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Uzone.id – Entering 75 years of Grand Prix racing now known as MotoGP, 3,392 motorbike races have been held in all classes and involved more than 6,000 riders competing in this championship.
In 1949 as the opening season, six circuits in Europe were explored as venues for Grand Prix races, namely Isle of Man (England), Berne (Switzerland), Assen (Netherlands), Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), Clady in Ulster (Northern Ireland ), and Monza (Italy).
The world championship of Grand Prix racing was initially an extraordinary project that dared to take risks because it started after the end of the world war.
The first year held in 1949 has formed a solid foundation as a world-level championship which is still being held continuously to this day.
The opening historical record begins at the Grand Prix race on the Isle of Man 75 years ago. At that time, racer Freddie Frith, a racer from Grimsby, England, may have never realized the importance of his first win in a race in the 350cc class.
Freddie Frith is determined to become the first rider to start training for the world championships. In the dark, five or six hours before the start of the first-morning practice session at five in the morning, he brought his AJS 350cc to the start line.
His friends guarded his motorbike overnight so he could write his name in history as the sun rose over Douglas Bay.
That morning, June 13, 1949, the riders lining up on Glencrutchery Road had no idea what was about to happen. Not only in their battle for seven winding laps on the 60,721 km TT Mountain circuit but also in the history of holding the Grand Prix or MotoGP race which has now reached 75 years of age.
The weather in the Isle of Man area that morning was very clear when the Manx start flag was lowered at exactly 11 am. The racers covered a distance of 447 kilometers, and then Freddie Frith crossed the finish line in first place and became the racer who finished in pole position riding his Velocette 350cc motorbike.
Frith was crowned as the winner of the first series of the motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship. Then, the first premier class race was held, namely on June 17, 1949.
Gold Ink 75 years of MotoGP
A lot has happened in 75 years, both in the world and on the race track. Throughout its 75 years of implementation, the Grand Prix race now known as MotoGP has been held in 3,392 races in all classes. To date, 31 countries have held the Grand Prix.
A total of 75 circuits in various countries have hosted Grand Prix during that period. Several legendary circuits such as Brno, Sachsenring, and Nurburgring have switched from road circuits to tracks built specifically for racing. Assen in the Netherlands is the only circuit remaining from the 1949 race schedule to host a Grand Prix every season.
Over three-quarters of a century, more than 6,000 riders have taken part in the World Championship. They have represented 62 different countries competing in this world-level championship.
Of the 6,000 racers, 399 different racers stood on the top podium as race winners. A total of 126 riders have been crowned world champions of Grand Prix now called MotoGP, representing 21 different countries.
MotoGP also produced the youngest racer to compete in the Grand Prix and managed to win five world championships, including three MotoGP titles. One of them is Jorge Lorenzo, who won the world title at the age of 15 years and 1 day when he made his 125cc debut at Jerez in 2002.
At that time, Jorge Lorenzo had to miss the first day of practice for the Spanish Grand Prix because he was still 14 years old. The oldest racer to compete in the Grand Prix was Frank Cope from England who was 62 years old when he took part in the Grand Prix race.
Meanwhile, Italian racer, Giacomo Agostini, is a legend, king, and most successful racer in the history of the Grand Prix World Championship. He won 15 world titles in all classes, 8 of them in the premier class, and 122 Grand Prix wins in the 350cc and 500cc World Championships, which no other racer has been able to beat to this day.
If ranked, the rider with the most world titles in all the classes he participated in was Giacomo Agostini who collected 15 titles in all classes (8 of them in the main class), followed by Angel Nieto who collected 13 titles, Mike Hailwood won 9 titles, Valentino Rossi collected 9 titles and Carlo Ubbiali won 9 titles. Marc Marquez has collected 8 world championships in all the classes he has participated in.
Over 75 years, 399 riders have won the Grand Prix. Honda is the most successful manufacturer in Grand Prix racing (single class) with 821 wins, followed by Yamaha (520 wins), Aprilia (297 wins), MV Agusta (275 wins), and Kalex (176 wins).
If traced based on the racer’s country of origin, as many as 30 countries have won the Grand Prix race. Italy is the country of origin of the racer with the most wins, namely 888, followed by Spain with 722.
