- Valentino Rossi’s win at Motegi was
his eighth win of the year. Only three other riders, Mick
Doohan, Giacomo Agostini and Mike Hailwood, have scored eight or
more wins in the 500 class in a single season in the 52-year history of
MotoGP:
Number of wins in the 500 class in a single
season:
12 = Mick Doohan - 1997
11 = Giacomo Agostini - 1972
10 = Giacomo Agostini - 3 times - 1968, 1969,
1970
9 = Mick Doohan - 1994
8 = Mike Hailwood - 1965 ,
Giacomo Agostini - 1971 , Mick Doohan
1996 & 1998 ,
Valentino Rossi - 2001
- Valentino Rossi took his 36th career
win at Motegi, and now needs just one more victory to move up to equal
tenth in the all time list of most successful riders in terms of wins in
all solo class of Grand Prix racing. One more win would also take him
equal to Max Biaggi.
ALL TIME SOLO GRAND PRIX WINS - ALL CLASSES
1. Giacomo Agostini 122
2. Angel Nieto 90
3. Mike Hailwood 76
4. Mick Doohan 54
5. Phil Read 52
6. Jim Redman 45
7. Anton Mang 42
8. Carlo Ubbiali 39
9. John Surtees 38
10. Max Biaggi 37 , Jorge Martinez 37
12. Valentino Rossi 36
13. Luca Cadalora 34
14. Geoff Duke 33
15. Kork Ballington 31 , Eddie Lawson 31
- The 500cc race last year in Australia
resulted in an all Italian podium. This was the first all Italian podium
in the 500 class since the Italian Grand Prix at Imola in 1972 when
Agostini, Pagani and Spaggiari took the top three places. Since then
there have been two more all Italian podiums, at the Catalan Grand Prix
and the Dutch TT.
- If, as now seems likely, Valentino
Rossi goes on to take the 500cc World Championship this year he would be
only the third rider ever to win titles in three different classes, the
others being Phil Read and Mike Hailwood. The following shows the ages
of Hailwood and Read when they won the titles. For comparison Valentino
Rossi would be 22 years and 240 days old on the day of the Australian
Grand Prix:
RIDER TITLES WON AGE
Mike Hailwood 250, 350, 500 26 years 140 days
Phil Read 125, 250, 500 34 years 201 days
- Rossi would also become the fourth
youngest rider ever to win the 500 World Championship, entering the
following list of youngest winners of the title between John Surtees and
Gary Hocking:
RIDER AGE ON WINNING CHAMPIONSHIP YEAR
1. Freddie Spencer 21yrs 258days 1983
2. Mike Hailwood 22yrs 160days 1962
3. John Surtees 22yrs 182days 1956
4. Gary Hocking 23yrs 316days 1961
5. Giacomo Agostini 24yrs 87days 1966
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