Donington MotoGP stats: Facts and figures

Valentino Rossi has had seven victories at Donington; the 125cc race in 1997, the 250cc race in 1999 and in the premier-class in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. 

He also crossed the line first in 2003 but was subsequently given a 10-second penalty for passing under a yellow flag.

His 4th place finish two years ago is the only time that Rossi has failed to finish on the podium at Donington since moving up to the premier-class in 2000.

Jorge Lorenzo’s only victory at Donington was three years ago in the 250cc race from pole position. In 2007 he crashed out of the wet 250cc race at Coppice on lap eleven.

On his debut at Donington on a MotoGP machine last year he was returning to racing after missing the race at Catalunya due to injury and had an excellent race to finish 6th after qualifying down in 17th place on the grid.

Dani Pedrosa won the 250cc race at Donington in 2004 and did the clean sweep in the MotoGP race there in 2006, winning the race with a new lap record after qualifying on pole position.

Two years ago he was 8th after qualifying on the front row of the grid and last year he finished third after qualifying down in 9th on the grid.

Casey Stoner made his Grand Prix debut as a wild-card rider in the 125cc race at Donington back in 2001.

Stoner has won for the last two years at Donington.  Last year he totally dominated by qualifying 0.65 seconds faster than anyone else and leading the race from start to finish and setting the fastest lap.

Donington is the only circuit at which Andrea Dovizioso has won in both the 125cc (2004) and 250cc (2007) classes. Dovizioso has now gone three races without scoring a point which follows a sequence of twenty-one successive point scoring finishes.

Donington is the circuit at which Colin Edwards has had most success during his Grand Prix career with five top six finishes, including second in both 2004 and 2007.  Edwards also had two race wins at Donington in World Superbike, in 1999 and 2000.

Marco Melandri’s best result from five starts in MotoGP at Donington was  his third place in 2006.  He also won the 250cc race at the British GP on his way to taking the world title in 2002.

Chris Vermeulen finished 16th in his first appearance at Donington in 2006 after crashing and re-starting.  In 2007 he was 3rd in the wet race after qualifying 12th on the grid.  Last year he finished 8th, after qualifying on the front row for the only time in 2008.

This will be Loris Capirossi’s 18th Grand Prix event at the Donington circuit, where he had his first GP victory in the 125cc class as a sixteen year old in 1990.

He repeated the win in 1991 and also won the 250cc GP at Donington in 1994 and 1998.  Although he has finished fourth on three occasions in the premier- class at Donington he is still looking for his first podium at the circuit on a MotoGP machine. 

Last year he missed the British GP as he was still suffering hand injuries picked up in a crash at Catalunya.

Randy de Puniet won the 250cc Grand Prix at Donington in 2005.  His best MotoGP result at Donington is 6th in 2007 which is also the best ever result for Kawasaki at this circuit.  De Puniet crashed out on the first lap in Germany to give him his first non-score since the San Marino GP last year.

Alex de Angelis twice finished second at Donington when riding in the 250cc
class, in 2006 and 2007.

Last year on his first ride at the circuit on a MotoGP machine he crashed at the Melbourne loop on lap two and then rejoined the race to score a single point.

Toni Elias has not had much luck in his MotoGP years at Donington with a best result of 9th in 2005.

He missed the race due to injury in 2006, ran across the grass at Craner Curves early in the race in 2007 and went on to finish 12th (although he did set the fastest race lap). Last year he finished 11th after qualifying in last place on the grid.

Nicky Hayden’s best result at Donington is his fourth place finish in 2004. In 2007 he qualified in fourth place on the grid but finished down in 17th place after
crashing at McLean’s and remounting. 

Last year he again qualified 4th but finished 7th after suffering some technical problems with the new pneumatic valve  engine in his Honda.

James Toseland, who won at Donington during his time in World Superbike, suffered a disaster last year on his race debut at his home circuit on a MotoGP machine when he crashed at the first corner and then re-mounted to finish 17th.

Mika Kallio won the 250cc race last year at Donington riding a KTM after qualifying down in 14th place on the grid.

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