, Julian Simon, , Alex Marquez and Danny Kent.

The youngest rider in the full-time Moto2 entry list is Luca Marini, who was just 21 days old when his maternal half- brother Valentino Rossi clinched his first world title in the 125cc class at Brno in 1997. Marini is one of five riders in Moto2 who will start the season as teenagers, along with Jesko Raffin, Alex Marquez, Lorenzo Baldassari and Xavi Vierge. The oldest rider is Mattia Pasini, who returns to Grand Prix racing in the Moto2 class having made only two wildcard appearances last year. Pasini is the only rider in the Moto2 class who will have passed his 30th birthday at the opening race of 2016 in Qatar.

TITLES GRAND PRIX WINS

Moto2/250cc Moto3/125cc Total Moto2/250cc Moto3/125cc

Thomas Lüthi 1 1 10 5 5 Johann Zarco 1 1 9 8 1 Danny Kent 1 1 8 8 Julian Simon 1 1 8 8 Sandro Cortese 1 1 7 7 Alex Marquez 1 1 4 4 Mattia Pasini 0 10 2 8 Alex Rins 0 10 2 8 0 9 9 Miguel Oliveira 0 6 6 0 5 5 0 4 2 2 Efren Vazquez 0 2 2 Dominique Aegerter 0 1 1 Sam Lowes 0 1 1 Xavier Simeon 0 1 1 Total 6 1 5 95 22 73

Official statistics compiled by Dr. Martin Raines 5 STATISTICS 2016 March 15th Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar #01 Losail International Circuit

Influx of new young riders into Moto3 he Moto3 class has a total of ten rookies in the field in 2016. The main changes to the entry list compared to last Tyear are:

Out from last year have gone: Remy Gardner, Efren Vazquez, Matteo Ferrari, Alessandro Tonucci, Ana Carrasco, Stefano Manzi, Niklas Ajo, Isaac Viñales, Miguel Oliveira, Danny Kent and .

Into the series as full-time riders come the following: Fabio Spiranelli, Fabio di Giannantonio, Adam Norrodin, Nicolo Bulega, , Stefano Valtulini, Aron Canet, Bo Bendsneyder, Lorenzo Petrarca and Khairul Idham Pawi.

This addition of new young talent into the Moto3 class means that at the opening race of the year only three of the riders on the full-time entry list will be aged 22 or over: (22), (23) and (28). Of the 33 riders on the Moto3 full-time entry list, 22 will still be teenagers at the opening race of the year. The youngest rider competing full-time in Moto3 in 2016 is Fabio Spiranelli, who will be 16 years 106 days old at the opening race of the year.

Five of the riders in the Moto3 entry list have Grand Prix victories to their name: Romano Fenati (6 GP wins), Alexis Masbou (2), Nico Antonelli (2), (1) and Livio Loi (1).

Michelin return to MotoGP After a seven-year period during which Bridgestone have been the exclusive tyre suppliers for the MotoGP class, this year will see the return of Michelin as the control tyre. Below are a few facts and stats about this change of tyre supplier:

Starting in 2009 Bridgestone have been the exclusive tyre supplier to MotoGP; previous to 2009 there had been no restriction of which tyre manufacturer each rider could use. The last Michelin victory in a MotoGP race was when Dani Pedrosa won the Grand Prix of Catalunya in 2008. The remainder of the races in 2008 were won by either on a Ducati or Valentino Rossi on a Yamaha, both using Bridgestone tyres. Rossi’s teammate Jorge Lorenzo also won a race in 2008, in Portugal, but he was using Michelin tyres. After the San Marino GP in 2008 Dani Pedrosa made the unusual step of switching tyres manufacturers in mid-season and used Bridgestone tyres for the final five races of the year. Of the 118 MotoGP races that took place from when the class was introduced in 2002 to the end of 2008, Michelin won 83 races, with Bridgestone taking 35 wins. The very first Michelin victory in the premier-class of Grand Prix racing was with Australian Jack Findlay riding a Suzuki at the Isle of Man TT races in 1973.

Photo: 2016 Season

Official statistics compiled by Dr. Martin Raines 6 STATISTICS 2016 March 15th Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar #01 Losail International Circuit

Grand Prix racing numbers

100 - Dani Pedrosa’s third place finish in the final race of 2015 at Valencia was the 100th time that he has stood on the podium in the MotoGP class. Valentino Rossi is the only other rider to achieve the milestone of 100 podium finishes in the premier-class.

41 years - The 2016 season will be the first time since 1975 that there has been no American rider on the full-time entry list in the premier-class of Grand Prix racing.

39 - The third place finish by Marc Marquez at the final race of last year in Valencia was the 39th time he has stood on the podium since moving up to the MotoGP class. One more top three finish and he will equal the number of premier- class podiums achieved by double 500cc World Champion .

24 - Bradley Smith has scored points in the last 24 MotoGP races. The last race at which he did not finish in the top fifteen was the British GP in 2014 when he had to call into the pits due to a faulty rear wheel.

21 - 2016 is Valentino Rossi’s 21st successive year as a grand prix rider. During this lengthy GP career he has only missed four races, after breaking his leg at Mugello in 2010.

13 - This will be the thirteenth occasion that a Grand Prix event has been held at the Losail circuit and the ninth under floodlights.

10 - This will be the tenth successive year that the Losail circuit has hosted the opening Grand Prix event of the year.

6 - Yamaha have been the most successful manufacturer in the MotoGP class at this circuit with six wins, both Ducati and Honda have had three MotoGP victories at the Losail circuit.

5 - The two riders with most GP victories at Losail, with five wins each, are Casey Stoner (4 x MotoGP, 1 x 250cc) and Jorge Lorenzo (2 x MotoGP, 2 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc).

3 - Last year in Qatar the first three riders in the MotoGP race were from Italy - the first all Italian MotoGP podium since the Japanese GP in 2006 at Motegi.

2 - Last year in Qatar Ducati had two riders on a MotoGP podium for the first time since the Aragon GP in 2010, when Casey Stoner won the race and Nicky Hayden finished third.

1 - With Nicky Hayden no longer competing in Grand Prix racing, the only rider who has started all twelve previous MotoGP races held in Qatar is Valentino Rossi.

Photo: 2015 Season

Official statistics compiled by Dr. Martin Raines 7 STATISTICS 2016 March 15th Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar #01 Losail International Circuit

Moto2 stats and facts

Two of the riders in the Moto2 class in 2016 have competed in all twelve previous Grand Prix events to be held at the Losail circuit: Julian Simon and Simone Corsi. No reigning Moto2 World Champion has ever won the opening Moto2 race of the year in Qatar. Jonas Folger won the Moto2 race last year in Qatar - his first win in the Moto2 class. Johann Zarco was leading the Moto2 race at Qatar last year by over four seconds with just five laps to go when he suffered mechanical problems and dropped back to finish 8th. In addition to Folger, the only other past Qatar GP winners who are currently competing in the Moto2 class are Luis Salom, (Moto3 - 2013), and Mattia Pasini (250cc - 2008). Alex Rins qualified on pole for the Moto3 race in 2014 in Qatar, but made a bad start and finished the first lap down in 10th place before battling his way back to finally finish 5th. Last year he was 4th in Qatar on his debut in the Moto2 class. Thomas Lüthi has finished on the podium three times in the Moto2 class at the Qatar Grand Prix; 3rd in 2011, 2014 and 2015. Lüthi also qualified on pole at Losail in 2012 and was leading the race starting the final lap of the race before a clash with Marquez at Turn 1 resulted in him running off the track and eventually finishing fifth. am Lowes qualified on pole for the Moto2 race in Qatar last year and then crashed at the final corner of the third lap when battling for the lead with Johann Zarco. finished third in the Moto2 race at Qatar in 2013 and he was the second rider across the line in 2014 at Losail, but was later disquali- fied for a technical infringement. Xavier Simeon finished second last year in Qatar, equalling his best Grand Prix result at that time.

Photo: 2015 Season

Moto3 stats and facts

Three of the riders on this year’s Moto3 entry list have started all of the 70 Moto3 races that have taken place since it was introduced in 2012 to replace the 125cc class: Romano Fenati, Jakub Kornfeil and . For the last seven years in the Moto3/125cc class, the rider winning the world championship has finished on the podium at the opening race of the year in Qatar. Honda riders took the first five places in the Moto3 race last year in Qatar. The first nine riders across the line in the Qatar Moto3 race last year were covered by just 0.909 seconds - the smallest margin ever covering the top nine riders (in races that have run to full distance). Alexis Masbou qualified on pole and won the Moto3 race in Qatar last year and in 2014 he set the lap record on his way to finishing 7th in Qatar. Masbou’s pole last year in Qatar was the first of his Grand Prix career, in what was his 141st Grand Prix start. Enea Bastianini missed out on the Moto3 win last year in Qatar by just 0.027 seconds, after setting the fastest lap of the race on his way to finishing second, having qualified down in 21st place on the grid.

Photo: 2015 Season

Official statistics compiled by Dr. Martin Raines 8