MotoGP Facts & Figures prior to Assen

• This will be the 15th consecutive year that a GP has been held in Malaysia since 1991. The first seven events were held at Shah Alam, followed by one year at Johor. This will be the seventh year at Sepang.
• Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha have each scored two victories in the premier class at Sepang.
• Valentino Rossi has won three time in the premier class at Sepang including the past two years when he also took pole position and the fastest lap of the race.
• Max Biaggi is the only rider who could stop Rossi winning the world title in Malaysia. If Biaggi wins the race then Rossi needs to finish in fourth place or better to clinch the crown.  If Biaggi finishes second then Rossi needs to finish no lower than eighth. If Biaggi finishes third then Rossi needs to finish twelfth or better. If Biaggi finishes fourth then Rossi needs to score only a single championship point to lift the title.  If Biaggi finishes lower than fourth then Rossi will take the title in Malaysia no matter where he finishes the race or even if he doesn't finish the race.
• Max Biaggi has finished on the podium for the last three years at Sepang, including taking the race victory in 2002 when riding a Yamaha.
• After taking the win in Japan, Loris Capirossi will be aiming to score back to back victories for the first time in the premier class. Capirossi, who took the 250cc victory at Sepang in 1999, also finished second in the premier class at Sepang in 2001 after qualifying on pole position.
• Following Valentino Rossi's crash in Japan, Colin Edwards and Loris Capirossi are the only two riders in the MotoGP class to have scored points at all twelve races this year.
• Sepang has been an unlucky circuit for Marco Melandri and he has not managed a top ten finish at the circuit since he was 5th in the 250cc race back in 2000.
• Nicky Hayden has just finished off the podium in fourth place at each of his previous two visits to Sepang.
• Sete Gibernau's second place finish in 2003 is his only podium at Sepang.
• Alex Barros has twice finished third at Sepang, last year and in 2002 when he also qualified on pole position.
• Makoto Tamada's third place in Japan was his first podium finish since he won at the same circuit last year.
• Carlos Checa's fourth place in Japan is his best result since he was fourth at the Catalan GP last year.
• Shinya Nakano, who took victory in the 250cc race at Sepang in 2000 riding a Yamaha, qualified the Kawasaki on the front row for the first time in the MotoGP class last year at Sepang.
• At the Japanese GP John Hopkins finished in fifth place, his best ever result in GP racing.
• At the Japanese GP Suzuki had two riders finishing in the top eight for the first time since the Rio GP in 2002. Suzuki have already scored more points in the constructors championship than they did throughout 2004.
• Toni Elias made a clean sweep in the 250cc class at Sepang in 2003, he won the race after qualifying on pole position and he also set a new lap record.

Rossi's record breaking season

• Even though Rossi crashed out of the Japanese GP while attempting to clinch the MotoGP Championship, he can still set records and reach new milestones during the remainder of 2005. Below are some statistics on what he has already achieved this year and what is possible in the remaining races of the season.
  > Rossi has won nine GPs this year equalling the record he set last year for the most victories in a single season by a Yamaha rider in the premier class
  > Rossi is the first rider to score nine or more wins in a season in the premier class on five occasions
  > Earlier this year at the Dutch TT Rossi became the first Yamaha rider ever to win five successive premier class races
  > Rossi's win in the first round at Jerez made him the only rider other than Agostini to win the opening race of the year on five occasions
  > If Rossi wins the title he will become only the third rider to have taken five or more premier class world championships, the others being Mick Doohan with five and Giacomo Agostini with eight.
  > This would be Rossi's seventh crown in total (including one in the 125cc class and one in the 250cc class) equalling the number of solo world titles by Phil Read and John Surtees. Only four riders have more in the 57 year history of motorcycle Grand Prix racing; Giacomo Agostini - 15; Angel Nieto - 13; Mike Hailwood - 9; Carlo Ubbiali - 9
• Rossi could also set or equal a number of other records before the end of the year.
  > The most wins ever recorded in a single season is a mantle held by Mick Doohan who took 12 victories in 1997. Rossi has nine so far this year but if he wins all the remaining races he could total as much as 14 wins for the year.
  > The most points scored in a single season record is already held by Rossi with the 357 points he scored in 2003 but he can easily eclipse that mark if he has a great end to the season.

Loris Capirossi also put more ink in the record books following his victory in Japan

• It was the first time ever that a premier class GP held in Japan was won by a non-Japanese manufacturer.
• It was also the first win for Capirossi and Ducati since the GP of Catalunya in 2003
• Capirossi's pole was the first of the year by a rider using Bridgestone tyres. With John Hopkins taking second place on the grid this was only the second time ever that Bridgestone riders have taken the top two grid positions, the other was at the same circuit last year.
• This was the first time in premier class that Loris Capirossi had done the clean sweep of race victory, pole position and new lap record.
• With Ducati's other rider Carlos Checa coming home in fourth place, this was the best ever result in the premier class for the Ducati team.
• Loris Capirossi's win at Motegi came more than fifteen year after he took his debut win in the 125cc race at the British GP in 1990. Only Angel Nieto has had a longer winning career in GP racing. Phil Read ranks third, Loris Reggiani fourth and Max Biaggi fifth.
• Capirossi's win in Japan was almost nine years after his debut win in the category at the Australian GP in 1996 when riding a Yamaha. This gives Capirossi the fourth longest winning career in the premier class. Barros leads this table from Phil Read and Giacomo Agostini.  Eddie Lawson is fifth and Mick Doohan sixth.

Max Biaggi just one podium behind Hailwood and Rossi

• Max Biaggi's second place finish at Motegi was the 111th time he has stood on the podium in his GP career. This places him sixth on the all time list of podium finished in GP racing with just one less top three finish than his great rival Rossi and nine-times World Champion Mike Hailwood. Loris Capirossi's victory in Japan was the 85th time he has stood on a GP podium which pushed him past Anton Mang for tenth place in the all time list. Agostini heads the list with 159 ahead of Angel Nieto (139) and Phil Read (121). Hailwood and Rossi both have 112 under their belt.